The remains of the vehicle of Leo Barnes, allegedly targeted for assassination by Clyde Smaldone, Checkers Smaldone, and Smiling Charlie Stephens. Arrests in the cold case followed a Stuff investigation and $100,000 reward that brought forward new evidence and more than 50 tips to police.. On Monday, Justice Creating safer and more resilient communities across Colorado. The charge, placed under the drivers side, drove him through the cars roof, tore away part of his left buttocks, and broke his pelvis.. But you wont find them there anymore; the three brothers passed away over the last two decades, and the family sold Gaetanos six years ago. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone sitting in court in 1970. The brothers would receive a new trial. But Checkers wasnt all intimidation; with a few drinks under his belt, those at the bar would hear him launch into an impromptu one-man opera performance. In early 1952, and its just going to keep building from here, Vigil would keep up the pressure when two law enforcement officials (so this is indirectly hitting at the Smaldones) were indicted for lying about payoffs they received to ignore gambling in their respective counties. 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. That being said, based on my research and observations, it definitely appeared that the Smaldone organization in Denver was the more significant of the two groups, despite not being a true Mafia family. So on July 26, 1973, LaGuardia was driving home from the Alpine Inn, a hangout for gamblers and other underworld figures at 3551 Tejon Street. 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. And when people say, well, they were involved in ventures around the world, I haven't found a legitimate business on the Biden end. So anyone who controlled Denverwhich was the Smaldoneswas in the drivers seat in the Colorado underworld. Their hope was that the jury would be fair minded, but the reality was that the government wanted to hammer the brothers. The trio were sent to prison in the mid-1930's. Even in their heyday, when The Denver Post waged a media campaign against organized crime, the newspapers Roundup Magazine gave Clyde and Checkers credit for helping destitute north Denver families with milk and groceries, secretly paying college tuition for local boys, and funding Catholic orphanages. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! WebAny person who is a victim of a criminal act or such persons designee, legal guardian, or surviving immediate family members if such person is deceased, shall have the right to be heard when relevant, informed and present at all critical stages of 8 most wanted sex offender. 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. Back In The Day, This Quiet Colorado Town Was A Mafia Mecca As a result, and to keep their parents out of jail, Clyde and Checkers struck a deal with the authorities, pleading guilty to violation of federal liquor laws in exchange for their parents release from further prosecution. Anthony Smaldone takes a photographer's camera in 1955. And of course history tells us that this was an immensely unpopular law that was difficult to enforce, and a still-thirsty public got their fill of booze from bootleggers who had redirected and coalesced their organizations around producing and selling bootleg alcohol. 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. 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. 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. This would be gambling money, this would be loan money, and hed set them down on the table and in different piles, and there was always a big wad, sometimes four, five, six, seven thousand dollars, maybe more.. Using vile language, he ordered decedents friends from the premises and threatened to blow their brains out. The deceaseds friends left and Spinuzzi then proceeded toward the decedent, exchanged words with him, held a pistol about two feet from his head and then hit and viciously kicked him. Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of The Members Only Podcast. Left to right are Americus Quintana, Joe Salardino, Chauncey Smaldone, attorney Ed Barlock and Michael Tomeo. 'That's below minimum wage in California after taxes.' We brought truckloads [of food] to the orphans.. In November of 1952, in a somewhat calculated move to irritate Clyde and Checkers, Vigil would force the Smaldone brothers to pay their $1,000 fines dating all the way back to their 1933 bootlegging convictions (almost a full 20 years later). In fact, two years later in February of 1950, Falbos good friend Harold Murph Cohen, age thirty-seven, was found by two young boys under five feet of water near the shoreline of Blue Lake (now Coors Lake), which is near West 44th Avenue and McIntyre Street in rural Jefferson County. 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. Depending on who you talk to, they were either modern-day Robin Hoods or shoot-em-up Mafiosi straight out of a gangster flick. Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone (middle) walking the streets of Denver in 1973. Louis F. Smaldone (left), second cousin the the Smaldone brothers, who was arrested as part of their jury tampering case in 1953. The area represents the number 3 safest spot in Colorado. WebGaetanos was the crime familys headquarters, and the people hanging around the wood-paneled restaurant were a whos who of the Colorado underworld. The date was February 18, 1933 and the preeminent gang boss in the entire state of Colorado, Giuseppe Joe Roma, had just been assassinated. Smaldone family members in 1963. 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. 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. Clyde Smaldone talks with lawyer in 1953. If youre familiar with the Sopranos, think of Jackie Aprile Jr. playing the gangster. In 1974, hed get a 1-year sentence for gambling, and that same year the federal government would contend that he, along with Joe Bonnano, were conspiring to take over all of organized crime in Colorado. Five people, including an eight-year-old child, were killed in the Friday night violence in San Jacinto County. So I think they found their niche right there and then. Similar to the approach from law enforcement against Al Capone in Chicago, Vigil and Melville decided to focus on the angle of evasion of state income taxes and began working to catch the brothers and members of their organizations within that dragnet versus focusing on their more obvious crimes. Get more stories delivered right to your email. 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. He first came to national prominence when mentioned as a mob figure in the Kefauver Hearings in the early 1950s. The State of Colorado is committed to providing equitable access to our services to all Coloradans. 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. Besides his intellect, Clyde was known for his talent for making friends, whether it was with his neighbors, Mafia kings like Al Capone and Carlos Marcello, or Colorado Gov. I am your host Jacob Stoops, and Im a mob enthusiast and historian. This dice game, which was similar to craps except that there was no house and players played against each other, was a staple in the Italian community that was brought over from the old country. On March 13, 1932, Clyde and another brother James Smaldone would be arrested for an attempt to buy shotgun shells loaded with buckshot at a local pawnshop, which authorities believed was related to attempts on the lives of staff members of District Attorney Earl Wettengel. Raffaele landed a job as a laborer with the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad making $30 per month, and when he became a foreman his salary increased to $40 per month which allowed him to replace the familys outhouse with an in-home toilet and bathtub, a relative luxury at the time for a large Italian family. An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Rather than continue the life of a hardcore mobster, he preferred to take in the sun outside his cheese store and greet the occasional well wisher. 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. Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone (left) tending the bar at Gaetanos sometime in the late 1940's or early 1950's. In 1920, at the tender age of 13, Clyde would be arrested on a burglary charge for stealing a pair of pants from a local hardware store. Within declassified law enforcement documents, my research almost always referred to the Smaldones using the words Suspected LCN rather than official LCN (which was used to describe some of their true Mafia associates). Ralph A. Smaldone, Pauline Smaldone, and Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone some time in the 1940's. Banner headlines across the The Denver Post read Smaldone Brothers Get 60-year Terms and Verdict Spells End for Smaldone Gang.. As a result of this information making its way out, the authorities were able to conduct successful raids on the club leading the the arrest of Clarence Smaldone, Villano, and Salardino. The brothers would go on to be arrested several more times, and I am not going to bore you any more than I already have by going through each and every incident, because its honestly exhausting even to me. They was all right making moonshine, but to sell it, they didnt have a diplomatic way of talking to people to get business. So not only did Denver have the largest population in the state, it was growing at a faster rate. 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. 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. DENVER Although Colorado may not have been a hotbed of organized crime, one infamous crime family made it clear that the Centennial State was their We welcome comments on how to improve this websites accessibility for users with disabilities and for requests for accommodations to any State of Colorado services. 'Comer and his committee have yet to name anyone except Joe Biden's businessman brother Jim, who was involved in some of Hunter Biden's dealings, and Hallie Biden, who was married to Joe Biden's late son Beau.Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, Hunter and his wife Melissa Cohen were spotted at the weekend retreating to a $50 million vineyard north of Los Angeles owned by a Biden mega-donor. It looks like, if there wasn't legitimate business dealing in any of these LLCs, it was influence peddling. Photo Credit: Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family, Raffaele "Ralph" Smaldone, father of the Smaldone brothers and patriarch of the Smaldone clan. Like many other bootleggers, the lessons and experiences gained from running their business during the 20s would benefit them throughout their lives. Using genetic genealogy and familial DNA, police in Colorado have solved the decades-old cases of the deaths of four females, saying the killer was a man who View gallery. He was rumored to be a confidential informant. Heres what Clydes son Check was able to recalled years later as told in the book Smaldone: The Untold Story of An American Crime Family: He had different pockets, different accounts. Outside the club, Ricci and Parlato on the one hand and the deceased on the other hand engaged in a fight. It was no different in Colorado, and in fact Colorado even got a head start. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, While friends and police would often describe Clyde with words like gentleman, theyd often refer to Checkers as mean though some in law-enforcement thought him the school-teacher type. So there were perspectives on both sides, but of the two, he was definitely the tougher one, and youll see that. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone kisses one of his lawyers, after district court jury found Checkers, his brother and six codefendants innocent of charges of conspiracy in 1953. A young Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone, who was first arrested at the tender age of 15. Hed share the following about how that relationship got off the ground in an interview that was later recorded in the book that Ill be citing many times in this episode, Smaldone: The Untold Story of An American Crime Family: I went up to Chicago and got talking about getting the stuff up in Canada. In 2011, there were 151,125 crimes reported in Colorado. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the trio (Checkers, Chauncey, and Paulie Villano) would continue to rack up dozens of gambling arrests, and the heat from law enforcement would stay pretty much with them through the remainder of their lives. Some of the highlights from this years Colorado Crime Stats report include: Colorado reported 30,942 incidents of Motor Vehicle Theft in 2020, reflecting a 38.6% increase compared to 2019 numbers. The death of Roma led to a significant vacuum in the Denver underworld that would be filled in time by the enterprising Smaldone brothers in partnership with their southern Colorado allies in the Pueblo Mafia. It certainly was a long episode, but again something that I found to be a very interesting and compelling story that I really want to share with my channel. Please see a document housing a number of the charts referenced above. Checkers rang up his first arrest at the age of fifteen in 1925 when he was caught stealing automobile accessories. Like a good-cop, bad-cop routine, Checkers was the Smaldone with the tough-guy reputation. Similar to other mobs around the country, gambling presented itself as a major potential source of revenue, and the brothers would jump in head first. Clyde Smaldone hides his face from a photographer in 1952. They would use their power and intimidation to muscle in on many local gambling establishments including Mountain View Club and others. 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. 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. An 3 Others Get Shorter Terms However, the Colorado Crime Stats website is the best location to review crime data in its entirety. 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. 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). Spinuzzi would ultimately be found Not Guilty due to insufficient evidence and would skate free of any prison time. An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. The CBI does not offer analysis as to the reasons for changes in the crime rates or any other interpretation of the data; rather, those questions should be directed to individual law enforcement agencies. 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. Despite their denials, Smiling Charlie Stephens, Clyde and Checkers Smaldone as well as another man, would be arrested and charged with conspiracy. To keep up the pressure, in February of 1953, Clyde, Eugene, and 29 associates would be hauled into court over an allegedly fixed dice game at a pool hall on 7057 Federal Blvd. If you call that a good brotherAnd not only me. He wont pay me the money he owes me. 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. On January 29, 1974, just six months after LaGaurdia was hit, Pizzalato was found murdered as well. 'Our fake news media is corrupt at a level like never seen before. They were known to have ransacked many garages around North Denver in search of booze to sell. WebCrime news from 9 News KUSA in Denver, Colorado. The Kianis hosted a fundraiser for Biden at their Irvine, California home in January 2020, bundled more than $1 million for Biden and gave another $1 million to his inaugural committee. The decedent lay on the ground mortally wounded. 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. 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. And while the Smaldone family certainly was not destitute, they still had a lot of mouths to feed, and as was normal of the times, the boys would put in work to help support the family. Similar to construction companies having to do business with the Mafia in New York City in the 70s and 80s in order to essentially get anything done, in Denver in the 20s and 30s, you pretty much had to deal with the unsavory figures of the KKK. Hed Sunday punch you, but he could stand up and fist fight you too. In April of 1970, Checkers Smaldone and Joe The Ram Salardino would be arrested and indicted by a grand jury and charged with assault to murder, assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy. You could find family Later that year on December 29, 1932, Clyde, Checkers, as well as associates Jim Spinelli and future Pueblo LCN Boss Charley Blanda were charged with carrying concealed weapons after a raid at Checkers home unveiled a veritable arsenal that included four .35-caliber rifles, two sawed-off shotguns, and a Browning automatic rifle. Police Chief Clark said they showed ticket stubs indicating they entered the theater at 1:55 p.m.. Clyde and Checkers would both be released in the following year, 1934. 'After years of pursuing political dirt against the Biden family, today's statement by Chairman Comer once again proves that he has failed to uncover evidence of any wrongdoing by President Biden,' said a spokesperson for Oversight Democrats. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone talks with a group of people in 1953. Clyde and his younger brother Eugene, who went by Checkers, often would visit with the patrons at Gaetanos, inquiring about the food that was in the early days prepared by their mother in the restaurants kitchen. You could find family 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. Were going to pick up where we left off in Part One. An elderly Clyde and Mildred Smaldone have dinner at Gaetano's. On April 19, 1937, Stephens, Clyde and Checkers Smaldone would be convicted of assault with attempt to murder and conspiracy to murder. His body would be discovered in the backseat of his Cadillac in a lot behind the Alpine Inn. 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). Theres no doubt that the stories about their generosity are true. However, as I said the pressure would keep up and in their next legal battle, and kind of unexpectedly, they wouldnt be so lucky. Hed been missing for three months. Law enforcement authorities would estimate that between 1919 and 1933 (the beginning and end of national Prohibition) there would be at least 30 murders relating to bootlegging and various gangster conflicts in the Denver and larger Colorado area. In time, he also got a job selling newspapers all over town (often from dusk until dawn), and he and his brothers would also find more creative ways to support the family. An email obtained by DailyMail.com from Hunter Biden's laptop shows a Masimo staffer offering her the role of 'Marketing Specialist' with an $85,000 salary plus 10% bonus and 450 stock options for the NASDAQ-listed company on July 24, 2018. Drinking turned to fist-fighting amongst each other. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. In the early days, hed also been arrested for bootlegging, attacking a police officer, reckless driving, stealing merchandise from local stores, and for assaulting a police informant during an illicit liquor delivery. 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. As mentioned, the Smaldones would be in and out of court, cited for contempt, but would skate free of any charges related to the Walkie Talkie homicide. Please note: the data set for 2020 may contain incomplete information due to the fact not all law enforcement agencies may have submitted crime statistics for this reporting period. Were also going to touch on their connection to the Mafia in Pueblo, Colorado, and discuss some of the players in that family as well. Thats not to say that the two groups came into conflict. In 1960, Spinuzzi would be accused of murdering an African American pianist named James Scott outside a Pueblo nightclub that Spinuzzi co-owned with Joe The Ram Salardino. 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. So in May of 1933 following their guilty pleas, Clyde and Checkers would be sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas and fined $1,000 apiece (roughly $22,000 in todays money). Informant described Falbo as a tough Denver hoodlum and gambler who on frequent occasions became drunk and publicly boasted that he was going out and clean out the Smaldones place. On the night of the murder, January 6, 1948, Falbo was at the Priola farm and lost $1,800 in the barbuit game in session there, whereupon he picked an argument with Eugene Smaldone who was participating in this game and berated Smaldone as a chiseler; and at the height of the argument reached out and jerked Smaldones hat brim down over his face. There are more laws that appear to me that have been broken than just tax evasion. Now, with many gangster stories, youll find that they typically come from broken homes, poverty, and often lack a father figure. Marriage photo of Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone and Pauline (Blasi) Smaldone taken in 1943. As previously mentioned, Coletti took over as Boss of the Pueblo family in 1953 after previous boss Charlie Blanda was sent to prison and later retired from organized crime.
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