Frank T. "Skids" Caruso (December 26, 1911 – December 31, 1983) was a
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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mobster and crime boss
involved in
illegal gambling and
racketeering
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 ...
activities for the
Chicago Outfit criminal organization during the 1950s.
Originally from Chicago's
Near North Side (known as "The Patch"), his relatives include brothers Joseph (Joe Shoes), Leo and Bruno Caruso, including his brother-in-law
First Ward alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
Fred Roti
Fred Bruno Roti (December 18, 1920 – September 20, 1999) was an American Democratic politician from Chicago, Illinois. He was a state senator for six years, and an alderman for 24 years. He was a loyal member of the " Machine" established by Ma ...
, and son Frank (Little Frankie) Caruso, Jr. As a youth, Caruso ran with the infamous
Forty-Two Gang, which included future gangsters such as
Sam "Momo" Giancana.
Starting in 1935, Caruso amassed a criminal record of at least 13 arrests on charges including
grand larceny, illegal gambling and conspiracy. In 1956, on the death of his father-in-law,
Bruno Roti, Caruso became the owner of several
South Side, Chicago
The South Side is an area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It lies south of the city's Loop area in the downtown. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sides of the city that radiate from downtown, with the other two being the north and we ...
casinos and became the head of the 26th Street/
Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
"crew". Caruso now became involved in illegal gambling in Chicago's First Ward. On the side, Caruso operated a legitimate business, Caruso Plumbing, in the Chicago suburb of
Hillside, Illinois
Hillside is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 8,320.
Geography
Hillside is located at (41.874797, −87.900372).
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Hillside has a total ar ...
. In 1983, Caruso died of natural causes.
Further reading
*
Cooley, Robert and Hillel Levin. ''
When Corruption Was King: How I Helped the Mob Rule Chicago, Then Brought the Outfit Down''. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2004.
*United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Crime. ''Administration's Efforts Against the Influence of Organized Crime in the Laborer's International Union of North America''. 1997
*United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs.
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), stood up in March 1941 as the "Truman Committee," is the oldest subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (formerly the Committee on Governme ...
. ''Organized Crime in Chicago: Hearing Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations''. 1983
*''A Report on Chicago Crime''. Chicago:
Chicago Crime Commission The Chicago Crime Commission is an independent, non-partisan civic watchdog organization of business leaders dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of organized criminal activity, especially organized crime, street gangs and the tools o ...
Reports, 1954-1968
External links
Chicago Sun Times: One families rise, a century of power
References
1911 births
1983 deaths
American gangsters of Italian descent
Chicago Outfit mobsters
{{American Mafia