In addition, he was known as a man who regularly failed to pay his gambling debts. Fast-forward to November of 1962, Clyde and Checkers Smaldone would get out of prison after serving 9 of their 12 year sentence. Clyde Smaldone talks with lawyer in 1953. They ventured to the secluded estate on the day an Arkansas judge ordered Hunter appear in court in person to participate in a bitter paternity case filed by a former stripper, with whom he had a brief affair four years ago, resulting in a daughter. Pete Carlino (left) and Sam Carlino (right). 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. 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. Most of them couldnt hardly talk English.. As a result, in 1947 he identified a small mountain town called Central City which had been seeing a revitalization of tourism and seemed ripe for gambling. Much of that increase is due to a surge in property crimes during the year. They know what you guys are doing. They wouldnt listen to Dad, partly because he was drinking and partly because they didnt want to. Tributes to absolute legend rugby player stabbed to death near So at this point in time in the 1960s, its a growing area of concern. The venue was ultimately closed in 1936 after receiving complaints from local religious leaders about the gambling. The partnership between Stephens and Barnes was extremely volatile, and in the end theyd have a falling out and dissolve the partnership shortly after Barnes tried to take more control over the Blakelands operations. He was rumored to be a confidential informant. He had been severely beaten, then shot four times in the right side of the body. While they certainly turned a profit, they would later say it wasnt all great either. Most predicted that the men, especially Checkers, would likely die behind bars. 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. 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. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone sitting in court in 1970. I found legitimate businesses that were paying the LLCs that were then turning around and laundering the money back to the Bidens,' Comer said.Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, 'But I haven't found any legitimate business dealings on the Biden end. 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. #14: Did Joey Gallo Really Punch Neil Dellacroce (During the Gallo Wars)? Of course that made it pretty easy for customers to trust him. The Smaldone organization was suspected, but no one was convicted in either murder. Three weeks later, (again this happened quick and it was violent) a handsome former football star at the University of Colorado was found shotgunned to death in his front driveway just a few blocks away from Chauncey Smaldones Lakewood home. As the story goes, Checkers faced down a prisoner who during the breakout had pointed a gun directly in his face uttering the words, Take that thing outta my face, and then locking himself in a room and (of course) played checkers with the two kids in turn until the danger was over. Theres no doubt that the stories about their generosity are true. Now before we go further with the chronology of events, lets take a quick step back so we can provide you with a brief synopsis of who the brothers were, so that you better understand the relationship between them and the other factions. He says, Al says to give it to you for $35 a case. He sentenced both Clyde and Checkers Smaldone to an astonishing 60 years in prison, which at their age at the time was essentially a life sentence! Photo Credit: Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. The issue was with Chaunceys ex-wife Pauline. It was no different in Colorado, and in fact Colorado even got a head start. Smaldone, Denver's Mob Family - Flagship Publishing However, at this point the damage was done as the two brothers, whod built the empire together would eventually have a falling out over the situation. With Clyde and Checkers away, the family needed someone to step up in order for them to maintain their grip over Denvers underworld. 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. Clyde was never able to forgive his younger brother, whose fault it was that they wound up in prison. Charles S. Vigil (left), U. S. district attorney, and Max Melville (right), assistant Denver district attorney, who famously prosecuted the Smaldone brothers during the early 1950's. Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone looking cool as a ice during a jury probe in 1963. 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). They would use their power and intimidation to muscle in on many local gambling establishments including Mountain View Club and others. stuff.co.nz Though again Id point out that the Smaldones were never convicted of any murders, but this wouldnt be the last time their names would be in the discussion after a gangland murder took place. He was very close with Pueblo Mob leader Charley Blanda, and the pair often went gambling, drinking, and took hunting and fishing trips together. Kreck, Dick. That statement would prove to be prophetic in later years when most states began to legalize many forms of gambling. Though seventeen suspects were arrested including Smaldone organization members John Porky Routta and Frank Blackie Mazza, nobody was ever convicted of the slaying. I mean, this was the Biden family influence peddling scheme,' the chairman from Kentucky continued.Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, 'And when people say, well, they were involved in ventures around the world, I haven't found a legitimate business on the Biden end,' the congressman added. A man named Ralph Pizzalato, a close friend of LaGaurdias who was allegedly present during the altercation with Checkers Smaldone that resulted in the death contract on his pal, was actually rumored to have been the shooter in this case. Hunter spent the weekend at the house of Joe Kiani, 58, who founded medical technology company Masimo in 1989 and is now worth an estimated $1.3 billion, according to Forbes. WebThe most accurate, comprehensive, neighborhood-specific crime, demographic, housing, school performance, and real estate trend and forecast analytics available today, with He told them, They [the police] are setting you up. In October of 1967, (again it just continues) Clarence and Clyde were again arrested again for their part in a $100,000 bookmaking enterprise. Vincenzo "Black Jim" or "James" Coletti, Boss of the Pueblo LCN family from around 1953 until around 1972. Hed been missing for three months. It was just a fact of life at the time. First-Degree Burglary" in Colorado He was said to have bore a striking resemblance to a young Dean Martin. A common defense to this charge is that the arresting officer used excessive force.. CRS 18-8-103 states that:. 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. The Smaldones would continue to rack up arrests, and in 1932, they would be arrested several times though no serious charges stuck. Now putting everything in proper context, I think its accurate to say that by the 1980s the power of the Smaldone organization was much less significant, especially after this prison sentence of the family administration. Barlock is explaining why Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone was jailed for contempt after he refused to answer questions at investigation into gambling and prostitution in the county. Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of The Members Only Podcast. He would definitely become an important member of the family as well. 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. For inquiries, email me at:[emailprotected], 2023 The Members Only Podcast. '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 was at this point when someone lying in wait stepped out from behind bushes and shot him directly in the face with a blast from a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun. 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. If this kind of information came out in the past, writers would be getting Pulitzer prizes when Pulitzer prizes meant something. A Tom Lahey, who grew up a block from Gaetanos, said the following about the Smaldones and based upon my research the sentiment rings true: They did a lot of good in north Denver. Spinuzzi reputedly preferred to stay low-profile, but his colorful personality and a fiery temper, which would make staying low-profile pretty challenging. Over the years the Smaldones as a family and an organization were known to have helped out many families in need, they gave coal and groceries to many North Denver neighbors, went to bat with police when neighborhood kids ran afoul of the law, donated large sums of money specifically to the local Catholic Church and other community projects, and even raised money to help build a local high school. Mamie Smaldone stands with her six sons, from left, Clyde, Anthony, Clarence, Eugene, Andrew, and Ralph, in front of the family bar on Tejon Street in about 1940. 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. Oversight members have been combing through tips known as SARs - Suspicious Activity Reports - following a subpoena of the Treasury Department to look into business dealings of the president and his family members mainly his son Hunter Biden. And according to autopsy reports (this is where it gets truly heinous), Cohen was alive (though he may not have been conscious) when he was put into the lake. It was nepotism at its finest. Limon, Colorado Limon has a crime rate of 53.7 violent crimes per 100,000 persons. Police observed that the body, left in the fetal position, showed signs of strangulation as well as a gunshot wound to the face. The two men were very similar. The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Colorado For 2022 1. Statistics. We had friends every place in the United States. Photo Credit: Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. The brothers would start by running booze locally, but as time went on would expand operations and would regularly be running liquor between Denver and several Midwest cities including St. Louis, Kansas City, as well as Chicago. Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone and Gene Smaldone in 1930's on Osage Street and 34th Avenue in Denver. A gun like this can only be used to kill someone.. And on October 16, 2006, the final member of the Smaldone organization passed away when Clarence Chauncey Smaldone died in hospice at the age of 82. And though he wouldnt do any time as a result, the Apalachin arrest would be the one to raise his profile so much so that in a Life Magazine article in 1967 he was named as the boss of Colorado. An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. The trial was contentious from the get-go, with the judge accusing Checkers Smaldone of the old Mafia go-to of feigning illness when in fact he actually had to have a very real appendectomy in the middle of the trial. On January 7, 1998, the original leader and family patriarch Clyde Smaldone, the man who had his first brush with the law in 1920, whod become friends with presidents and mobsters, and whod spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers as well as charitable endeavors, passed away at the age of 91. The brothers would receive a new trial. He was also a liquor store and bar owner. Clarence was sentenced to 90 days while Clydes charges were dismissed. 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. 09. According to Clyde, and despite his fathers involvement in a barroom business, his parents were ignorant of Prohibition laws, and the feds true targets were himself, his brothers, and their associates. A shot was heard. 8 most wanted sex offender. April 28, 2023 Testimony continued Friday in the Letecia Stauch murder trial; she stands accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch. The Lutz family was found alive and well in Arizona. According to the book Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family written by Dick Kreck, Clyde Smaldone would say the following in a tape-recorded family interview some sixty years after the fact: [Somebody] shot him in his house. Joe Bonanno, Boss of the Bonnano Crime Family in New York City. As I shared in Part One, Denver and Pueblo, Colorado in the 1920s was a veritable shooting gallery. He was present at the Mob Summit in Apalachin in 1957. Banner headlines across the The Denver Post read Smaldone Brothers Get 60-year Terms and Verdict Spells End for Smaldone Gang.. He would run the Pueblo family as Boss from 1933 until roughly 1953 when he would pass the mantle to Vincenzo Black Jim Coletti before going away to prison. All three would be sentenced to 10 year prison terms which at their advancing age was akin to a life sentence. 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. Back In The Day, This Quiet Colorado Town Was A Mafia Mecca This would give the Feds the impetus they needed to launch a series of raids in Denver and Pueblo in which theyd confiscate the silencer, a .30-caliber carbine, twenty-seven stacks of ammunition, four handguns, $50,000 in cash and a treasure trove of valuable documents.