Charles Nicoletti
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| Charles Nicoletti | |
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 FBI surveillance photograph of Charles 'Chuckie' Nicoletti.
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| Born | December 3, 1916 New York, USA |
| Died | March 29, 1977 Cook County, Illinois, USA |
Charles "Chuckie" Nicoletti (December 3, 1916 - March 29, 1977) was one of the top Outfit hitmen for Chicago mafioso Sam Giancana.
Nicoletti's poor childhood lent him to dropping out of school in 8th grade, after which he murdered his father in what would be deemed justified homicide. Soon after, he joined the '42 gang', whose members also include Sam Giancana, Sam Battaglia and Phil Alderisio. This gang was a virtual farm team for the organized crime ring with in Chicago.
By the late 1950's Nicoletti had a reputation as being one of the most feared triggerman around, and whose attention drew the FBI and police officials.
At one hit in 1962, he, Phil Alderisio, and Anthony Spilotro, were torturing James Miraglia in order to find out who had helped him kill two friends of theirs. Spilotro had the man's head in an industrial vice and squeezed it tighter until the man's eye popped clear out of his head; upon which the victim finally gave up his friend. In relating this account to his friend, Frank Cullota, years later, he was impressed by Chuckie Nicoletti's reaction, "Boy, this is a heartless guy. He was eating pasta when Billy's eye popped out." This scene was re-enacted in the 1995 film Casino directed by Martin Scorsese.
On the date of his death, Nicoletti received three .38 slugs to the back of his head, in what seems to be an effort to silence his disdain for the slaying of Sam Giancana, and any other possible relevant issues. The hit was seen as retaliation for a hit on a Milwaukee mob leader, but that is a reported cover.
During his career as a hitman he was involved in as many as 20 mob hits, and is alleged to have been involved with the assassination of John Kennedy [1].
[edit] Further reading
- Giancana, Sam and Chuck. Double Cross: The Explosive, Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America. New York: Warner Books, 1992. ISBN 0-446-51624-4
- Groden, Robert J. and Livingstone, Harrison Edward. High Treason. New York: Berkley Books, 1990. ISBN 0-425-12344-8
- Hinckle, Warren and Turner, William W. The Fish is Red: The Story of the Secret War Against Castro. New York: Harper & Row, 1981. ISBN 0-06-038003-9
- Marrs, Jim. Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1990. ISBN 0-88184-648-1
