While this is going on, the primary source of their income, that being bootlegging went belly-up as growing public sentiments against Prohibition finally led the government to pass repeals of the Volstead Act in 1933, making alcohol production essentially legal again. However, his reign would be relatively short. He related that during 1947, Denver gamblers Anthony Colosacco and John West opened a big barbuit game in a barn on a farm in Henderson, Colorado, owned by Joe Priola; that this undertaking was operated for only a few days when Colosacco and West received word from Clyde and Eugene Smaldone that they were to appear at a conference at the headquarters of the Smaldones at Gaetanos Restaurant in North Denver; that Colosacco and West declined the invitation and refused to confer with the Smaldones and a few nights later, as West entered his automobile parked in downtown Denver, Smaldone enforcers Frank Mazza, Porky Routta, and Paul Enrichi, who long had been known as bodyguards and strong-arm men for the Smaldones, accosted West, forced him into the automobile and ordered him to drive out onto the Pecos Road outside of Denver. And the other man was former lawyer Max Melville, who was serving as Colorados deputy attorney general at the time. There were a But I wanted every one of my listeners to see that with many in the life, everything isnt black and white, good guys and bad guys, cowboys and indians. 'Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, Biden's son Hunter, 53, is being investigated by Republican-led committees over his business dealings, with inquiries into his tax affairs and purchase of a gun. 'I cannot survive [o]n this,' Caroline wrote to Joe Biden's brother Jim. Judge Denounces U.S. Attorney General and FBI for Laxity in Investigation of Jury Tampering. Smaldone, Denver's Mob Family - Flagship Publishing According to Clyde, he and his brother Eugene would hang out by the railroad hurling rocks at the steam-locomotive crews that drove by, and when the crews responded by throwing chunks of coal, the boys would carry them home to help heat the house. It would start off, in my opinion from a legal perspective, pretty innocuously and would go in a direction that they did not expect. At the point where the inquiry began about jury tampering, the attorney general of the United States advised the U.S. attorney for Colorado that the FBI would not participate in the investigation.. There were two alleged witnesses to the bombing. There are more laws that appear to me that have been broken than just tax evasion. Chaunceys ex-wife Pauline, in an almost hard to fathom event, was shot twice in her driveway by an unknown assailant who escaped with a getaway driver. He would go to trial in 1962. These two young lads were nearly inseparable, with the Villano family living just a few houses down the street from the Smaldone family. 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. 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. ABC11 Neighborhood Safety and Crime Tracker If anyone has information about this incident, they are encouraged to contact the Clinton Police Department at 910-592-3105. Of course, the obvious point here is that family members of mob figures are typically considered off-limits, making this shooting a major breach of typical protocol. Spinuzzi would become involved in a vending-machine business and would also own a bar (Turks Tavern) with his brother, Tony Turk Spinuzzi. Their first move would be to partner with a man named Ova Elijah Smiling Charlie Stephens, who was known as a gambling kingpin in the Denver area from the 1930s into the 1950s. Now its important that you know the players as the men who came next had ties into both groups at times during the 1920s and 1930s. As of 2008, adjusted gross proceeds (total bets minus payouts) from gambling in Central City, and two other approved cities topped $715 million annually. 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. All of these enterprises also played well into their other stream of income, which of course was loan-sharking (a service that goes hand in hand with nearly any gambling enterprise), and the duo would have a lot of money on the street as they say in the underworld, which would pull in fairly good revenue for the Smaldone organization. As you might expect with a man of his temperament, he would have a long history of problems with law enforcement, being charged for bootlegging, extortion in Las Vegas, burglary, theft, counterfeiting, income tax evasion, as well as numerous counts of gambling and bookmaking. It looks like, if there wasn't legitimate business dealing in any of these LLCs, it was influence peddling. The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Colorado For 2022 1. I done nine and a half years of my life for him. After pulling together enough money to buy a horse and wagon, he began making deliveries all over town, including the wealthier neighborhoods. So its clear that by this point, the Smaldones were in the crosshairs and had gained a fairly negative reputation from many in law enforcement, some of their own doing and some by association with major underworld figures, despite regularly decorating the mahogany.. It is open to the public, law enforcement agencies and internal staff, with In Part One of this two-part series on the Colorado Mafia, we laid out how the organization that would later become known as the Smaldone Crime Family, which ran organized crime in Denver and much of Colorado during the 20th century, came to be. This is why I referred to him as a Frank Costello-esque figure earlier on in the episode. Like his uncle Clyde, Paulie had a gift for story-telling, was generally considered to be charming, and loved pranks. Standing are Eugene Smaldone (far left) and Clyde Smaldone (center. Louis F. Smaldone (left), second cousin the the Smaldone brothers, who was arrested as part of their jury tampering case in 1953. Eugene Checkers Smaldone would be quoted by police as saying: Maybe I like to go hunting. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone (right) and Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone walking on a Denver sidewalk in 1982. 'Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, Hunter Biden's lawyers have meetings this week with the Department of Justice, but it is unclear what steps might be taken against the president's son. Clyde Smaldone and his defense attorney shake hands with jurors in courtroom celebration which followed the acquittal verdict in 1953. Now as I mentioned above, after his semi-retirement Clydes drinking would become pretty problematic so much so that his sons would put him in alcohol rehabilitation on several occasions throughout the rest of his life until he was finally able to kick the habit (which wouldnt happen until much later in his life). Papers at the time would laud the victory, but would also notateand this is importanta rift between the judge in the case and law enforcement (specifically federal law enforcement), with the Greeley Daily Tribune relating the following: Two Smaldones Each Given 60-Year Terms 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. Trump, 76, seized on the claims from Rep. James Comer to attack his presidential rival by accusing the Biden family of corruption on a mass scale on the same day Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign.'What Congressmen James Comer and Jim Jordan have revealed about the "Biden Crime Family" would be Watergate times 10, if this news was revealed just 10 years ago,' he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. In concert with local government officials however, the Smaldones struck a deal to provide the financing for a new water system, restore a number of houses, and provided the backing for a lunch program for town schoolchildren in exchange for the ability to operate their gambling operation without interference from law enforcement. And that brings us back to where we began this story, in 1933, just after the assassination of Denver gang lord, Joe Roma. Judge J. In the early days, hed also been arrested for bootlegging, attacking a police officer, reckless driving, stealing merchandise from local stores, and for assaulting a police informant during an illicit liquor delivery. The restaurant and bar unfortunately was not doing well (they were making only $20 per day), but with Clydes instincts and connections, as well the knowledge that with WWII in full swing by that point there was big money to be made on the black market, the Tejon Bar and Cafe was the perfect place to revitalize his career (and of course make more money just outside the law). Now, there were certainly other members, but I wont bore you by going through every single one. The State of Colorado is committed to providing equitable access to our services to all Coloradans. None of his friends dared call him that. It was later estimated by law enforcement that the Smaldone mobs annual revenue from gambling and loan-sharking during their heyday was around $1 million per year (~$7 to $12 million per year in todays money). In August of 1962, Eugenes son, who was also named Eugene, was arrested and charged with Interstate Transportation in aid of racketeering in connection with his bookmaking activities. Reddit places it high on their list of the worst cities in the state of Colorado because of this startling statistic that was reported by local authorities. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Raffaele Ralph Smaldone would begin selling moonshine to speakeasies in Denver. But on July 5, 1973 there was another incident in the sphere of the Smaldone organization, and this incident would touch off a period of violence in Denver. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Limon, Colorado Limon has a crime rate of 53.7 violent crimes per 100,000 persons. Okay, so before we jump back into the chronological timeline of the Smaldone era, lets quickly jump over to talk about the other key brother, Eugene Checkers Smaldone. Theyre going to kill me., (Kennedy offered Roberts protection, which he declined), By God, within twenty-four hours they found this guys body. In 1956, at age 32, Chauncey would be arrested for the first time on a gambling charge when he and seven others were busted at a house on 3357 Navajo Street for running an illegal barbooth game. By this point, they simply wanted to be left alone. This incident just goes to show that although the brothers werent true Cosa Nostra, they allegedly werent afraid to whack people out when needed. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone, hiding face behind paper bag, lunges at photographer while on his way to county -jail after receiving a 12-year prison sentence and $10,000 fine in 1955. You could find family It certainly was a long episode, but again something that I found to be a very interesting and compelling story that I really want to share with my channel. On March 13, 1932, Clyde and another brother James Smaldone would be arrested for an attempt to buy shotgun shells loaded with buckshot at a local pawnshop, which authorities believed was related to attempts on the lives of staff members of District Attorney Earl Wettengel. It would certainly not be his last trip through the juvenile court system. In the end, in this case the government wasnt able to pin anything major on them, but theyd ultimately plead out to the simple charge of gambling, with each man paying a $150 fine and $8.81 in court costs. Its at this point that Clarence Chauncey Smaldone takes over leadership of what was left of the Smaldone family, but by that point it was a shell of its former power. The dominant players were the Carlino brothers, but they had many rivals and went to war with their own kin in the Danna family for almost the entire decade. He was mean. Colorado Crime Stats is a fluid system with updates being made by law enforcement agencies on a daily basis. Photo Credit: Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. Eventually, hed move on from Roxy and brought his brother Eugene in as a partner once Checkers came of proper age. While testifying for Mazza during this trial, Clyde Smaldoneclearly agitated (and youre going to see that both Clyde and Checkers did not like photographers)snapped on a Denver Post photographer taking pictures outside the courtroom, snarling the following: The next time you shoot my picture, Im going to punch you in the nose.. His brother lighted a cigar as officers led him handcuffed from the court room and sent up clouds of smoke. Alferd Packer: Murderer and Cannibal. Left to right are Americus Quintana, Joe Salardino, Chauncey Smaldone, attorney Ed Barlock and Michael Tomeo. The family of a Colorado man who was seen on security video being struck by a squad car before he was fatally shot by police is demanding answers about the Imagine pulling that out of your pockets?!? This event as we mentioned would leave a huge power vacuum in the Colorado underworld, and the Smaldones would be the ones who would eventually fill it. The two men were very similar. This development essentially made 53-year-old Eugene Checkers Smadlone the new de facto leader of the Smaldone family. The victims were identified as Yvette M. Siegert-Kreb, 50, Felicity Kreb, 13, and Barrett Kreb, 9, the El Paso County Sheriffs Office said. The state would enact Prohibition and go dry in 1916, a full three years ahead of the Volstead Act which was enacted nationally in 1919. With Checkers and Clyde gone, it was Chauncey and Paulie who ran the familys operations, and it was generally understood in the Denver underworld that they were in charge, and they did their best to hold things together for the family until the older brothers got out of prison. Within declassified law enforcement documents, my research almost always referred to the Smaldones using the words Suspected LCN rather than official LCN (which was used to describe some of their true Mafia associates). However, the Colorado Crime Stats website is the best location to review crime data in its entirety. Everybody we had to know, we knew.. He would definitely become an important member of the family as well. And I think its fair to say that their legacy contains with both good as well as bad. According to Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family, Chauncey was dead-on the best looking of the brothers, was much taller than his siblings (six feet), and was blessed with a full head of wavy hair and piercing dark eyes, which got him quite a bit of attention from the young Italian girls in his neighborhood. It had just 15 property crimes and 2 violent crimes over the course of year. They would get their first victory in 1951 when Smaldone associates Frank Blackie Mazza and Paul Enrichi were convicted of evasion of state income taxes. Crime | 9news.com | 9news.com The first of the trio of brothers whod built the family would pass away in the early 90s when Eugene Checkers Smaldone died of a heart attack at the age of 81 on March 10, 1992. He would say the following in an interview later in his life: We went to jail, that beloved brother of mine, Checkers. We covered several major events including: Today were going to dig into the era of the Smaldone brothers. Joe "The Ram" Salardino: Smaldone Family Leader. Retired Police Capt. Jacob Stoops is the host of The Members Only Podcast, and he's a history buff and mob historian. Colorados Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire. Others in the family tried to warn Checkers, but of course the father had a major blind spot for the dealings of his son, a fact which rankled many in the organization. This is bad. The restaurants owners, the Smaldone family, simply called it the place., In the 1950s and 60s, the Smaldone name was notorious in Denver, instantly recognized as the strong arm of the mob. An 2021 article by author Matt Masich in Colorado Life Magazine provided an nice, authentic summation of the brothers and the famous eatery and command post: THE LITTLE ITALIAN RESTAURANT on northwest Denvers Tejon Street has a big reputation, and not just for authentic food. Crime is rising in Colorado. This state data shows by how much Police observed that the body, left in the fetal position, showed signs of strangulation as well as a gunshot wound to the face. Well, they knew we didnt do it, but somebody shot him. Denver, CO 41 Denver, CO Memorial fund to assist family of woman killed by rock thrown into her vehicle; Six Crimes that Altered Life in Colorado Forever - Uncover Colorado Not saying it wasnt true, but a reach. Clyde and Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone in court in 1953. The brothers would even begin to venture as far as Canada in order to secure top-shelf bonded whiskey. Besides his intellect, Clyde was known for his talent for making friends, whether it was with his neighbors, Mafia kings like Al Capone and Carlos Marcello, or Colorado Gov. An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Clyde would be quoted as saying the following: Anybody that we heard that needed something, they could come and theyd get money, wed get em food. Gaetano's Restaurant interior as it looks today. Now the business wasnt without its dangers. In early 1952, and its just going to keep building from here, Vigil would keep up the pressure when two law enforcement officials (so this is indirectly hitting at the Smaldones) were indicted for lying about payoffs they received to ignore gambling in their respective counties.