When Coletti retired, the title of Boss went to Spinuzzi. He had been severely beaten, then shot four times in the right side of the body. As I shared in Part One, Denver and Pueblo, Colorado in the 1920s was a veritable shooting gallery. 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. 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. His hands and feet were secured with wire and a rope holding sixty pounds of railroad iron to his body and a large rock lashed to his midsection. The issue was with Chaunceys ex-wife Pauline. Clyde Smaldone walks through Denver courthouse in 1953. A mafia history podcast that digs deep into the true-crime biographies of real-life mobsters with focus on the plots, sub-plots, and real facts behind Cosa Nostra, as well as movies and televison. There were powder burns on the deceaseds hand where the bullet had gone through. In the early 1950s, the Smaldone brothers would begin to increasingly draw the ire of authorities, and it would eventually lead to the slow downfall of their organization. Mom Accused of Hosting Alcohol-Fueled Sex Parties for Teens 'Tore My Life Apart,' Alleged Victim Says. With no new members being actively recruited to continue the family, the family really had nobody to pass the mantle to in order to keep things going. 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. However, the brothers success was a double-edged sword and the empire theyd built would begin to unravel very soon after this. 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. Spinuzzi would become involved in a vending-machine business and would also own a bar (Turks Tavern) with his brother, Tony Turk Spinuzzi. The government would attempt to seek conviction on charges of being habitual criminals. The Smaldones were in partnership with Stephens, overseeing the gambling on the casino side. After doing a little digging, I found out that the Centennial State has a long history of mob activity, including the infamous Denver Crime Family.. The Chauncey Burger is still on the menu. 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. If you call that a good brotherAnd not only me. And with the deaths of Coletti and Spinuzzi, the influence of the Cosa Nostra in Pueblo faded, and that faction of the national LCN went defunct as well. You could find family patriarch Clyde Smaldone Gaetano is the Italian equivalent of Clyde seated at the bar, always at his spot furthest from the door. Not saying it wasnt true, but a reach. 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. 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. Though seventeen suspects were arrested including Smaldone organization members John Porky Routta and Frank Blackie Mazza, nobody was ever convicted of the slaying. Now around this same time in 1951, Clyde and Eugene Checkers Smaldone were called before a Denver grand jury investigation on gambling (led by Melville) where as previously mentioned both men plead the Fifth over 100 times, essentially refusing to provide anything but name and address. So by the time the brothers are released from prison, Prohibition is over, and like many bootleggers across the country theyd be forced to look for a new way to make money. Annie is a freelance writer, content editor, and marketing whiz with a background in broadcasting and a passion for chicken nachos. Retired Denver police captain Jerry Kennedy would later recall running into Roberts, who knew he had a major problem, just days after the devastating revelation: I ran into Walkie a day or two later in that Theater Bar on Sixteenth and Glenarm, doing a routine check, and I said, How you doing, Walkie?, He says, Hey, Kennedy, theyre going to kill me., I said, Walkie, theyre not going to kill you., He says, Hey, Im telling you, Borden named me on the stand. Each Christmas they donate quantities of athletic equipment to the homeless waifs and feed em good at Gaetanos, the magazine wrote. These two would begin to shift the organizations focus away from dice gaming, and more towards parlay betting cards focused on baseball, college basketball, as well as football as the popularity of those sports grew (making it a really important and growing revenue stream at the time). 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https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=69537#relPageId=4&search=Smaldone, https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=76268#relPageId=31&search=colorado_cheese%20company, https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=79261#relPageId=17&search=Smaldone, https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=81880#relPageId=19&search=Smaldone, https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=95307#relPageId=12&search=Smaldone, https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=95307#relPageId=17&search=Smaldone, https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=95307#relPageId=5&search=Smaldone, https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=95307#relPageId=8&search=Smaldone, https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=955#relPageId=427&search=Smaldone, https://www.newspapers.com/image/225544708/?terms=smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/226624651/?terms=Ralph%20Pizzalato&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24952363/?terms=joe%20roma&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24952420/?terms=clyde%20smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24952420/?terms=giuseppe%20roma&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24955611/?terms=clyde%20smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24963697/?terms=clyde%20smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24968519/?terms=Smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24968688/?terms=Smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24987284/?terms=Smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/24995644/?terms=Smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/25001322/?terms=smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/25003751/?terms=Leo%20Barnes&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/25004150/?terms=Leo%20Barnes&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/25004458/?terms=Leo%20Barnes&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/25006265/?terms=Smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/25013002/?terms=smaldone&match=1, 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https://www.newspapers.com/image/589119483/?terms=central%20city&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/589122753/?terms=smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/589124114/?terms=james%20coletti&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/589305588/?terms=walkie-talkie&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/589305644/?terms=walkie-talkie&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/589506779/?terms=sam%20shanks&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/589509826/?terms=smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/62041541/?terms=james%20scott&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/65630321/?terms=smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/66436536/?terms=sam%20shanks&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/668399144/?terms=joe%20roma&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/82852575/?terms=smaldone&match=1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/891075482/?terms=prohibition&match=1, https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/colorado/co-mobsters/, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/444871269449003428/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbJtXMa0ZAQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp3NW5kQliQ, #15: History of Colorado Mob (Part 1): The Carlino Brothers, the Dannas, and Giuseppe Joe Roma, #1: Gaetano Tommy Gagliano, The Original Lucchese Crime Family Boss.

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