James Torello
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2011) |
James Torello | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 15, 1930 Chicago, Illinois , U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 1979 (aged 48) |
| Occupation | Mobster |
James Vincent "Turk" Torello (December 15, 1930 – April 13, 1979
Born in
In the late 1960s, Torello sent Robert "Bobby the Beak" Siegel to Las Vegas to help collect $87,000 from an associate of
On another occasion, an angry mob boss Sam Giancana dispatched Torello and mobster Jackie Cerone to kill Outfit member Frank Esposito, in Florida. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) secretly recorded Giancana's conversation and warned Esposito. He then settled his dispute with Giancana and the hit was canceled. According to tape recordings, Torello and his killers had planned to murder Esposito, cut him up in small pieces and feed them to the sharks off the Florida coast.
By the early 1970s, Torello had become a high-ranking member within the Outfit. In 1973, with the death of Fiore "Fifi" Buccieri, Torello became the Outfit's chief enforcer. He also became involved in loan sharking, illegal gambling and pornography.
In the late 1970s Torello bought a home in Palm Springs, California,[1] and in April 1979, he died of cancer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago at age 48 .
References
- Vincent Dominic Cacibought a home in Palm Springs.
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8160-5694-1
Further reading
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime in Chicago: Hearing Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1983.[1]
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Professional Motor Vehicle Theft and Chop Shops: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1980.[2]