Colleagues and arresting officers alike described Clyde as a gentleman. It wasnt long before the duo was making good money, so much so that they were able to help their parents out even more by buying toys for their siblings, clothes for their mother and father, and even helping to fix up the family house. So they did all those good things so that the law enforcement would look the other way and everybody would be happy. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery. Joseph "Scotty" Spinuzzi, Boss of the Pueblo LCN family from around 1972 until his death in 1975, in his younger days. Despite their denials, Smiling Charlie Stephens, Clyde and Checkers Smaldone as well as another man, would be arrested and charged with conspiracy. Clyde Smaldone (bottom left), "Checkers" Smaldone (top left), Joe Veccharelli, and an unidentified man celebrate the end of Prohibition after the passing of the 21st Amendment. ABC11 Neighborhood Safety and Crime Tracker If anyone has information about this incident, they are encouraged to contact the Clinton Police Department at 910-592-3105. Clyde and Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone in court in 1953. The remains of the vehicle of Leo Barnes, allegedly targeted for assassination by Clyde Smaldone, Checkers Smaldone, and Smiling Charlie Stephens. He would immigrate to New York City and ring up several arrests in the New York and New Jersey area before moving west and settling in Pueblo, Colorado, though hed become a naturalized citizen in February of 1920 while still residing in New York. Jacob Stoops is the host of The Members Only Podcast, and he's a history buff and mob historian. Judge Denounces U.S. Attorney General and FBI for Laxity in Investigation of Jury Tampering. In 1927, Clyde and his confederates were arrested for possession of several gallons of liquor as well as hijacking 96 pints of whiskey from a competitors truck. Gaetanos was the crime familys headquarters, and the people hanging around the wood-paneled restaurant were a whos who of the Colorado underworld. Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Its easier to take them down from a law enforcement perspective when theyre divided. Blandas immediate successor as Boss was his trusted aide, Vincenzo James Coletti, called Black Jim for his dark complexion and coal-black eyes. Chauncey, as his friends and family called him, was born on February 8, 1924, and was the youngest of the eleven children born to Raffaele and Mamie Smaldone. Hunter spent the weekend at the house of Joe Kiani, 58, who founded medical technology company Masimo in 1989 and is now worth an estimated $1.3 billion, according to Forbes. This is where they were at the top of the mountain so to speak. Checkers was younger than Clyde by four years, and many would describe him as not having the brains for finesse of his older brother, but he was known to be more physically intimidating and tougher. This is a remarkably disturbing number which suggests that its not a safe place to move with your family. If you want to read more on the Colorado mob, I have two books that I highly recommend. Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone hanging out at Gaetano's Restaurant in 1965. Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone and Gene Smaldone in 1930's on Osage Street and 34th Avenue in Denver. 'Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, Biden's son Hunter, 53, is being investigated by Republican-led committees over his business dealings, with inquiries into his tax affairs and purchase of a gun. Five victims Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25,her eight-year-old son Daniel Enrique Laso, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Josu Advertisement. If youre familiar with the Sopranos, think of Jackie Aprile Jr. playing the gangster. Wives of the Smaldone brothers fought back tears as they talked to their husbands through bars of the detention cell. Now there were different circumstances, but Frank also saw which way the wind was blowing (after he was nearly assassinated) and knew it was time for him to move on. The total cost of crime in Colorado exceeded $27 billion in 2020. Paul "Fat Paulie" Villano gives the photographer a stern looking while signing a property bond in 1972. I done nine and a half years of my life for him. Charley Blanda was born in Ames, Iowa in 1899, but at some point would move to Colorado where he would reside permanently. In the end, the Stephens-Barnes affair would end in an assassination attempt that would get the Smaldone brothers embroiled in some serious legal trouble. So in Colorado, they were target #1 to take down. Occasionally, Chauncey would work the bar at Gaetanos, and his nephew Paulie would eventually find his forte, running the restaurant for the family. Drinking turned to fist-fighting amongst each other. Well, they knew we didnt do it, but somebody shot him. The brothers would receive a new trial. According to sources, Charley didnt have the look of a mobster (he wore large thick glasses), but had a stout build standing just 55 and weighing close to 200lbs, and a long arrest record that included pinches for burglary, grand larceny, and weapons violations and did jail-time on several occasions. [He] was a good sized man. Again, this wouldnt be the last time they would be arrested. Once in Pueblo, Coletti would immediately become a part of the underworld due to his familial relationship with the infamous Carlino brothers (he was their cousin) who controlled much of Colorado at the time. But the business of the Smaldone family would soon change, and Raffaele along with his sons would find another means for making money: bootlegging. Much of that increase is due to a surge in property crimes during the year. #13: Ballplayer to Mafia Hitman, The True Story of Maurice Pro Lerner, How Prohibition contributed to the rise of the mobs, The story of the Carlino Brothers, Pete, Sam and Charlie Carlino, The Bootleggers Convention in Denver in 1931, Anthony Tony Smaldone: Brother and family leader. First, go get Colorados Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire by Sam Carlino, who is in fact the grandson of the infamous Pete Carlino and great nephew of Sam Carlino who helped build the Carlino bootlegging empire and who was in fact murdered in 1933. In the Summer months of 1947 through 1949, he and his brothers would open and run the Monte Carlo casino which offered craps, roulette, and slot machines among other games to local tourists eager to spend a buck. As of 2008, adjusted gross proceeds (total bets minus payouts) from gambling in Central City, and two other approved cities topped $715 million annually. Later in life, when interviewed by his family, he would only offer the following: It was a long time ago, yes. While they certainly turned a profit, they would later say it wasnt all great either. Trump, 76, seized on the claims from Rep. James Comer to attack his presidential rival by accusing the Biden family of corruption on a mass scale on the same day Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign.'What Congressmen James Comer and Jim Jordan have revealed about the "Biden Crime Family" would be Watergate times 10, if this news was revealed just 10 years ago,' he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. There also was a darker side to the Smaldones. So lets talk about some of the key players. The population of Denver between around 1940 was approximately 322,000 according to census records (up from ~288,000 in 1930), whereas the population of Pueblo was a meer 52,000 people (up from 50,000 in 1930). A Second, and this would serve him well during his time in organized crime, he was very adept at building relationships with important people due to his gentlemanly, affable, and outgoing personality. The bullet traveled in an upward direction from its entrance in the deceaseds hand to its final resting place in his brain.. Clyde Smaldone and his brothers gave thousands of dollars to the local Catholic churches over the years, and paid a handsome sum for the priviledge of carrying the statue of St. Rocco through the streets of Denver each year. From their bar on Tejon Street, the brothers would sell everything from black market liquor to simple daily items like canned goods, sugar, butter, meat, shoes, clothes, etc. In the mindset of all of this activity and success, Clyde had managed to steward the Tejon Bar and Cafe through rough times and by 1947 it was thriving. He used to tell Chauncey and Paulie. Paul "Fat Paulie" Villano leaving Federal Court in 1983. 'That's below minimum wage in California after taxes.' Again, this is not a good look with a witness telling the public that youre threatening to blow up a building if things dont go your way. An icon of a desk calendar. Theres almost no way to have existed in this organization without getting your hands dirty, and as we stated in Part One, its pretty clear that Roma engineered the assassination of the Carlinos before he himself was killed. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone shakes finger at photographer in early 1980s. A A gun like this can only be used to kill someone.. This is why I referred to him as a Frank Costello-esque figure earlier on in the episode. Please see a document housing a number of the charts referenced above. However, his reign would be relatively short. The brothers would go to work for their mother Mamie, who at the time owned a struggling establishment called the Tejon Bar and Cafe on 3740 Tejon Street, which the family owned before the more famous Gaetanos. They did do some bad things. There were also other Italian groups including the emergence of Giuseppe Joe Roma beginning in the mid-20s, as well as Irish contingents butting heads and shooting it out as well. After getting out of prison back in 1991, Paulie returned to Denver and kept a low profile, dying in 2003 at the age of seventy-six. Their hope was that the jury would be fair minded, but the reality was that the government wanted to hammer the brothers. 'I mean, this was the Biden family influence peddling scheme. Upon leaving prison, Clyde, ever the shrewdest brother of the bunch, saw which way the wind was blowing and made his move to retire from active family participation. This mans name was John Skip LaGuardia. Visit our profile page here and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need. In October of 1967, (again it just continues) Clarence and Clyde were again arrested again for their part in a $100,000 bookmaking enterprise. The relationship was based on friendships, and the Smaldones needed someone to handle the operations in Southern Colorado, so they turned to their trusted friends in Pueblo. But his low profile would change as in 1957, Colletti attended the ill fated Apalachin Conference in upstate New York and was one of the men that was arrested in the subsequent raid, outing him nationally as a mobster. Lucky for Clyde, his lawyers stopped him before that incident could proceed any further (though from the information I saw Clyde had his fist cocked and ready and he was about to deck that photographer). John "Porky" Routta (left): Smaldone family member and enforcer. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone listens intently during one of his 1953 trials. Police observed that the body, left in the fetal position, showed signs of strangulation as well as a gunshot wound to the face. list may not reflect recent changes. By this point, they simply wanted to be left alone. gaetanos; food; highland; restaurant; kevinjbeaty; denver; denverite; colorado; bar; Gaetano's Restaurant interior as it looks today. Calogero "Charles" Blanda (left), Boss of the Pueblo LCN Family, from 1931-1953 being led from a courtroom in the early 1950's with another Pueblo LCN member, Tom "Whiskers" Incerto (right, hat covering face). He was mean. He would run the Pueblo family as Boss from 1933 until roughly 1953 when he would pass the mantle to Vincenzo Black Jim Coletti before going away to prison. The pair would do business with small-time gamblers, but would also be able to work with higher-stakes players as well. Still, the place is saturated with their memory. Clyde Smaldone leaves Leavenworth Prison in 1963. There are more laws that appear to me that have been broken than just tax evasion. Clyde Smaldone, as he was hustled into a U.S. marshals van for the return trip to the county jail, yelled an epithet at a Denver Post photographer. I dont care who he was. The state would enact Prohibition and go dry in 1916, a full three years ahead of the Volstead Act which was enacted nationally in 1919. Now before we move on and briefly talk about the Pueblo LCN, here are a few other members of the Smaldone organization present on the infamous family chart that we really didnt touch on too heavily during the episode: Calogero "Charles" Blanda, Boss of the Pueblo LCN Family, from 1931-1953 in his younger days. An elderly Clyde and Mildred Smaldone have dinner at Gaetano's. Clyde Smaldone relaxes and smokes a cigar in his home in the early 1960s. This shift in the availability of the statistics not only ensures Colorado is more aligned with the FBIs quarterly reporting practices, but more importantly it provides increased transparency involving statewide crime data, and eliminates the lag that occurred in the past, said CBI Director John Camper. Also, if youre listening to the audio-only version, subscribe and if youre willing leave me a rating and review to tell me what you think of the content. He was present at the Mob Summit in Apalachin in 1957. Anthony Smaldone takes a photographer's camera in 1955. The Smaldone brothers began their ascension to relative power after the murder of Joe Roma in 1933, but it wouldnt be immediate. So talk about a real Clint Eastwood moment.toughballs of steel right there! And there are a lot more Bidens involved than just the president's son and his brother.' And I think its fair to say that their legacy contains with both good as well as bad. The trial was contentious from the get-go, with the judge accusing Checkers Smaldone of the old Mafia go-to of feigning illness when in fact he actually had to have a very real appendectomy in the middle of the trial. An 2021 article by author Matt Masich in Colorado Life Magazine provided an nice, authentic summation of the brothers and the famous eatery and command post: THE LITTLE ITALIAN RESTAURANT on northwest Denvers Tejon Street has a big reputation, and not just for authentic food. Everybody would make money. A family of four who vanished months ago has been located, according to the Newton, Illinois, Police Department. Were going to pick up where we left off in Part One. The venue was ultimately closed in 1936 after receiving complaints from local religious leaders about the gambling. On the night of September 15, 1960, some of his friends came to his place of employment and an argument began between the friends of the deceased and a bartender at the club over 25 which the deceaseds friends had put in the juke box. Maybe we can work out something a little better. I told them how much I paid [$66 a case at the time] and he said, Gee, Im gonna talk to Al [Capone] about that. I told them where I could load it, where they could bring it across the Mississippi to Burlington, Iowa. For example, crime stats for April 2021 will be accessible to the public at the beginning of June 2021. And though he wouldnt do any time as a result, the Apalachin arrest would be the one to raise his profile so much so that in a Life Magazine article in 1967 he was named as the boss of Colorado. And with the deaths of Coletti and Spinuzzi, the influence of the Cosa Nostra in Pueblo faded, and that faction of the national LCN went defunct as well. Friends would recall him as a terrific tap-dancer in his youth, and he would become a champion gymnast in high school, as well as a scholarship athlete at the University of Colorado, though he would put on the weight that gave him his nickname in later years. The operation included the Smaldones, their enforcer Paul Enrici, and also included members of the Pueblo LCN including Blackie Mazza. He retired from the family in 1972, and thereby passed the mantle of Boss to Joseph Scotty Spinuzzi. At that time, Walkie Talkie had been developing quite a bad reputation for himself. Photo taken at Gaetanos restaurant sometime in the 1950s. Ova Elijah "Smiling Charlie" Stephens, Denver gambling kingpin from the 1930's to the 1950's and one-time partner of the Smaldone brothers. WebThe family is still active in the international drug trade and white collar crimes that include loan-sharking and extortion, and in the early 21st century at least four bosses of the Bonanno family were convicted of crimes, including racketeering and Hinsdale County Courtroom where Alferd Packer was tried in Armed police are searching a street in West Auckland after reports of gunshots on Monday afternoon, after a house and car appeared to have been shot at. Democrats are furious, claiming that Comer and Republicans on the panel are drawing their own conclusions and mischaracterizing Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs - unsubstantiated tips) as evidence in their probes. The government would attempt to seek conviction on charges of being habitual criminals. So that was a hit. As a result, Checkers second trial was immediately postponed and Clyde Smaldone, as well as associates of the family (and actual blood family members) cousin Louis Smaldone, uncle Fiore Fat Smaldone, as well as associates Michael and Jerry Benallo Jr., and William Willie Calvaresi were all arrested on charges of conspiracy related to the testimony coming out of the grand jury. From the time Gaetanos opened in Denvers Little Italy neighborhood in 1947, everyone knew it as the mobs hangout. This was certainly a gamble, and they werent in the clear, as the five other co-defendants in the case still had to go on trial for 13 counts of jury-tampering, and the witness testimony didnt come off well for the Smaldone brothers and their compatriots. He was riddled with seven bullets total, with six shots to the head. or debate this issue live on our message boards. Like her cousin Hunter, Caroline had been struggling with addiction and legal run-ins for years.Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, Hunter's business deals and actions while battling drug addiction are now very much in the Republican spotlight. He said these decisions and moves are likely related to payments made to LLCs from legitimate businesses as a way to launder money to Biden's family members. Though again Id point out that the Smaldones were never convicted of any murders, but this wouldnt be the last time their names would be in the discussion after a gangland murder took place. He denied on a 2018 gun application that he used drugs, which was untrue: lying on the paperwork is an offense. This wouldnt be his last arrest as hed continue to ring up gambling pinches (and acquittals) throughout the 1960s and 1970s, though he would do a few stints in prison and pay some fines here and there (and pay some fines). Clyde would be quoted as saying the following: Anybody that we heard that needed something, they could come and theyd get money, wed get em food. His body would be discovered in the backseat of his Cadillac in a lot behind the Alpine Inn. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone sitting in court in 1970. On direction from Governor Polis, the Department of Public Safety will soon announce a Statewide Task Force to work with the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority to better understand the underlying causes of increases in Motor Vehicle Theft and to develop a statewide strategy to reduce motor vehicle thefts. It would start off, in my opinion from a legal perspective, pretty innocuously and would go in a direction that they did not expect. Its at this point that Clarence Chauncey Smaldone takes over leadership of what was left of the Smaldone family, but by that point it was a shell of its former power. They werent afraid to push a button on anyone who got out of line. Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. 2020 Statewide Crime Statistics Available, Biometric Identification and Records Unit, Biometric Identification and Records Unit FAQs, Resources for Non-Criminal Justice Agencies, Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR) and Colorado Crime Statistics, Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Reciprocity, Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL) Information, LEA Disposition of Firearms/Evidence Returns, Sex Offender Registration Training - Law Enforcement, CBI honors Columbine anniversary with donation drive, Body of missing Archuleta County man found, CBI helps to capture No. In his later years, Coletti operated the Sante Fe Market, a small cheese, fruit, and vegetable stand in Pueblo, as well as the Holiday Inn, a restaurant and tavern, with his wife. The family of a Colorado man who was seen on security video being struck by a squad car before he was fatally shot by police is demanding answers about the Bonanno worked with members of the Pueblo LCN family from the 1940's through the 1970's, and co-owned the Colorado Cheese Company with Vincenzo "Black Jim" Coletti, Boss of Pueblo from 1953-1972. As a matter of fact, I tend to think of Clyde as someone similar to a Frank Costello type within the Colorado underworld. Photo Credit: Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. As was expected in those days of first-born sons, Clyde would labor with his father in the fruit and vegetable business. If this kind of information came out in the past, writers would be getting Pulitzer prizes when Pulitzer prizes meant something. Spinuzzi reputedly preferred to stay low-profile, but his colorful personality and a fiery temper, which would make staying low-profile pretty challenging. As the most serious burglary crime, first-degree burglary is a class 3 felony that carries 4 to 12 years in prison and/or One such example was later recounted to authorities by a confidential informant: On July 21, 1951, Confidential Informant Denver T-3 reported that for many years Clyde and Eugene Smaldone, former Denver bootleggers, had been recognized as the mobsters who dominated racketeering activities in the Denver area. In addition to being shot in the head three times, hed been beaten and stabbed in the face numerous times. or debate this issue live on our message boards. He told them, They [the police] are setting you up. The mantle of Boss of the Pueblo Crime Family first passed to Charley Blanda after the murder of Giuseppe Joe Roma. The assassin would leave the gun beside the body (and the weapon was found to have the serial number filed off), which left the police investigating the murder to call it a professional job, going on to say the following: Lets put it this way. The Smaldones were in partnership with Stephens, overseeing the gambling on the casino side. The deceased became involved in the argument. Outside of being a general party animal, Paulie was also known to be both smart and educated, able to talk about subjects that would go over the heads of many other toughs who entered the life as they say. This is the point where the cash really begins to accumulate for the Smaldone brothers and theyd become rich. Clyde would be the first-born son in 1906 followed by five more sons: Eugene (born 1910), Anthony (born 1914), Andrew (born 1917), Ralph (born 1921), and Clarence (born 1924). The History Press. Creating safer and more resilient communities across Colorado. The partnership between Stephens and Barnes was extremely volatile, and in the end theyd have a falling out and dissolve the partnership shortly after Barnes tried to take more control over the Blakelands operations. One of the Smaldone brothers associates, a young man named John Pacello was killed in the gunfight, and all of the men had deep associations with Joe Roma. They used to send food and coal to a woman whose husband had left her with small children. Eugene Checkers Smaldone would be quoted by police as saying: Maybe I like to go hunting. They weren't registered as a foreign agent. We covered several major events including: Today were going to dig into the era of the Smaldone brothers. Clyde Smaldone leaves courthouse in 1953. Enter the youngest brother, Clarence Chauncey Smaldone. In August of 1962, Eugenes son, who was also named Eugene, was arrested and charged with Interstate Transportation in aid of racketeering in connection with his bookmaking activities. But as an Italian family, it was only natural to rely on your sons, and the money to be made was significant even with the obvious risks involved. I spent my money and I asked him to pay me the money I spent. 4. So ultimately, Eugenes simple issue with back-taxes of $5,000, would turn itself into first the ridiculous sentence of 60 years, but finally the 12 years and a $10,000 sentence. My heart sunk into my stomach.. Denver, ColoradoThe gambling Smaldone brothers Eugene and Clyde were each sentenced to 60 years in federal prison Monday by U.S. Judge Willis W. Ritter. Now the business wasnt without its dangers. You could find family patriarch Clyde Smaldone Gaetano is the Italian equivalent of Clyde seated at the bar, always at his spot furthest from the door. A shot was heard. Spinuzzi would ultimately be found Not Guilty due to insufficient evidence and would skate free of any prison time. But Walkie Talkie had another problem (and even bigger problem). Pauline Smaldone, wife of Chauncey Smaldone in 1948. Statistics. WebPages in category "Gangs in Colorado" The following 13 pages are in this category, out of 13 total. In concert with local government officials however, the Smaldones struck a deal to provide the financing for a new water system, restore a number of houses, and provided the backing for a lunch program for town schoolchildren in exchange for the ability to operate their gambling operation without interference from law enforcement. Depending on who you talk to, they were either modern-day Robin Hoods or shoot-em-up Mafiosi straight out of a gangster flick. His runners would be none other than his sons, Clyde and Checkers. Clyde by that point was entering his teens and Eugene Checkers Smaldone was not far behind during the early days of Prohibition. Moving forward, Colorado Crime Stats will be available with a one-month lag before becoming accessible to the public. Now as I covered at length in Part One, bootlegging would become a critical driving force in the development and advancement of the Mafia across the country. But on July 5, 1973 there was another incident in the sphere of the Smaldone organization, and this incident would touch off a period of violence in Denver. According to Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family, Chauncey was dead-on the best looking of the brothers, was much taller than his siblings (six feet), and was blessed with a full head of wavy hair and piercing dark eyes, which got him quite a bit of attention from the young Italian girls in his neighborhood. So if you remember, the brothers Clyde and Eugene would be released from Leavenworth and would return home to Denver in 1934, but by that point things had changed. Apparently during the proceedings, both Smaldone brothers attempted to rough up some photographers after entering the Federal Building. As a reminder, before we get into the episode, if youre watching on YouTube, Id just like to remind you to please smash that subscribe button and turn on the bell to get notifications when I release a new episode. The brothers would even begin to venture as far as Canada in order to secure top-shelf bonded whiskey. Gaetanos was the crime familys headquarters, and the people hanging around the wood-paneled restaurant were a whos who of the Colorado underworld. His family members refused to provide any specifics about his death and declined to comment when contacted by the Rocky Mountain News. With that, the family appears to be essentially defunct, although there have been some unsubstantiated rumors that there are still a handful of family members still operating various rackets. Our media is totally corrupt. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. 5. which did cause that person, a member of that persons immediate family, or someone with whom that person was having or previously had a continuing relationship to suffer serious emotional distress. In their own way, they were gentlemen.. They left shortly after noon and went to a motion picture house, they said, differing, however, on the house they attended, Clark said. Not saying it wasnt true, but a reach. Whether thats the case or not, Pizzalatas time was numbered as well. A young Mamie Smaldone, mother of the Smaldone brothers. Checkers, as he would come to be known, would allegedly receive his nickname due to his wizardry at that game, for which hed allegedly won several city tournaments as a youth, and the nickname stuck for the remainder of his life.
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