Rocco Fischetti
Rocco Fischetti | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 24, 1903 |
| Died | July 5, 1964 Massapequa, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Pine Lawn National Cemetery |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Relatives | Charles Fischetti (brother) Al Capone (cousin) |
Rocco Fischetti, also known as "Rocky" and "Ralph Fisher" (March 24, 1903 – July 5, 1964), was a
Early life
Rocco Fischetti was born on March 24, 1903. He was a cousin of Al Capone.[1][2]
Career
In the 1920s, the New York-raised Fischetti and his two brothers, Charles Fischetti and Joseph Fischetti moved to Chicago to join their first cousin Al Capone in the Outfit. During this period, the Fischetti brothers alternated between driving for Capone, acting as his bodyguards, and distilling bootleg alcohol. After Prohibition ended, Rocco Fischetti started running illegal gambling operations for the Outfit. In 1932, Rocco was acting as a bodyguard for John Capone, Al's brother, when the two men were arrested on the streets of Chicago for a minor offense.
Rocco Fischetti was soon operating some of the largest illegal gambling establishments in Lake County, Illinois and Cook County, Illinois. In Cicero, Illinois, a Chicago suburb controlled by the Outfit, Rocco Fischetti operated the notorious Rock Garden Club. In 1943, a grand jury investigation of gambling in Cicero prompted Rocco to move his establishment to the Vernon Country Club in Lake County, Illinois, one of the most elaborate establishments in that area. In later years, following investigations in Lake County, Rocco moved his gambling operation into Chicago.
During this time period, Rocco and his brothers became friends with Sinatra. In 1946, Rocco, Charles Fischetti, and Outfit boss
Fischetti was indicted alongside August D. Liebe for illegal gambling at their Vernon Country Club in 1948.[3]
In 1957, with Accardo's retirement as day-to-day boss and Outfit frontman, Sam Giancana became boss of the Outfit. He had Rocco once again running the gambling operations in Cicero.
Personal life and death
Fischetti was divorced.[2] He died of a heart attack on July 5, 1964, while visiting a friend in Massapequa, New York.[1] He was 61 years old.[2] He was buried at the Pine Lawn National Cemetery in Suffolk County, New York.[2]
References
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Bureau of Narcotics, U.S. Treasury Department, "Mafia: the Government's Secret File on Organized Crime, HarperCollins Publishers 2007 ISBN 0-06-136385-5
External links
- American Mafia.com Mob Report by Allan May
- American Mafia.com The Cicero Story By Wayne A. Johnson
- Crime Magazine.com Frank Sinatra and the Mob by J.D. Chandler
- The American Mafia Virgil Peterson Testimony to Kefauver Committee July 6, 1950
- New Criminologists: The Fischetti Brothers
