Chicago mafia capo Albert (Albie the Falcon) Vena is said by some to be the most-feared man in the Windy City, a new-and-improved version of Anthony (Tony the Ant) Spilotro, if you will. His emergence the past few years as a major player in the upper-echelon of the city’s mob landscape has reinvigorated his Grand Avenue-based crew, reinstalling a large chunk of the power and prestige it lost in the late 2000s courtesy of the epic Operation Family Secrets bust.

Like Spilotro, Albert Vena is tiny (just a smidge over five feet), but incredibly fearless and extremely deadly. However, unlike Spilotro, the Chicago crime family’s crew-leader in Las Vegas, killed alongside his brother in a grisly 1986 Outfit double-slaying depicted in the Martin Scorsese gangster film classic “Casino,” Vena, 66, knows how to make nice with his superiors in the mob and doesn’t let his ego get the best of him.

“Chicago Mafia gathering”

Vena’s name recently surfaced in the Chicago press due to him being mentioned at the trial of cop-turned-gangster Steve Mandell, convicted in February of attempting to kidnap, torture and murder an enemy and his wife in order to assume control of a Bridgeview strip club and another associate to seize his real estate assets.

Testimony at the trial revealed that FBI agents watched as Mandell lunched with Vena at La Scrola, the one-time favorite haunt of notorious Chicago mob capo and consigliere Joseph (Joey the Clown) Lombardo, Vena’s former boss and mentor, who ruled the city’s Westside and was in charge of the notoriously-rugged Grand Avenue crew for over 30 years. Mandell was caught telling a wired-up associate that he’d gone to Vena for permission to kill an adversary and Vena, someone linked by the government to several underworld slayings, had failed to give him the go-ahead.

Lombardo was nailed in the Feds’ landmark Family Secrets case, convicted at the 2007 trial in the brutal 1974 murder of mafia associate Danny Siefert, a soon-to-be witness for the government against him and several mob cronies, and Vena was selected to replace Joey the Clown as the new “Godfather of Grand Avenue.”

Spilotro, another Lombardo protégé, is alleged to have been part of Lombardo’s hit squad that snuffed out Siefert in broad daylight and in front of his wife and son outside a suburban plastics factory days before a federal trial was set to begin in a Teamsters Union pension-fund fraud case he was slated to be the star witness in.

The double homicide of Spilotro and his brother was also included in the Family Secrets indictment, with Outfit street boss James (Jimmy the Man) Marcello convicted of delivering the siblings to their slaughter at the house of capo Louis (Louie the Mooch) Eboli in June 1986, where they were beaten and strangled to death by a cadre of hit men as revenge for Tony the Ant running amok in Las Vegas and bringing too much heat on the syndicate’s West Coast affairs.

The diminutive, yet dynamic Vena was groomed by a slew of Outfit big shots and reputedly taught to kill by one of the Chicago mafia’s most revered enforcers. Besides Lombardo, Albie the Falcon came up under Northside capos and lieutenants like Vincent (Innocent Vince) Solano, Joseph (Joe the Builder) Andriacchi, Gus Alex and Lenny Patrick. Early on in his underworld career, Vena was placed in Joey the Clown Lombardo’s enforcement wing and schooled by the Clown’s No. 1 strong arm and hit man, Frank (Frankie the German) Schweis, a renowned assassin.

Vena and Schweis are both considered suspects in the 1983 gangland murder of Teamsters official and high-level mob associate Allen Dorfman, a killing also depicted in the movie Casino.

Schweis was brought down with Lombardo in the Family Secrets case (dying before making it to trial though) and was fiery until his last breath – the German, while frail in appearance, still managed to repeatedly bark at reporters and prosecutors alike in court proceedings that directly preceded his passing.

In the fall of 1992, Vena was indicted on a state murder beef for the gruesome slaying of low-tier Windy City hoodlum, Sam Taglia, charges he was acquitted on at a 1993 trial. Taglia, on the outs with mob leaders over stolen money and scam drug deals, was found stuffed in the trunk of his car in Melrose Park, shot in the head, his throat slit ear-to-ear. He and Vena were seen together in the hours before his unsightly demise.

Showing his feistiness, Vena tried to run over the cops that came to arrest him for Taglia’s murder with his car. Cautious of recording devices, he’s rarely appeared on police wiretaps and is known to keep a relatively low profile around town, especially compared to his predecessor, Joey the Clown, notorious for his witty demeanor and flash-bulb friendly personality.

When Lombardo and Schweis got popped in 2005 in the Family Secrets bust – both going on the lam for almost a year trying to dodge arrest before finally being apprehended – Vena and Vincent (Jimmy Boy) Cozzo, Lombardo’s right-hand man, were running the Grand Avenue crew together, using Lombardo’s longtime driver Christopher (Christy the Nose) Spina as their messenger. After Cozzo died of natural causes in July 2007 and Joey the Clown was convicted three months later, Vena was officially upped to full-fledged capo by semi-retired Chicago Outfit boss John (Johnny No Nose) Di Fronzo.

“Albie Vena is a very serious individual,” retired FBI agent Jack O’Rourke said. “He has the reputation of being both treacherous and reliable. All the heavyweights in the Family trust him very much. In a lot of ways, he’s a throwback. He lives by the code of the old ChicagoOutfit bosses. Most people see him being a big part of the future administration. The pedigree is there, he’s been around a long time.”

Article courtesy of Scott M. Burnstein Author of Motor City Mafia: A Century of Organized Crime in Detroit (Images of America) and other great mafia titles. Be on look out for Scott’s upcoming mafia column and website launch.

Joseph “The Builder” Andriacchi is believed to be the new face of the Chicago Outfit taking over for former mob boss Johnny “No Nose” DiFronzo according to sources. DiFronzo has seen his physical and mental health decline over the last few years forcing him to finally step down as boss of the Chicago mob. Andriacchi filled in for DiFronzo in the early 90′s while he was in prison for several months and has a long history in the Outfit. He is also part of the powerful Cicero Crew of the Chicago crime family.

“Joseph Andriacchi”

The position held in the Outfit today by Andriacchi has changed with time and is no longer a day to day operation type post and more so that of an elder statesman for the crime family. Top ranking Outfit mobsters which now include Albert Vena, Solly DeLaurentis, and James Iandino among others handle daily mob business and act as family advisers and it is unclear if any single Outfit member acts in the traditional role of a mafia boss today. The Outfit ranks have always been handled somewhat differently then other Cosa Nostra families around the country. The new shift in power in the Chicago Outfit will no doubt increase the influence of the Cicero crew among others.

The mafia in Chicago has taken its share of hits from law enforcement over the years and has seen the passing of previous bosses like Anthony Accardo , Paul Ricca, and Joseph Aiuppa but still remains a powerful and influential organized crime empire.

Chicago mobsters Bobby Panozzo and Paul Koroluk of the Outfit’s Grand Avenue crew were stung last week. And the 54-year old Panozzo could be stung again soon……with murder charges.

Operating a sub-group within the Grand Avenue faction, identified as “The P-K Crew” (the pair’s initials), Panozzo and Koroluk, and two subordinates, one being Panozzo’s namesake and 22-year old son, Bobby, Jr, were nabbed last Thursday in a police sting operation by Cook County narcotics detectives for running an elaborate armed-robbery ring targeting unprotected drug houses, as well as engaging in home invasions, arson, burglary, drug trafficking, attempted murder and possibly murder.

“Robert Panozzo, 54, Paul Koroluk, 55, Panozzo’s son, Robert Panozzo, Jr., 22, Maher Abuhabsah, 33, and Koroluk’s wife, Maria Koroluk, 53″

The racketeering and home invasion charges carry maximum 60-year prison sentences. Using tips from street gang members, a police radio scanner and stolen police uniforms, the P-K’s raided a series of area drug houses before the cops could. Their traditional home invasions were brutal and bloody; Panozzo chopped off one victim’s ear for lying to him in the midst of Panozzo robbing him.

The robbery crew was caught in the act, set-up by the cops and tricked into thinking they were ripping off a 45-kilo shipment of cocaine from a stash house on South Brandon Avenue in the city’s Hegewisch district, when in fact they were walking into a carefully-planned bear trap, the culmination of an investigation called, “Operation Crew Cut”.

Walking out of the purported stash house early Thursday morning, Panozzo, Koroluk and their associates were met by a swat team of Chicago police officers.Panozzo and the half-Polish, half-Italian Koroluk, 55, are both Chicago mafia Grand Avenue mob crew veterans, first reporting to Joseph (Joey the Clown) Lombardo, currently imprisoned, and now taking orders from Albert Vena, Lombardo’s replacement as capo of the city’s Westside.

Sources close to the investigation, say Vena, a person dubbed “the most dangerous gangster in Chicago” by organized experts, the Windy City media and fellow mobsters alike, was “very close” to be indicted in the case, too. FBI wiretaps and street informants tie Vena to pocketing a percentage of the scores Panozzo and Koroluk were taking down.

Gangster running buddies for years, Panozzo and Koroluk were groomed in the art of robbery by Joey the Clown himself. The pair came up in a Lombardo-overseen burglary crew headed by his driver, James (Jimmy Legs) D’Antonio. FBI documents related to D’Antonio claim that Panozzo and Koroluk actually went along on the final actual robbery job the Clown personally participated in during an early 1980s jewelry store heist. By that time, Lombardo was already a capo and according to the report took a liking to Panozzo, nicknaming him “Bobby Pinocchio” for his talent for deception. The young Panozzo and Koroluk are alleged to have acted as look-outs on the job.

The P-K crew has been on law enforcement’s radar for the past couple years. In 2012, crew members Louie Capuzi and Frank Obrochta, were nailed on charges of burglary, home invasion, insurance fraud and prostitution and are currently awaiting trial.

Last fall, Chicago Police discovered Panozzo and Koroluk tried to put a murder contract on a witness in a forthcoming home invasion case. Then in the winter, Panozzo and Vena were mentioned at the trial of Windy City cop-turned-mobster Steve Mandell, convicted in February of attempting to kidnap, torture and eventually murder a pair of associates and one of their wives, in a ploy to assume control of one associate’s strip clubs and the other’s real estate assets. Testimony and FBI surveillance photos revealed that Panozzo and Mandell dined with Vena at Vena’s favorite Italian eatery, La Scrola (also a “forever fav” of the Lombardo when he was on the streets).

Part of the indictment against Panozzo released Saturday quotes a confidential federal informant as accusing Panozzo of the murder of an elderly woman back in 1987, a homicide he is said to have bragged about. The informant said the murder was preceded by the woman signing over her property to Panozzo and concluded with him allegedly killing her by throwing her down three different flights of stairs in her apartment building.

Law enforcement sources in the Windy City tell the Mob Insider that a first-degree homicide charge against Panozzo could be added to the indictment before the case hits trial and that the FBI and Chicago PD detectives are investigating Panozzo’s connection to a currently unsolved October 1987 murder that took place in an apartment complex on W. Ohio Street and matches the informant’s description of events.

Less than a decade ago, Panozzo and Koroluk were arrested and convicted on similar burglary charges and were sentenced to seven-year prison bits in 2006. A source close to the Grand Avenue crew claims Panozzo also helps Vena, someone he’s very close to, look after the crew’s loan sharking business and that he has a reputation on the city’s Westside as a “tough-as-nails collector.”

One of the street gangs feeding the P-K gang with information on what drug houses to rob was allegedly the C-Notes, according to the Chicago Crime Commission, a longtime “Outfit JV team,” that Vena was once a member of and maintains close ties with.

Retired Chicago PD organized crime investigator Robert McDonald used to keep tabs on Panozzo and Vena in the 1980s.

“We’d watch Lombardo’s young guys and Bobby and Albie were two you always knew weren’t guys you messed with, they were the type of individuals that really enjoyed the work, took pleasure in inflicting pain,” he said. “Lombardo knew there was always room in the Chicago Outfit for guys like that and he made sure they were utilized from a young age.”

Article courtesy of Scott M. Burnstein Author of Motor City Mafia: A Century of Organized Crime in Detroit (Images of America) and other great mafia titles.

Chicago mafia captain Albert Vena is the focus of an ongoing criminal inquiry which may include information from former mob lieutenant turned rat Jeff Hollingshead and wife Jillian according to sources. Dubbed by Chicago media as the most dangerous man in the city Vena heads the Grand Avenue crew of the Chicago mob. The Hollingshead’s already dealt a blow to the Chicago outfit helping to take down Grand Avenue mobster Robert “Bobby Pinocchio” Panozzo. According to law enforcement sources the feds are now pushing the mob couple for information on Vena as reported by Scott Burnstein and his gangsterreport.

“Albert (Albie the Falcon) Vena (mugshot)“

Jeff Hollingshead was pinched back in 2009 on racketeering and home invasion charges but was released on bond while awaiting trial. But in 2013 his bond was revoked on charges of firearm possession and he was sent back to prison leading to a series of events ending in him cooperating with the feds. Right after being locked up on the firearms charge his old boss Panozzo made sexual advances against his wife Jillian and later staged a robbery of the couple’s home. Authorities received information from mob informants that Panozzo sent mob associates including Paul Koroluk to steal cash and jewels from the couple’s house.

Hollingshead’s wife Jillian decided to go to the feds after the request for the stolen property to be returned were ignored and Panozzo’s sexual advances continued. She then convinced her husband who is facing a 40 year sentence to turn rat and the couple help the feds set up a robbery sting which netted Panozzo and his crew. Jillian also supplied the feds with what they believed to be a hit list of witnesses in the case against her husband. The feds believe Panozzo was attempting to locate these witnesses to kill them before they could supply feds with any testimony.Hollingshead admitted the list was supplied to him by a mafia lawyer and told to give it to Bobby that he would know what to do with it.

The criminal investigation into Vena has been ongoing for months and is reported to involve multiple agencies. The criminal probe may also prove to be a problem for Vena’s No.2 Christopher Spina. Known as Christy the Nose, Spina acts as Vena’s buffer delivering orders and messages from the Chicago mafia capo to others within the family. The 62 year old Spina has long been suspected of being an Outfit wiseguy, but has yet to be convicted of any mob crimes. If indictments are handed down that include both Vena and Spina it would be a real blow to the infamous Grand Avenue crew and the mafia in Chicago as a whole.

According to reports Chicago mafia acting boss Salvatore “Solly D” DeLaurentis has promoted veteran mobster Albert Vena to Outfit street boss.

Vena has been handling the day to day operations acting as an intermediary between Solly D and the Chicago mob capos for months now. He leads the infamous Westside Grand Avenue crew and even though his crew has been under siege by the feds over the last few years he has been able to avoid any indictments. DeLaurentis took control of the Chicago Outfit back in 2012 in place of aging mob boss John DiFronzo and has been reorganizing the families hierarchy according to reports from sources of Scott Burnstein and his gangsterreport.

The now 67-year-old Vena will remain a capo of his Westside crew while handling his new street boss gig. Vena has long been a feared Outfit wiseguy and he has been called “the most dangerous man in Chicago” by the media and FBI informants. Vena operates from his Richard’s Bar headquarters and is often seen dining next door at La Scarola restaurant next door. Along with Solly D and Vena also known as “Albie the Falcon” the current Chicago mob hierarchy also includes consigliere Marco D’Amico and underboss Salvatore Cataudella.

The mafia in Chicago has been seen as a declining organization over the last decade or so but has seemingly stabilized in the last couple of years and may be rebuilding and re-establishing itself at least to some extent under its new leadership. Along with what seems to be a stable hierarchy the Chicago Outfit also has capable capos in place including alleged Elmwood Park crew skipper Rudy Fratto and Cicero crew capo James Inendino. The Outfit will never see the power and influence it commanded in its heyday but the mafia today in Chicago may be rejuvenated to some extent and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

A decade ago in the midst of the infamous “Family Secrets” case Chicago mafia underboss Anthony Zizzo mysteriously disappeared.

The feds are still searching for information on the disappearance and are even offering a $10,000 reward for information into his whereabouts. The high ranking Cosa Nostra boss was last seen in August of 2006 at his Westmont townhouse where he kissed his wife goodbye on his way out to a lunch meeting with fellow Chicago Outfit mobsters. His car was found empty in Melrose park and what happened to Tony Zizzo remains a mystery but several theories have surfaced over the years.

“Anthony Zizzo”

Authorities believe Zizzo may have been the victim of a Chicago mob hit. He was believed to have had a falling out with then Chicago mob boss Michael Sarno over illegal video poker machines. As often happens in the world of the mafia a sit down to smooth things out often leads to a death sentence. Others believe he may have been killed because his fellow Chicago mobsters feared he may flip and turn rat due to heat from the Family Secrets case. Another possibility is that he fled from prosecution knowing the Family Secrets trial would lead to his conviction.

The landmark case dubbed Operation Family Secrets exposed the inner working of the mafia in Chicago as turncoats testified against their fellow wiseguys. It ended in convictions against top Chicago mob leaders which likely would have included Zizzo. According to authorities both Joe Andriacchi and Albert Vena are possible suspects in the disappearance of Zizzo although neither have ever been charged. Vena is believed to have recently been named “streetboss” for the Outfit by acting boss Salvatore “Solly D” DeLaurentis and is a high-value target for the feds.

It was long thought that a second round of Family Secrets indictments were on the way but it never actually happened. If the feds could somehow prove Zizzo was murdered and solve the case it may lead to more rounds of indictments.

Charles (Chuckie) Russell a reputed soldier in the Chicago mafia was captured on undercover recordings bragging about a plan to rob an elderly suburban lawyer according to prosecutors.

The 67-year-old wiseguy was formerly arrested on gun charges after he allegedly showed up to purchase eight guns from an undercover federal agent at a South Loop deli according to Chicago tribune report. Russel is an alleged member of the infamous Grand Avenue crew of the Chicago Outfit currently led by his brother-n-law Albert Vena who also serves as Cosa Nostra families street boss. The widely feared mafia crew has been led in past by mafia heavyweights such as Joey (The Clown) Lombardo but has fallen on hard times of late losing multiple members in recent cases.

“Charles (Chuckie) Russell”

According to the report, a confidential informant tipped off the A.T.F. about Russell bragging that he was a high-ranking member of the Chicago mob. He told the informant during a meeting at a coffeehouse that he was the leader of a prolific burglary gang called the “Bishop boys” that was responsible for lots of burglaries and home invasions. In December the informant set up a meeting with Russell and an undercover agent who secretly recorded Russell talking about his plans for the upcoming robbery of the lawyer. He believed that there could have been as much as $750,000 in cash in the lawyers home safe and that he had been casing the house for years along with an ex-girl who was on the inside and knew the location of the safe and other valuables.

In court filing Russell was quoted as telling the informant “Nothing gets my juices flowing like putting a gun to someone’s head, taking their stuff, and making it mine, It will be a great Christmas, I’m telling you.” He also was quoted as telling the informant and undercover during their meeting “If he doesn’t open it, we’re gonna make him open it,” Russell said, according to the complaint. “They always open for me, believe me. I bring my butane torch, put it on the bottom of their feet, they open it.” Russell wanted the two men to help with the robbery telling them his crew would be equipped with the proper tools to avoid detection including police scanners.

Russell then talked to the undercover agent about a plan to purchase firearms from him. A second meeting was set up between the three men at an Inn in Jefferson Park where the alleged mobster gave the agent a list of guns he was looking for that included AK-47’s and Uzi’s. He also handed the agent a driver’s license of a man then showed him a cell phone photo of a bullet-riddled car which Russell said was “some decent work” of his saying the guy was “no longer with us.” He went on to say “All (expletive) blood and brain all over the (expletive) seat, Went right through his head and out that side. Take (the car) and drop it off in the black community, and someone else gets caught with it” according to the complaint. Chicago PD would later confirm the man depicted on the license was indeed killed in November.

The recording also captured Russell saying “The fun for me is the score, That’s how I get my adrenaline. … You know how long it takes to come to down for me? I counted money one night for so long my hands were filthy.”  He has a long criminal past including an aggravated criminal sexual assault conviction back in 1992 that landed him a 35-year prison sentence. He beat an attempted murder charge in that same case and was let out on parole back in 2011. Russell’s arrest is the latest blow to the mafia crew but may not be the last as rumors continue to swirl about potential indictments which may involve Vena who has been in the feds crosshairs for some time now.

Taking down the Chicago Mafia is once again a top priority for the Feds according to Jeffrey Sallet the newly installed head of the FBI in Chicago.

In a recent interview, the new Special Agent In Charge said “The Chicago Outfit? We haven’t forgotten about you,” pledging to refocus the fight against organized crime. The last major mafia case in Chicago happened over a decade ago but Sallet says the Chicago Outfit is still a force and cannot be overlooked. The 2005 Family Secrets case took down most of the Cosa Nostra families hierarchy but after a decade-long lull in major cases, the mafia in Chicago has had a chance to rebuild its ranks.

Sallet is considered to be an expert in mafia investigations and has worked in New York, Boston, and New Orleans. He helped take down over 100 La Cosa Nostra figures including leading members of the Bonanno crime family of the New York Mafia. He also worked on the capture of fugitive Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger. The lack of cases and headlines surrounding the Chicago mob in recent years has lead many to believe the declining organization was on its deathbed. But during his interview with the ABC7 I-Team Sallet said: “The Chicago Outfit is 100 years old, so when you look at an organization that is 100 years old and says we’re not going to work those guys because they’re done, would be a huge mistake.”

“Mob guys or Outfit guys whatever you want to call them are resilient,” said Sallet. “Where there is an opportunity to make money, they will engage. The reason they don’t kill people the same way they did 25 years ago is because it’s bad for business.” The faces of those leading the Chicago Mafia have changed but they are still engaged in plenty of mob rackets and remain a viable and profitable organization. These new Chicago mafia leaders which include alleged acting boss Salvatore “Solly D” DeLaurentis, street boss Albert Vena, consigliere Marco D’Amico and underboss Salvatore Cataudella could be under fire sooner rather than later. There could be some interesting Chicago Mafia news on the way!

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The recent death of former Chicago Mafia boss John “No Nose” DiFronzo has left many wondering who’s the boss now.

The 89-year-old mobster passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s according to reports. He was believed to be semi-retired for some time now as the Chicago Outfit ushered in a new hierarchy. The mafia in Chicago as with other Cosa Nostra families always promote from within and a succession plan is usually in place for such occasions. Many mafia experts have fingered Salvatore “Solly D” DeLaurentis a veteran wiseguy as the new boss of the Chicago mafia. Albert “Albie” Vena a long time mob enforcer is believed to now be the second in command behind DeLaurentis.

“Salvatore DeLaurentis”

The 79-year-old DeLaurentis was released from prison back in 2006 after serving an extended prison sentence for various charges including racketeering. Solly D is considered by many to be one of the highest ranking mobsters on the streets in Chicago although he has long denied these claims. DeLaurentis has denied having any knowledge of a mafia family in The Windy City and in a recent interview he laughed off claims that he is involved in the mob or was the new boss. He claims that he is legit and in the carpet cleaning business during the phone interview by Chicago’s ABC7 I-Team.

He said the FBI should know that he isn’t involved in the mob rackets because they monitor his activities. Noted mob attorney Joe Lopez says the Outfit is a thing of the past and disputes the claims that his client has succeeded DiFronzo. According to Lopez Chicago mob leaders were put out of business and became obsolete by the digital revolution that changed the world. But plenty people disagree with his claims including Jeffrey Sallet the new head of the FBI in Chicago according to the recent ABC7 report.

Sallet said “Are they out there leaving people dead in the streets? No. But just because people aren’t killing somebody doesn’t mean that they don’t represent a threat.” He said mobsters are resilient and when opportunities to make money emerge they will engage. The only reason they aren’t killing people the way they did in the past is that its bad for business Sallet said. While it’s clear the Chicago Outfit isn’t what it once was they are far from extinct although how much of a force they are today is a topic of debate.

There have been rumors abound of late that Sallet and his team are hard at work trying to build new cases against the mafia as was previously reported on here at About the Mafia. According to those reports, the feds have their eyes on both DeLaurentis and Vena along with Marco D’Amico and Salvatore Cataudella also believed to be part of the crime families new hierarchy. So we may have a more concrete answer to the whether or not Solly D is the new boss of the Chicago Mafia sooner rather than later.

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Chicago Mob soldier Robert “Bobby Pinocchio” Panozzo plead guilty to state racketeering charges.

Panozzo was sentenced to 18 years behind bars but will be up for parole in only 4 and a half years because of time served. Robert and a fellow mobster were caught posing as cops in an attempt to rip off a cartel stash house in the Windy City. He still faces federal extortion charges after being caught by the feds beating up an unpaid debtor. His lawyers are reportedly working on a similar plea deal which would allow his sentence to be carried out concurrently.

“Robert Panozzo”

The 59-year-old wiseguy is reportedly part of the Mafia families Grand Avenue crew. According to sources he was also a top enforcer for Chicago Outfit street boss Albert Vena. He was also tied to the Outfit’s narcotics and prostitution rackets according to authorities. Prosecutors claim Panozzo’s Chicago mob crew also carried out various other crimes including home invasions, armed robberies, burglaries, and insurance fraud. All but one of the co-defendants in the case including his son have pleaded guilty to racketeering-related charges.

Robert Panozzo’s rap sheet includes various crimes that stretch back decades. He started his career in the Chicago Mafia as a debt collector under former boss Joey “The Clown” Lombardo. Over the years he made his way through the ranks of the Cosa Nostra family. The mafia in Chicago isn’t what it once was but Vena is still considered by many to be one of the most dangerous men in the city. He came up through the ranks as an enforcer and is reportedly a current target of an ongoing probe into several cold case murders linked to the mafia family.

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Over the last few years, the Chicago Mafia has reportedly been led by veteran mafia boss Salvatore (Solly D) DeLaurentis and street boss Albert Vena.

Former boss John DiFronzo had semi-retired by 2014 and Solly D had taken over the families day to day operations. DeLaurentis allegedly took full control of the Chicago Outfit after DiFronzo passed away in 2018. A new hierarchy was put in place under DeLaurentis that included Vena, Marco D’Amico, and Salvatore Cataudella. Vena was promoted to street boss and began handling most of the organizations day to day operations just like Solly D had done before him. According to reports Solly D now 80 has recently taken a step back and may himself be semi-retired spending most of his time in Wisconsin. This seems to have opened to door for Vena to have an even bigger hand in running things and he may be in a position to become the next boss of the Chicago Outfit.

“Albert (Albie the Falcon) Vena” 

The 70-year-old Albert Vena has been head of the families infamous Grand Avenue crew since 2005 and has quite the reputation. He has always been known for his small size and big temper and was once dubbed as the most dangerous and feared man in Chicago. According to Scott Burnstein and his Gangsterreport, the veteran mobster was allowed to form his own semi administration or cabinet of sorts when he took over as street boss. According to the report, Vena tabbed James Inendino to act as his underboss and Joe Andriacchi as his consigliere.

Andriacchi has been a part of the mafia in Chicago for decades and is now one of the organization’s elder statesman. He has held multiple administrative positions in the Outfit over the years. Inendino also a veteran mob captain has allegedly been head of the families Cicero crew for the past 11 years. DeLaurentis may have seen this as the best way to begin another transition of power within the mob in Chicago ending with Vena at the top. Albert Vena certainly has the moxie and experience needed to take the reigns.

DeLaurentis has always denied being a part of the Chicago mob and even insists that the organization no longer exists. In a previous interview, he said “We gamble. but as far as Mafia, I don’t know what that is.” But there are plenty of people who disagree with Solly D on the status of the Outfit including Jeffrey Sallet the new head of the FBI in Chicago. When asked about the Chicago Outfit during an interview last year he said:

“Are they out there leaving people dead in the streets? No. But just because people aren’t killing somebody doesn’t mean that they don’t represent a threat. Mob guys or Outfit guys-whatever you want to call them-are resilient. Where there is an opportunity to make money, they will engage. The reason they don’t kill people the same way they did 25 years ago is because it’s bad for business.”

 

There has been plenty of debate in recent years as to the current size and strength of the family. Some mob watchers point to a lack of reported activity and recent indictments as a signal that the once powerful American Mafia family is at an end but that doesn’t seem to be the case.  While the Chicago mafia clearly isn’t the force it once was it still seems to be a functioning and viable organization at least for now.

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  Chicago mafia capo Albert (Albie the Falcon) Vena is said by some to be the most-feared man in the Windy City, a new-and-improved version of Anthony (Tony the Ant) Spilotro, if you will. His emergence the past few years as a major player in the upper-echelon of the city’s mob landscape has reinvigorated his [...]

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  Joseph “The Builder” Andriacchi is believed to be the new face of the Chicago Outfit taking over for former mob boss Johnny “No Nose” DiFronzo according to sources. DiFronzo has seen his physical and mental health decline over the last few years forcing him to finally step down as boss of the Chicago mob. [...]

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  Chicago mobsters Bobby Panozzo and Paul Koroluk of the Outfit’s Grand Avenue crew were stung last week. And the 54-year old Panozzo could be stung again soon……with murder charges. Operating a sub-group within the Grand Avenue faction, identified as “The P-K Crew” (the pair’s initials), Panozzo and Koroluk, and two subordinates, one being Panozzo’s [...]

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  Chicago mafia captain Albert Vena is the focus of an ongoing criminal inquiry which may include information from former mob lieutenant turned rat Jeff Hollingshead and wife Jillian according to sources. Dubbed by Chicago media as the most dangerous man in the city Vena heads the Grand Avenue crew of the Chicago mob. The [...]

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  According to reports Chicago mafia acting boss Salvatore “Solly D” DeLaurentis has promoted veteran mobster Albert Vena to Outfit street boss. Vena has been handling the day to day operations acting as an intermediary between Solly D and the Chicago mob capos for months now. He leads the infamous Westside Grand Avenue crew and [...]

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  A decade ago in the midst of the infamous “Family Secrets” case Chicago mafia underboss Anthony Zizzo mysteriously disappeared. The feds are still searching for information on the disappearance and are even offering a $10,000 reward for information into his whereabouts. The high ranking Cosa Nostra boss was last seen in August of 2006 [...]

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  Charles (Chuckie) Russell a reputed soldier in the Chicago mafia was captured on undercover recordings bragging about a plan to rob an elderly suburban lawyer according to prosecutors. The 67-year-old wiseguy was formerly arrested on gun charges after he allegedly showed up to purchase eight guns from an undercover federal agent at a South [...]

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  Taking down the Chicago Mafia is once again a top priority for the Feds according to Jeffrey Sallet the newly installed head of the FBI in Chicago. In a recent interview, the new Special Agent In Charge said “The Chicago Outfit? We haven’t forgotten about you,” pledging to refocus the fight against organized crime. [...]

The post Feds are renewing their fight against the Chicago Mafia appeared first on About The Mafia.

  The recent death of former Chicago Mafia boss John “No Nose” DiFronzo has left many wondering who’s the boss now. The 89-year-old mobster passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s according to reports. He was believed to be semi-retired for some time now as the Chicago Outfit ushered in a new hierarchy. The mafia in [...]

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