Guilty Plea to Tax Evasion by Reputed Mobster

Guilty Plea to Tax Evasion by Reputed Mobster, Rudy Fratto --Next time it will be jay walking  lol .. Another bullshit case!!!!


Reputed suburban Chicago mobster Rudy Fratto pleaded guilty Tuesday to evading thousands of dollars in federal income taxes.

Fratto, 65, of suburban Darien, pleaded guilty to a single charge of evading $30,052 in taxes on income of $199,595 for 2005. But he admitted in a signed plea agreement that he actually evaded $141,192 in taxes on $835,641 in income over seven years starting in 2001.

The maximum sentence on the charge is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The plea agreement, however, said the sentence could be more like 12 to 18 months under federal sentencing guidelines.

Fratto remained free on $4,500 bond pending sentencing, which U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set for Jan. 12.

Fratto admitted in his plea agreement that he had arranged to have income funneled into the bank account of a defunct company in an effort to evade the scrutiny of the Internal Revenue Service. He received income in 2005 from jobs ranging from handyman to pasta salesman, according to the document.

Fratto's name has come up at least twice in connection with organized crime in recent federal cases.

Prosecutors introduced evidence that he was an associate of the Chicago police department's former chief of detectives, William Hanhardt, who is now serving a federal prison sentence as the leader of a mob-related jewel theft ring.

Fratto's name also came up in connection with the landmark 2007 Operation Family Secrets case -- the biggest Chicago mob trial in decades. He was listed on papers prepared by the FBI as a serious threat to the safety of the government's star witness in the case, admitted mobster and hit man Nicholas Calabrese.

Fratto's name also appears on a chart published by the Chicago Crime Commission in 1997, showing the structure of the so-called Chicago Outfit.

This Would Not Happen in Chicago !!!

They Forgot About The Code!!....Need to be Reminded ???

Despite the stereotype that mob family members never talk out of turn, Victoria Gotti is speaking up about growing up in one of America's most infamous crime families. Not only that, she says that her late father "The Dapper Don" was fine with her writing about their family secrets.

Gotti's new book, "This Family of Mine: What It Was Like Growing Up Gotti," chronicles her life as a Mafia princess, and she's talking to CBS's "48 Hours" on Saturday about her family.

She describes growing up in a life of luxury, though she had mixed feelings about the source of that luxury. She admits that she had a pretty good idea of what her dad -- late Gambino crime family boss John Gotti -- did for a living, including ordering the deaths of rivals.

Like Father, Like Son
The family is back in the news because Victoria's brother, John Gotti Jr., is on trial for the fourth time for crimes associated with his role as head of the Gambino family between 1993 and 2008. Gotti Jr. insists that he retired in 1999, and that the statute of limitations on his crimes has run out. Seven jurors on the case are said to have asked to be dismissed from the trial this past week, possibly out of fear of retribution.

Victoria, who's had some money trouble, will reportedly discuss her heartbreak over the crime legacy on "48 Hours." "My brother is not in that courtroom," she told CBS's Troy Roberts. "It is my father, always, all over again, day in, day out. It's not about what John [Jr.] did, is doing or will do. It's about John Gotti." She and two siblings talked to "48 Hours" in the hopes of helping clear their brother's name by showing the world they grew up in.

Victoria says the trial is part of what inspired her to finally write her life story, and that her father gave her his blessing to do so before his death in 2002.

A Brother Lost
One of the more notable revelations in the book is Victoria's discussion of the disappearance of Gotti neighbor John Favara, who was involved in a car accident that killed Victoria's 12-year-old brother Frank in 1980. Four months after the incident, Favara was abducted in a van and never seen again.

Victoria admits that she initially demanded that her father seek vengeance, but that he insisted she accept that it was an accident. She vehemently denies that her father was involved in Favara's death, though she admits it's likely that someone in the Gambino crime family was responsible.

Scandal Overload?!
While we appreciate the candor, we've got to ask: How is any of this shocking, exactly? That John Gotti ran afoul of the law is not exactly news. (Back in the day, he was also known as the "Teflon Don" because it took four trials to convict him, despite mountains of evidence.) Any remaining doubts about his non-involvement were more or less put to bed when he was convicted on 13 counts including murder, loansharking, racketeering and tax evasion in 1992.

Chicago Italians at Work ...... Great Book!!!!

The Book chronicles the lives of working Chicago Italians for 80 years through photography and text

For more than a century, Italian immigrants and their descendants contributed their labor and talent to building the city. Chicago Italians at Work focuses on a period from 1890 to 1970 when industry was king in this midwestern metropolis. Generations of Italians found work in companies such as U.S. Steel, Western Electric, Pullman, Crane, McCormick/Harvester, Hart Schaffner and Marx, and other large industrial corporations. Other Italians were self-employed as barbers, shoe workers, tailors, musicians, construction workers, and more. In many of these trades, Italians were predominant. A complex network of family enterprises also operated in the Chicago Italian community. Small shopkeepers generated work in food services and retail employment; some of these ma-and-pa operations grew into large, prosperous enterprises that survive today. Finally, Italians helped develop trade unions, which created long-term economic gains for all ethnic groups in Chicago. This book chronicles the labor and contributions of an urban ethnic community through historic photographs and text.

Author Peter Nicholas Pero is a teacher and writer. He has taught courses in labor studies for Roosevelt University and Prairie State College. Pero has published articles on workplace economics through travel in China, Japan, Costa Rica, and Brazil. He lives in Chicago's Little Italy and is a member of the city's Italian-American Labor Council.

To buy the book, visit www.arcadiapublishing.com

Real Italians Know This Humor......

IF BOTH of your parents are/were ITALIAN this is a nice reflection back to the way things used to be...

Per tutta la Mia famiglia e gli amici it amo oggi, domani e sempre

To all my family and friends I love you today, tomorrow and always

42 Things In The Life Of An Italian American Child


01. You have at least one relative who wore a black dress every day for an entire year after a funeral.

02. You spent your entire childhood thinking what you ate for lunch was pronounced 'sangwich.'

03. Your family dog understood Italian.

04. Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family.




05. You've experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 square feet of yard during a family cookout

06. You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven.

07. You thought killing the pig each year and having salami, capacollo, pancetta and prosciutto hanging out to dry from your shed ceiling was absolutely normal. (Wow, that's really Italian!)

08. You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday, and laughed at the commercial for Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti day.

09. You grew up thinking no fruit or vegetable had a fixed price and that the price of everything was negotiable through haggling.

10. You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven.

11. You thought everyone's last name ended in a vowel.

12. You thought nylons were supposed to be worn rolled to the ankles.





13. Your mom's main hobby is cleaning.

14. You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores.

15. You thought that everyone made their own tomato sauce.

16. You never ate meat on Christmas Eve or any Friday for that matter.






17. You ate your salad after the main course.

18. You thought Catholic was the only religion in the world.


19. You were beaten at least once with a wooden spoon or broom.

20. You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your hand






21. You can understand Italian but you can't speak it.
22. You have at least one relative who came over on the boat.

23. All of your uncles fought in a World War.



24. You have at least six male relatives named
Tony, Frank, Joe or Louie.

25. You have relatives who aren't really your relatives.

26. You have relatives you don't speak to. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

27. You drank wine before you were a teenager.

28. You relate on some level, admit it, to the Godfather and the Sopranos. I maka a meata ball you can't refuse!.
Forrgetttabbboutit! Badda bing!






29. You grew up in a house with a yard that didn't have one patch of dirt that didn't have a flower or a vegetable growing out of it.

30. Your grandparent's furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait!!!! You were sitting on plastic.

31. You thought that talking loud was normal.


32. You thought sugared almonds and the Tarantella were common at all weddings.

33. You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives.

34. Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age.

35. There was a crucifix in every room of the house.

36. Wakes would be held in someone's living room.

37. You couldn't date a boy without getting approval from your father. (Oh, and he had to be Italian)

38. You called pasta 'macaroni'.

39. You dreaded taking out your lunch at school
40. Going out for a cup of coffee usually meant going out for a cup of coffee over Zia's house.

41 Every condition, ailment, misfortune, memory loss and accident was attributed to the fact that you didn't eat something.

Many a Mobster Has Eaten Here ??

The Ultimate Beef !!........

Johnnie's Beef
7500 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-12am, Sun 12pm-12am

Tel: (708) 452-6000

Chicago is one of the few cities in the country where there are many places to eat great Italian beef and Johnnie's Beef ranks among the best of them. The small beef stand is a perfectly preserved piece of the traditionally Italian neighborhood that surrounds it.

The structure itself resembles an old drive-in eatery, with baby blue walls and yellow neon signs. It is only big enough to hold about ten standing customers at its bar, and seems to have a line that stretches down the block at any time of day. The employees work together as a well oiled machine, though, which minimizes the wait. One worker assembles hot dogs, one spears sausages from the grill, one slaps together the beefs and yet another fills cups with Italian ices (make sure you say you don't want a lid on your ice...that way you get a nice heaping cup of it). Be sure to have your order straight by the time you get to the head of the line; the man who rings you up gets quite upset at indecision or stuttering.


The menu is small, but everything is exceptional. The Italian beef and sausage sandwiches are notably famous, as well as the Italian ices and hot dogs. Every Friday Johnnie's serves up amazing fried egg sandwiches.

Many Chicagoans consider Johnnie's to be the best Italian Beef joint in the world, which accounts for the long line you will usually encounter on your visit. And I will be their this weekend to enjoy one on my visit to Chicago, My home town !!!