In this weeks episode we jump back into our normal timeline and are introduced to a new character: John Rizzo! Rizzo was the Milwaukee Mafia's primary contact for most of the gambling operations they were running out of Racine. -- Got a question about this episode? Email Gavin and Eric at milwaukeemafia@gmail.com Explore the Milwaukee Mafia Wiki: https://milwaukeemafia.com/ Become part of the Family: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia -- Gavin Schmitt is the leading historical expert on the ...
Oct 25, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 61
Gavin breaks all the rules jumps back to 1932 to tells the story of the murder of Robert Wilson in Kenosha, WI. Thanks to our listener for asking about him! -- Got a question about this episode? Email Gavin and Eric at milwaukeemafia@gmail.com Explore the Milwaukee Mafia Wiki: https://milwaukeemafia.com/ Become part of the Family: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia -- Gavin Schmitt is the leading historical expert on the mafia in Wisconsin. He has written several books on the subject and reg...
Oct 11, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 60
In this episode, Gavin and Eric cover some of the backstory of Frank Balisterieri and his family. From stories of Frank's childhood to his parents and uncles who were probably all tied to the Mafia. It's a family business after all. -- Got a question about this episode? Email Gavin and Eric at milwaukeemafia@gmail.com Explore the Milwaukee Mafia Wiki: https://milwaukeemafia.com/ Become part of the Family: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia -- Gavin Schmitt is the leading historical expert on...
Sep 27, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 59
In part two of the story, we return to the strip club where Christina worked in Milwaukee. The owner of the club is murdered, his body dumped in a rural community just north of Milwaukee. Is this just a random murder? Or is somehow connected to Christina's death? -- Got a question about this episode? Email Gavin and Eric at milwaukeemafia@gmail.com Explore the Milwaukee Mafia Wiki: https://milwaukeemafia.com/ Become part of the Family: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia -- Gavin Schmitt is t...
Sep 13, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 58
We begin the story of a stripper Christina Calligaro from Peoria, IL. A wayward soul, she finds her way from Peoria to Milwaukee, and then to Hurley WI, only to return home to Peoria to be murdered. This is her story. The forthcoming second part returns to Milwaukee where someone close to her will be murdered. -- Got a question about this episode? Email Gavin and Eric at milwaukeemafia@gmail.com Explore the Milwaukee Mafia Wiki: https://milwaukeemafia.com/ Become part of the Family: https://www....
Aug 30, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Rocco Ditello is determined to clean up the corruption in the Local 200 Teamsters union. But when he is mysteriously shot in a hunting accident, you have to ask... Was it an accident? Or murder? -- Got a question about this episode? Email Gavin and Eric at milwaukeemafia@gmail.com Explore the Milwaukee Mafia Wiki: https://milwaukeemafia.com/ Become part of the Family: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia -- Gavin Schmitt is the leading historical expert on the mafia in Wisconsin. He has writte...
Aug 16, 2022•25 min•Ep. 56
In this episode, Gavin and Eric discuss Fox Head Brewing, a brewery located in Waukesha that gets entangled with the Mafia. -- Got a question about this episode? Email Gavin and Eric at milwaukeemafia@gmail.com Explore the Milwaukee Mafia Wiki: https://milwaukeemafia.com/ Become part of the Family: https://www.patreon.com/Milwaukeemafia -- Gavin Schmitt is the leading historical expert on the mafia in Wisconsin. He has written several books on the subject and regularly speaks across the country....
Aug 02, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 55
In this Episode we discuss the Pink Glove an early gay bar in the Milwaukee area that has some unexpected Mafia ties to it.
Jul 19, 2022•30 min•Season 3Ep. 54
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.
Jul 05, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 53
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.
Jun 21, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 52
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.
Jun 07, 2022•52 min•Season 3Ep. 51
In this episode, our special guest Alberto Vallejo talks about the basic structure and rules of the Latin Kings, particularly in Milwaukee.
May 24, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 50
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.
May 10, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 49
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?
Apr 26, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 48
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.
Apr 12, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 47
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 of permitting Club 166 to violate laws related to prostitution, gambling, and the sale of liquor. A...
Mar 29, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 46
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 convicted of murder in 1946. [An exclusive write-up about Mike Farina's murder is available on our Patreon: ...
Mar 15, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 45
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 Italy in 1955, Moral Basis of a Backward Society discusses how poverty is a result of the inability ...
Mar 01, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 44
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 order to get the leadership role. This would lead to his eventual death, Enea’s death, and cause La...
Feb 15, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 43
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 that he would pay for “hits” in order to get the leadership role. This would lead to his eventual death...
Feb 01, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 42
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...
Jan 18, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 41
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 was televised, and police officers viewing the televised proceedings learned for the first time of ...
Jan 04, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 40
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 various agencies he's worked with. He discusses who has been the best to work with, and which have been th...
Jan 01, 2022•3 min
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 "Tommy Fish" Piscitello, and Sam "Banjo Eyes" Vermiglio. Additional information can be found at: https:...
Dec 21, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 39
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? (For reference, Sam Giancana was the boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957 to 1966.) To listen to the w...
Dec 14, 2021•3 min
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 became very active in the criminal organization. By 1959, when the FBI took an active interest in Mil...
Dec 07, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 38
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” existed in Fond du Lac, Milwaukee and Kenosha counties, the center of Wisconsin’s Italian cheese industry...
Nov 23, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 37
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 to an insurance scam in New York City. Alioto tended to focus more on his legitimate business prosp...
Nov 09, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 36
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 legalized free plays....
Oct 26, 2021•49 min•Season 2Ep. 35
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
Oct 12, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 34
