Frank "Frankie" LaPorte (October 7, 1901 – October 30, 1972) was an Italian–American

racketeer Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

in the

Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit (also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or The Organization) is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate or crime family based in Chicago, Illinois, tha ...

. He was the

Chicago Heights Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. In earlier years, Chicago Heights was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the Nation". Currently, it is nicknamed "The Heights". Geograp ...

boss during the early 20th century. His closest associates in bootlegging included

Ross Prio Ross Prio (born Rosario Priolo) (d. 1972) was a Chicago mobster and high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit criminal organization from the 1930s until the early 1970s, when he died of natural causes. Early years Born in Sicily, Prio was brought ...

Louis Campagna Louis "Little New York" Campagna (March 31, 1900 – May 31, 1955) was an American gangster and mobster and a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit for over three decades. Early years Campagna was born in Brooklyn to parents from mainland Ital ...

and onetime Outfit boss, Alphonse Capone.

Background and relationship with Outfit boss Al Capone

Historians have little information on LaPorte's early life and background. Even his role in the Chicago Outfit is currently unclear. However, what is known is that LaPorte was considered a "

power broker In political science, a power broker is a person who influences people to vote towards a particular client (i.e. elected official or referendum) in exchange for political and financial benefits. Power brokers can also negotiate deals with other p ...

" in the Outfit and a powerful mobster, who kept a relatively low profile. According to some, LaPorte and other Chicago Heights gangsters held seats on the Commission for bosses. According to Laurance Begreen, Al Capone biographer and author of the book ''Capone: The Man and the Era'', Capone was merely a " front boss" for the Outfit, while LaPorte and other Sicilian

s managed the Outfit behind the scenes.

References

{{reflist American crime bosses Prohibition-era gangsters Chicago Outfit Depression-era gangsters Al Capone associates People from Chicago Heights, Illinois American gangsters of Italian descent