Albert Tocco
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| Albert Tocco | |
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| Born | August 9, 1929 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Died | September 21, 2005 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
Albert Caesar Tocco (August 9, 1929 - September 21, 2005), nicknamed "Caesar" (though this was actually his baptismal name), was an Italian-American organized crime leader and a high ranking member of the Chicago Outfit during the 1970s and 80s. He was the alleged "Southside" boss that controlled all the rackets in the southern quadrant of Chicago, including parts of Indiana -- the same part of the city that Al Capone both lived in, visited, and ran the majority of his rackets. Albert Tocco is believed to be the first organized crime leader whom a spouse has testified against.
[edit] Early life
Tocco grew up on the Southside of Chicago where his Italian grandparents had immigrated to. He had three siblings: 2 sisters and a brother. He is the brother of Joe Tocco, aka "Buddy," aka "Papa Joe," who allegedly ran the Outfit's business interests in Phoenix, AZ. Albert was a hustler from the age of 6 when he used to devise ways of making money to support himself and his family during the Depression. Once a teenager he helped his father with his cement business that ran most of the cement industry in and around Chicago; his father Michael was a decorated WWI veteran and an accomplished business man. After his father died from an old war wound when Albert was only 17, he continued to find ways to make money and support his family.
[edit] Chicago Outfit
Tocco allegedly oversaw organized crime operations in many of Chicago's southern suburbs. He was arrested in Greece in 1989, where the FBI used and followed his 8-year old son to, and brought back to Chicago, where he was convicted in the federal court.
His wife, Betty, testified that in 1986, she had driven her husband from an Indiana cornfield after he had told her that he had just buried Anthony Spilotro (the mob's man in Las Vegas for two decades), who was known as the "Ant", and his brother Michael. The Spilotro case was portrayed in the Martin Scorsese film, "Casino", which was released in 1995. In early 2005, several FBI interviews and newly released information by a turncoat, named Nick Calabrese, seemed to contradict this account as he admitted being involved in the killings, and gave a very different story to authorities that did not at all involve Tocco. This information was run in a series of articles in the Chicago Tribune and Star newspapers.
In an interview published in the Chicago Sun-Times just after Tocco was sentenced in 1990, Betty called her husband a ruthless thug who abused his family, broke the mob's code of ethics, and even cheated his daughter at tic-tac-toe. Though this article incorrectly attributes such testimony to Betty, it was actually the testimony of FBI agents who had worked on the case for several years, and demonstratively showed extreme prejudice in trying to characterize Tocco in a negative light, given their failed attempts during previous years to attribute crimes to him. Such testimony caused a public debate about the positives and negatives of both Betty and Tocco — littering the Chicago media with public letters and call-ins.
Through other sources, it was noted that such atrocious descriptions came about as an FBI press-smearing campaign against Tocco during his trial; other articles, sourcing friends and family members, depict him as a loving family man who helped many and harmed no one. It is believed that FBI agent Bob Pecoraro and associates used Tocco's popular image in Chicago against him to make their own careers. For two years leading up to his death, the FBI had been, and continued to investigate several crimes previously linked with Tocco that were no longer believed to be associated with him in any way. Among such evidence includes a confession by Gerri Scarpelli who admitted to the killings of at least two people previously tied to Tocco. The FBI, however, made no retraction of these charges against Tocco when he was up for parole.
Betty was believed to be the first wife of an organized crime leader to testify against her spouse, and she reportedly entered the federal witness protection program with Tocco's only offspring, their son Michael Tocco.
Sentenced to 200 years' imprisonment in 1990 for racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, and tax fraud, He served the majority of his time in Lompoc, CA and Marion, IL. He died in Terra Haute, IN where he was awaiting medical treatment on September 21, 2005 after suffering a stroke.
Michael Tocco appeared at his father's funeral after being away for sixteen years; he was pictured on the front of most Chicago media that covered the event, and listed him as a "spitting image of his father". The funeral was attended by hundreds of family and friends who remembered Tocco as a "loving, family man".
