John DiFronzo

John DiFronzo
Born(1928-12-13)December 13, 1928
DiedMay 27, 2018(2018-05-27) (aged 89)
River Grove, Illinois, US
Other names
  • "Johnny Bananas"
  • "No Nose"
OccupationCrime boss
RelativesPeter DiFronzo and Joseph DiFronzo (brothers)
AllegianceChicago Outfit

John DiFronzo (December 13, 1928 – May 27, 2018), nicknamed "No Nose", was an American mobster and the reputed former boss of the Chicago Outfit.[1]

Biography

DiFronzo, a former enforcer and caporegime in the Chicago Outfit, first appeared with a criminal record in 1949. He got the nickname "No Nose" because he sliced off part of his nose while jumping through a window during a 1949 clothing store burglary. Reportedly, the police gave him back the missing part, which was almost perfectly restored.[2] In 1950, DiFronzo served two years in prison for burglary.

DiFronzo was a suspect in the unsolved 1952 murder of Charles Gross, a West Side politician with suspected ties to organized crime. He was a member of the Three Minute Gang and identified as a member of a loansharking operation along with former Chicago police officers Albert Sarno and Chris Cardi in 1964. Imprisoned syndicate leader Joseph Aiuppa chose DiFronzo to head criminal operations in Chicago's western suburbs over acting syndicate boss Joseph Ferriola. Eventually, he became one of several de facto leaders running the Outfit in Chicago.

His brother, Peter DiFronzo, a "made man", was convicted of warehouse burglary in 1963.[3]

In 1993, DiFronzo was convicted along with Chicago boss Samuel "Black Sam" Carlisi, his gambling capo Donald "The Wizard of Odds" Angelini, and four other men of federal racketeering charges for attempting to subterfuge gambling operations at the Rincon Reservation near San Diego.[4] The 1993 conviction was reversed on appeal, however, and DiFronzo was released from prison in 1994.[5]

In 2009, DiFronzo, Rudy Fratto and several others were named in a civil lawsuit by Joseph Fosco, the son of late Teamsters treasurer Armando Fosco, alleged to have tried to extort $400,000 from Fosco.[6]

DiFronzo died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on May 27, 2018.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "Who's Who in Chicago Outfit for 1997 ISPN-97-10-12". Ipsn.org. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  2. ^ Roemer, Jr., William F. (1996). Accardo : The Genuine Godfather (1st Ballantine Books ed.). New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 0804114641.
  3. ^ "I-Team Report: Lunch with 'No Nose' | abc7chicago.com". Abclocal.go.com. March 12, 2009. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  4. ^ Eidsmoe, John "Legalized Gambling: America's Bad Bet", page 68
  5. ^ "Federal Bureau of Prisons". Bop.gov. July 19, 1994. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  6. ^ "Reputed mobster charged with tax evasion in new case". Chicago Breaking News. September 29, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  7. ^ "Chicago mob boss John "No Nose" DiFronzo dead at 89". ABC7 Chicago. May 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "With top Chicago mob boss dead, Outfit looks for new blood". ABC7 Chicago. June 1, 2018.

Bibliography

American Mafia
Preceded by Chicago Outfit Boss
1993-2018 		Succeeded by
Salvatore DeLaurentis