Frankie LaPorte

This article is about the racketeer. For the baseball player, see Frank LaPorte.
Frank LaPorte
Born(1901-10-07)October 7, 1901
Sambiase, Calabria, Italy
DiedOctober 30, 1972(1972-10-30) (aged 71)
Flossmoor, Illinois, U.S.
Other namesFrankie
Frank Liperetto
Frank Lipperatti
Francesco Liparotta
Known forOrganized crime
Chicago Outfit boss for Chicago Heights
TitleCaporegime of the Chicago Heights crew
PredecessorVincenzo "Jim Emery" Amaratti (late 1920s - 1956)
AllegianceChicago Outfit

Frank "Frankie" LaPorte (October 7, 1901 – October 30, 1972) was an Italian–American racketeer in the Chicago Outfit.[1] He was the Chicago Heights caporegime during the early 20th century. His closest associates in bootlegging included Ross Prio, Louis Campagna and onetime Outfit boss, Al Capone.[2]

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.[2]

However, what is known is that LaPorte was considered a "power broker" in the Outfit and a powerful mobster, who kept a relatively low profile.[2] According to some, LaPorte and other Chicago Heights gangsters held seats on the Commission for bosses. [citation needed]

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 racketeers managed the Outfit behind the scenes.[2][3]

Calumet City operations

Frank LaPorte is believed to have been the member of the Chicago Outfit who was most responsible for developing and maintaining the "Sin Strip" area of Calumet City.[4] Police avoided Sin Strip and risked violence if they tried to make an arrest.[5] In 1959, the state of Illinois conducted a police raid that resulted in 98 arrests and the seizure of business records.[6] An article published in Chicago Daily News on June 2, 1959, exposed LaPorte as being instrumental in the illegal activities in Calumet City.[6]

References

  1. ^ J., Luzi, Matthew (October 16, 2012). The boys in Chicago Heights : the forgotten crew of the Chicago Outfit. ISBN 978-1-61423-726-6. OCLC 944952020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d "Who was Frankie La Porte? A new biography claims Al Capone shared power with an even tougher, but publicity-shy, gangster". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ Hoffman, Dennis (September 1994). "Book Review : Capone: The Man and the Era by Laurence Bergreen New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1994, 701 pages". Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice. 10 (3): 227–230. doi:10.1177/104398629401000308. ISSN 1043-9862. S2CID 143967420.
  4. ^ Lombardo, Robert M. (2013). Organized Crime in Chicago: Beyond the Mafia. University of Illinois Press. pp. 183–184. ISBN 978-0252094484.
  5. ^ "Glitter Fades: Calumet City's Sin Strip Loses to Suburban Respectability". The Cincinnati Enquirer. June 17, 1962. Retrieved September 6, 2023. Everything was on sale in 'Sin Strip' and policemen stayed away from the row. Any officer who tried to make an arrest was generally asking for a beating up.
  6. ^ a b Luzi, Matthew J. (2012). The Boys in Chicago Heights: The Forgotten Crew of the Chicago Outfit. Charleston, SC: The History Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-1609497330.