Milwaukee Mafia

In this Episode we discuss the Pink Glove an early gay bar in the Milwaukee area that has some unexpected Mafia ties to it.

Alberto discusses some of the high profile people he met during his stay in prison, and touches on what drove him to walk away from the life he had been living once he was released from prison.

In Part 3 of Alberto's story we talk about Alberto becoming a leader of the Latin Kings 19th Street subchapter and what happens up to his eventual arrest.

Alberto Vallejo shares some personal stories being in the Latin Kings. This time we focus on his early years -- how do you get in, and what is daily life like.

In this episode, our special guest Alberto Vallejo talks about the basic structure and rules of the Latin Kings, particularly in Milwaukee.

An informant claimed that Angelo Provinzano would be the next Mafia boss after John Alioto. But who the heck was Provinzano? We cover a bit on this mystery man and his brother.

Possibly the most complex episode ever, how the Milwaukee and Detroit mobs worked together to defraud an endless team of wholesale suppliers. How did they use a shaky credit report to obtain toys, appliances and more?

Everyone has a story about Al Capone... but the family member with the biggest impact on Wisconsin was his brother Ralph. We briefly cover Ralph's time in the Northwoods.

On April 18, 1958, Waukesha County Sheriff Michael Lombardi was convicted of willful dereliction of duty in connection with numerous events occurring in Waukesha County. One count was related to Club 166, a licensed tavern and night club, in Menomonee Falls (Milwaukee suburb) that belonged to Dominic F. and Shirley Picciurro. (Dominic was Frank Balistrieri's maternal uncle). Lombardi was convicted...

It was alleged by the Board of State Bar Commissioners that Attorney Mark Catlin, Jr. induced or led various people to believe that he possessed influence in pardon or parole matters; that he accepted money from people who had the corrupt intention of influencing official conduct; and that Catlin knew of such intention. Louis Fazio, John Mandella, Jerome Mandella, and Dominic Lampone were convicte...

In the podcast's first ever guest appearance, Justin Cascio from Mafia Genealogy, talks about his research into his family roots that lead to Giuseppe Morello, aka “The Clutch Hand” - a member of the mafia in Corleone. https://mafiagenealogy.wordpress.com/ https://www.facebook.com/mafiagenealogy Macaroni Wars Moral Basis of a Backward Society by Edward C. Banfield : Analyzing families in southern...

Jack Enea was a member of the Milwaukee Mafia, and was considered to be one of the “Young Turks”, which also included John DiTrapani and Frank LaGalbo, who had angled to take over leadership from Milwaukee Mafia boss John Alioto. Under Alioto’s rule, the muscling of gamblers and legitimate businesses stopped, but internal dissent continued. DiTrapani spread the word that he would pay for “hits” in...

John DiTrapani rose to prominence within the Milwaukee Mafia in the early 1950s. He was considered to be one of the “Young Turks”, which also included Jack Enea and Frank LaGalbo, who had angled to take over leadership from Milwaukee Mafia boss John Alioto. Under Alioto’s rule, the muscling of gamblers and legitimate businesses stopped, but internal dissent continued. DiTrapani spread the word tha...

Frequent mob target John Sullivan, more commonly known as “Blackie”, and later “Blackie the Sieve”. He earned the nickname due to how many times he's been shot, and survived. For more on Blackie Sullivan, visit: https://milwaukeemafia.com/blackie-sullivan/ Links: Visit MilwaukeeMafia.com for more information Gavin's Books: https://amzn.to/3ssKOQH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia

Sidney Brodson was very smart, and was able to use his intelligence to profit, legally, as a gambler. On March 24, 1951, Sidney Brodson testified before the Kefauver Committee to provide his advice on how Congress could address illegal gambling. Brodson opted to overshare by revealing the names, addresses and telephone numbers of individuals across the country with whom he placed bets. The hearing...

To jumpstart 2022, we are giving you another sample of our exclusive Patreon audio. It's a more casual podcast where Gavin answers listener questions. Patreon is $2/month, and includes 2 exclusive podcast episode of behind the scenes content each month: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia This Patreon clip is from our 11/30/2021 release where Gavin talks about requesting records, and the variou...

The 1950s were a time of great heists in the Milwaukee Mafia. Most notably there was the burglary at the Reno home of Lavere Redfield . Lesser known was the fraudulent bankruptcy surrounding Scanlon's Music in downtown Milwaukee. And then, one of the least successful... the hijacking of meat. This episode includes names such as Anthony LaRosa, Joseph "The Viper" Guarniere, Harold Klein, Thomas "To...

We wanted to give you a sample of our exclusive Patreon audio. It's a more casual podcast where Gavin answers listener questions. Patreon is $2/month, and includes 2 exclusive podcasts each month: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia This Patreon clip is from our 12/14/2021 release where Gavin discusses a listener-submitted question: Was Frank Balistrieri ever more powerful than Sam Giancana? (F...

This episode focuses on Steve DiSalvo's criminal endeavors, including a business deal with an undercover FBI agent that would ultimately land many, including Frank Balistrieri, in prison. DiSalvo is considered to be the right-hand man to Frank Balistrieri. Although it is not clear how DiSalvo was initially affiliated with the Milwaukee Mafia given that he had no immediate family in the mafia, he b...

In this episode, Gavin and Eric discuss a Fond du Lac, Wisconsin cheese company's ties to the Mafia. According to federal investigators, the Grande Cheese Company of Fond du Lac “was born out of a Chicago gang war in 1939”. Chicago mobster Ross Prio is credited with starting the business in 1941. In January 1963, Wisconsin Governor John W. Reynolds claimed that a “network of organized crime” exist...

Join Gavin and Eric as they discuss John Alioto, former boss of the Milwaukee Mafia from 1952-1961. The Aliotos were deeply connected to crime through blood and marriage, setting up the Milwaukee Family to be among the most intra-related in the country. He was largely in the background during his reign. Early in life, he was a murder suspect in the death of Albert Scorsone, and was loosely tied in...

Topics: Pinball Horse racing Policy (number) wheels John Doe investigations Links: Visit MilwaukeeMafia.com for more information Gavin's Books: https://amzn.to/3ssKOQH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia Bonus fact: In 1963, the Wisconsin supreme court ruled free plays on pinball machines were illegal - even though there was little enforcement behind the law. In 1980, Wisconsin legaliz...

People included in this episode: Joe Vallone Pasquale Migliaccio Joe Bedami Hasso Pestalazzi Pat Ferrara Links: Visit MilwaukeeMafia.com for more information Gavin's Books: https://amzn.to/3ssKOQH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia

In this episode, Gavin talks through the murders of three Scaffidi family members: Vincenzo "James" Scaffidi, Anthony, and Joseph. On Saturday, March 14th, 1891, Antonio Scaffidi was murdered in prison along with Joseph P. Macheca and Antonio Marchesi. Vincenzo Scaffidi was shot six times from behind on the evening of December 12, 1919. He was found lying in a ditch on Whitnall Avenue in the town...

Gavin continues on with Tony Gennaro snitching from prison. In the last episode, Tony, while an inmate at Waupun, sent a letter to Milwaukee’s captain of detectives, Adolph Kraemer. Tony writes: “If you want to talk with me about them, I would like to talk to you alone. Please don’t tell anyone about my name, because I am a prisoner and there are many Italian fellows from the Third Ward here; keep...