Sam Battaglia

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Samuel "Teets" Battaglia (June 30, 1908-January 8, 1973) was an American mobster and member of the Chicago Outfit.

Born in Chicago, Battaglia became a member of the 42 Gang along with Sam Giancana and later the Torrio-Capone Gang in 1924 at the start of the gang war against the North Side Gang. Rising through the ranks, Battaglia would become a high ranking member of the Chicago Outfit by the late 1930s as a formidable loanshark.

By 1950 Battaglia had an extensive criminal record including over 12 counts of burglary, robbery, and murder as well as a suspect in seven homicides. A close associate of Sam Giancana, Battaglia was thought to succeed Giancana as leader of the organization following his retirement. Operating from a back room in the Casa Madrid restaurant, loanshark debtors would be brought to Battaglia where they were either severely beaten or, in some cases, killed. Supposedly the nickname "Teets" came from one such meeting where Battaglia yelled at another mobster who had questioned his decision regarding a victim to "Shaddup, or I'll bust ya in da teets !".

While testifying in the McClellan Committee, Battaglia pleaded the Fifth Amendment over 60 times during the investigations. As leader Tony Accardo's power began to decline during the 1960s, Battaglia struggled for power along with rivals Sam Giancana, Sam DeStefano, and Fiore "Fifi" Buccieri. However in 1967, Battaglia was convicted of extortion and sentenced to 15 years. With Battaglia in prison, Giancana was able to gain leadership of the syndicate. Battaglia would remain imprisoned until his death in 1973.

Battaglia's grandson is Bates Battaglia, an NHL hockey player who currently plays forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs.^[1]

[edit] Further reading

Binder, John J. The Chicago Outfit. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7385-2326-7
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
Ovid, Demaris. Captive City: Chicago in Chains. New York: Lyle Stuart, 1969.

[edit] References

Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30653-2
Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime (2nd. ed) New York: Facts on File Inc., 2005. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0