So lets talk about some of the key players. Ralph A. Smaldone, Pauline Smaldone, and Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone some time in the 1940's. 09. So they did all those good things so that the law enforcement would look the other way and everybody would be happy. Photo Credit: Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. As a result of this incident, Stephens, Clyde and Checkers each got 7 to 10 years in the state penitentiary for conspiracy to commit murder. Authorities in Colorado on Monday identified the suspect who allegedly killed his wife and two of their children before taking his own life in an apparent triple murder-suicide as 55-year-old Christof M. Kreb. To keep up the pressure, in July of 1968, the Colorado Racing Commission issued an order banning 12 persons including Clyde, Checkers, and Chauncey Smaldone from all dog tracks and the 2 horse tracks operating in Colorado at the time. By this time, not only were the Smaldones operations running at full-tilt, anyone in the Denver vicinity who wanted to get into gambling essentially had to get permission to do so from the Smaldone brothers or else. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) participated in the Columbine High School Day of Service on April 20, 2023. No matter how you spin it, they made their money by breaking the law first bootlegging, then running gambling rackets and loansharking. Well only charge you $2 a case [for gasoline and other expenses].. According to a report in the Fort Collins Coloradoan: The Smaldones, Spinelli and Brindisi told Clark they visited Roma from 10 a.m. until afternoon Saturday in an effort to borrow money. The government would attempt to seek conviction on charges of being habitual criminals. And so iIt wasnt long after the war before both Chauncey and Paulie joined Clyde and Checkers Smaldone in the family business so to speak, getting deep into gambling and sports parlay cards. William Calvaresi, Dupont tavern operator and Jerry Benallo, Jr., were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment each, and Michael Bonnalo of Wheat Ridge to 10 years. Spinuzzi was on top of him as he was falling. Love Colorado? They was all right making moonshine, but to sell it, they didnt have a diplomatic way of talking to people to get business. WebPages in category "Gangs in Colorado" The following 13 pages are in this category, out of 13 total. He was arrested for gambling a few more times in the 1960s and 1970s, and would become Boss in 1973. Letecia Stauch Murder Trial: Accused Killer Stepmom Says Her This really only left Chauncey and Paulie, but by this point Chauncey was dealing with severe dementia, though he continued to frequent Gaetanos even after the family had given up ownership of the restaurant. They would be charged with vagrancy. In both cases, the Smaldones (as they would throughout their lives) would deny any involvement, and as youll see during the rest of this video, I think there is a fine line between things that they actually did versus overzealous prosecution and sentences handed out by a government that had it in for them. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by email. Foster Symes (pronounced Simms) would say the following: My only regret in this case is that the owners of the still didnt kill you all off. 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. Paul "Fat Paulie" Villano gives the photographer a stern looking while signing a property bond in 1972. Eugene Smaldone thereupon jerked Falbos hat from his head, threw it on the floor, and stated, Fats, you have just signed your death warrant.. Hed been missing for three months. Drinking turned to fist-fighting amongst each other. Back In The Day, This Quiet Colorado Town Was A Mafia Mecca And I think its fair to say that their legacy contains with both good as well as bad. 353,528 total crimes reported in Colorado in 2020, reflecting a 3.9% increase from last year. As I mentioned in the first episode of this series, nobody really knows for sure except those involved who killed Roma, but it certainly looked very suspicious from a law enforcement perspective to be seen at the victims house less than two hours before he was shot and killed. Later in life, when interviewed by his family, he would only offer the following: It was a long time ago, yes. Comer (pictured) claims the DOJ is in a 'pickle' over 'what do you do with this many family members of the president? Pictured: Joe and Jim in October 2008.Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery. Whats clear to me is that the Smaldones had formed close working partnerships with their counterparts in the Pueblo LCN, but it seems they were just never brought in nor did they adopt the formal rules of Cosa Nostra. Murder is up 47 percent in those 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. According to reports, he pulled into his driveway, exited his vehicle, and began walking up the driveway to his house. In addition to their gambling empire, the Smaldones were wise enough to take advantage of the opportunities created by economic conditions stemming from World War II and moved the family into selling rationed goods on the black market. There were powder burns on the deceaseds hand where the bullet had gone through. That would have saved the government the expense of bothering with you.. Annie is a freelance writer, content editor, and marketing whiz with a background in broadcasting and a passion for chicken nachos. Ralph Pizzalato. Coletti would open a club, called Club Melody, in the 1940s, but outside his mob rackets he would become most known as a prominent member of the cheese industry, and was partners in the Colorado Cheese Company with none other than Joe Bonnano, whod taken up residence in nearby Arizona in the 1940s. 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. Blanda died on February 20, 1969 in Pueblo, Colorado after suffering a stroke. Pete Carlino (left) and Sam Carlino (right). On Monday, April 17, 2023, the Archuleta County Sheriffs office requested assistance from the Colorado Bureau ofInvestigation(CBI) with a missing person investigation. At this time, the defendant Spinuzzi, who had been sitting in the club with Ricci and Parlato earlier in the evening, came upon the scene outside the club. 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. Marriage photo of Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone and Pauline (Blasi) Smaldone taken in 1943. An informant years later related that undoubtedly these men intended to kill West but the latter jumped out of the automobile as it was proceeding through downtown Denver streets, started screaming, and raised such a commotion that his assailants fled the scene. 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. Now, lets step back out for just a second and give a brief background on the Smaldone brothers, and just how they fit into the overall picture by the early 1930s. 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. of Justice WebThe FAMLI program will ensure all Colorado workers have access to paid leave in order to take care of themselves or their family during life circumstances that pull them away from Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, Additionally, Clyde would also get a charge of making false statements to federal agents about the number of slot machines he owned, while Checkers Smaldone (and this would end up being the big one) would be indicted on charges of failure to pay $5,000 in incomes tax in 1946 (which would be the charge that would come back to bite both brothers in the ass). The Most Notorious Colorado Mobsters - OnlyInYourState Okay, were not going to spend a significant amount of time on the Pueblo faction of the Colorado mob, but what I will say is that according to my research the true Mafia in Colorado was the group in Pueblomeaning that this family was recognized as LCN by the Commission in New York and as such used the same rules, structures, etc. Paulie, who never married and remained a bachelor his entire life, was said to be a ladies man, and was always up for a good time, regularly spending freely on alcohol, beautiful women, and taking frequent trips to Vegas to partake in all of those things. Colorado police solve four homicide cold cases with DNA from The Smaldone Brothers partnered with "Smiling Charlie" Stephens and Leo Barnes to run the gambling operations of the Blakeland Inn in the mid-1930's. Leave | Department of Labor & Employment - Colorado Now, when brought in for questioning, Clyde refused to answer 106 out of 108 questions put to him by the grand jurys investigators. or debate this issue live on our message boards. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone (left) and Clyde Smaldone stand and listen as habitual crime charges against them read in 1953. They were two separate entities. Its easier to take them down from a law enforcement perspective when theyre divided. WebAntonio Musso, boss of the Rockford, Illinois, crime family James and Vincenzo Coletti, bosses of the Colorado crime family Civello was a close friend or associate of these powerful people Benny Binion, gangster, poker enthusiast, and casino owner Giovanni Ormento, capo in the New York Lucchese crime family Informant related that undoubtedly these men intended to kill West but the latter jumped out of the automobile as it was proceeding through downtown Denver streets, started screaming, and raised such a commotion that his assailants fled the scene. Smaldones bond would be set at $500,000 while Salardinos was set at $300,000. 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. Checkers Smaldones time at the top would not go without bloodshed, and its around this time the Smaldone family will run into another legal problem, this time in relation to Eugenes son. A lot of times I got to thinking, because I wasnt guilty of really, really being involvedwith my brother [Checkers]. People tell him that no one in the neighborhood ever went hungry, no matter how bad the times were the Smaldones would always help out. An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. My goal will be to tell the entire history of those families so that people get a glimpse of what the Mafia was like outside the primary hubs of New York and Chicago. This was a real case of nepotism. Thank you! In 1956, at age 32, Chauncey would be arrested for the first time on a gambling charge when he and seven others were busted at a house on 3357 Navajo Street for running an illegal barbooth game. The restaurant and bar unfortunately was not doing well (they were making only $20 per day), but with Clydes instincts and connections, as well the knowledge that with WWII in full swing by that point there was big money to be made on the black market, the Tejon Bar and Cafe was the perfect place to revitalize his career (and of course make more money just outside the law). The Possible Penalties for a Conviction of the Colorado Crime of Stalking 18-3-602 are Serious. In 2008, there were 158,236 crimes reported in The arresting officer related the following about the murder: It had been widely rumored in gambling circles that the Smaldones believed that Robbins had furnished information to police authorities concerning the bookmaking activities of Eugene Lois Smaldone which had ultimately led to his conviction on Federal Gambling Charges, and that Checkers Smaldone was reported to have been furious at Robbins because of this., On August 13, 1963, Captain Hindes reported that Sam Shanks had been charged with the murder of Robert Robbins and was being held without bail in the Jefferson County Jail pending trial in District Court, Golden, Colorado. 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. The judge in the case, Judge J. Reginald MacLaren killed wife, daughter with ax: Police 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. Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Colorado Crime Rates and Statistics - NeighborhoodScout While the group was doing 6 months in jail for the charges, there were reports that came out in the Rocky Mountain News before the Smaldones were released on bond claiming their prison time was hardly hard time: various reports claimed they were being allowed the run of the jail, had a deputy sheriff preparing hot sandwiches for them on request and were using a jail telephone to make calls.. When Barnes hit the starter, a massive black-powder explosion demolished the sedan. In October of 1967, Clyde and several of his associates, including Eugenes son, were arrested on gambling charges for running a $100,000-a-week bookmaking operation (that is a whopping $1.1MM in todays which means the operation was taking $52-53MM in revenue annually). In the 1950s, hed be identified as one of the top leaders in the Colorado Mafia, and in 1953 hed do 3 years after an income-tax evasion conviction. While they certainly turned a profit, they would later say it wasnt all great either. Standing are Eugene Smaldone (far left) and Clyde Smaldone (center. Anyhow, coming up next, were going to be digging into maybe a biography, and then as promised previously I am going back into a family history to cover the little-known Cerrito family out of California. According to Clyde, he and his brother Eugene would hang out by the railroad hurling rocks at the steam-locomotive crews that drove by, and when the crews responded by throwing chunks of coal, the boys would carry them home to help heat the house. He was said to have bore a striking resemblance to a young Dean Martin. So I think they found their niche right there and then. 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. 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. In addition, he was known as a man who regularly failed to pay his gambling debts. Ten out of 11 of them have nothing but great things to say about the family, he said. He didnt have as much control anymore.. A family of four who vanished months ago has been located, according to the Newton, Illinois, Police Department. And with Chaunceys death, the Smaldone Crime Family, which had reached the pinnacle in the Colorado underworld in the late 1940s and early 1950s, essentially came to a quiet and fairly unspectacular end. Police Chief Clark said they showed ticket stubs indicating they entered the theater at 1:55 p.m.. Five victims Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25,her eight-year-old son Daniel Enrique Laso, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Josu The dominant players were the Carlino brothers, but they had many rivals and went to war with their own kin in the Danna family for almost the entire decade. On June 2, 1953, Checkers went on trial for failure to pay $5,000 in income taxes in 1946. Twenty-eight years after her death, a pair accused of being parties to the brutal killing of young pregnant woman Angela Blackmoore are preparing to stand trial. [The police] thought we did it because we left the house about two hours before he got shot. The family would set up shop in Buffalo, New York, but by 1889 after five years living in Buffalo, decided to make a change and moved the family across the country to the wide open spaces and mile-high air of Denver, Colorado. Eugene Smaldone would plead guilty and would do a year in prison as a result. Joseph James Scotty Spinuzzi is the last of the Pueblo mobsters that Ill cover, and in my opinion the biggest gangster of the bunch in terms of his reputation. Colleagues and arresting officers alike described Clyde as a gentleman. Wiretaps were becoming far more common, and crimes that had previously resulted in 90-day jail sentences and light sentences were more often than not leading to several years in federal prison. Hed really be kind of in and out from this point without really doing too much major time during the 60s and the 70s. Our ongoing accessibility effort works towards being in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1, level AA criteria. Caroline, 35, turned her nose up at the offer to her father's frustration, who forwarded the email to Hunter. But one thing was clear, even though the family and the entire Smaldone empire was in decline by this time, it was clear that the brothers still had teeth so to speak. Okay, thats it for this episode! From Gaetanos, the Smaldones ruled north Denver from the 1930s through the 1970s. A man connected with Mama Hooch bar in Christchurch is on trial this week. 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. And so again, Clyde would go off to do his time in the state penitentiary in 1938 while Checkers and Stephens would go away in 1939 after a series of failed appeals.