Milton Steet Gang Leaders |
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(1900s-1914) |
It was a glorious evening and Calogeri Licari strolled at a leisurely though cautious pace through his territory. Licari was at the time head of the most feared band of black hand extortionists operating in Madison's original Italian quarter. On this night, July 2, 1914, Calogeri Licari would become the first victim in a long and protracted war for control of what was then a loose confederation of bandits. As Licari passed under the Park street viaduct, an unidentified gunman unleashed two charges from a shotgun instantly killing Licari. |
(1914) |
LIttle more than two months later, Phil Cedesco's efforts to succeed his cousin Licari was opposed by another unknown gunman who unleashed a deadly charge from a shotgun as Cedesco approached the Italian club house on Lake and Milton Steets. Despite the presence of a man identified as Cedesco's roomate (898 Milton St.,) no one was ever charge with his murder. |
(1914-1924) |
Ucello headed the Milton Street gang at the time tensions began to mount with the Milton Street gang. |
(1924-1940) |
The last man to independently lead the Milton Street operation, Labruzzo melded a traditional fuedist gang into a smooth money making venture. |
Regent Street Gang Bosses |
 Ignatius "James" D'Amico (1914-1922) |
One of the wealthiest merchants in the Greenbush section of Madison during the early prohibition years, a fact due in part to his stature in the Italian conclave. D'Amico headed the Regent street faction of bootleggers during the early twenties. D'Amico was tied in to Chicago's bootleg activity through his brother Angelo, a merchant who was shot to death there in August of 1922. |
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Carl "Joseph Justo" Di Gilorome (1922-1923) |
Di Gilorome made an ill-fated attempt to seize the reigns of the Regent street operation, failing in spectacular fashion. Known as Joseph Justo, Di Girolome surrounded himself with a group of teenagers who began robbing banks, knocking off merchants and conducting themselves in a manner totally upsetting to the bootleg business. Justo's control over Regent street became tenuous when his son Tony was picked up as a suspect in the robbery of the Randall Street bank. |
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Anton Bruno (1923-1924) |
Bruno served as a frontman for Anton "Tony Navarro" Navarra following the assassination of Joseph Justo. Bruno occupied a space located directly behind Navarra's store a position which seemed to mirror the nature of their relationship. Soon after Bruno began fronting for Navarra, hostilities broke out a new between the Regent Street gang and their Milton Street adversaries. Bruno was killed in a retaliatory strike for the murder of Milton Street gang chief Julius Ucello. |
 Anton "Tony" Navarra (1924) |
While his official reign short, Tony Navarro had served as the acknowledged leader of the Italian colony due to his influence down at the courthouse. The murder of Bruno necessitated Navarra's seizing the reigns of the Regent Street gang, a move which exposed him to his enemies. It is unclear if Navarra was killed as a result of gang hostilities, a liquor dispute or his controversial political views which brought him into conflict with members of Madison's Ku Klux Klan. |
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Andrew Lo Presti (1924-1928) |
Upon seizing Navarra's empire, Andrew Lo Presti settled the Regent Streeters down and concentrated on the business of moving liquor. All was well for a time but internal dissension broke out in the ranks and soon Lo Presti found himself challenged by a splinter group headed by Joe Gelosi a longtime Regent Street bootlegger with ties dating back to the Justo era. Supported by his father-in-law Frank Labarro and an assortment of other friends and relatives, Gelosi slowly solidified ties with liquor sources in New York and began cutting into Lo Presti's profits. This bold move angered Lo Presti beyond the point of reason and he ordered a team of gunmen to make an example out of Gelosi. In response 3 gunmen identified as Vincent Troia, Lorenzo Salvato and Charles Guidera hid out near the Gelosi home in ambush. Spotting their target drove his |
 Joseph "Joe" Gelosi (1928-1932) |
Peter known as "the Prince of Little Italy," during his father's reign, quickly asserted himself as a cagey and cable leader in his own right. Quickly seperating himself from the sideshow manager he was in the early '20s when he served as manager for John Giaginati, a moderately built coal shoveler known for his voracious appetite. Peter moved to strengthen his position and the organization he inherited from his father by surrounding himself with loyal and trusted aides like his brother Angelo and brother-in-law Matthew Deleano. Guardalabene insulated himself from the law by shielding his illicit activities behind a facade carefully constructed around the Monte Carlo club. The Monte Carlo was a popular prohibition era nightclub known for its extravagant shows and extensive liquor selection. The Monte Carlo was frequently listed among the most flagrant violators of the law banning the sale of intoxicating liquors. On several occasions federal prohibition agents conducted high profile raids on the Monte Carlo failing at every turn to convince Milwaukee authorities to declare the place a public nuisance thereby banning it from operation. With each raid, the influence of the Guardalabene organization grew and the brothers continued to expand there operation through the 20s on into the early 30s. The last hurrah for Peter Guardalabene came in July 1933 when federal authorities charged him and seven members of the Guardalabene operation with liquor conspiracy in a three state investigation which netted 45 people. Joining Guardalabene in court were Albert Tusa, a Milwaukee boxing promoter, his secretary Marion Jeezo, Jack Phillips, Joseph Vallone "future syndicate power," then a commission merchant, Sam Holzman and Joe Dominic of Racine. Authorities broke the case after officers stopped a modified delivery truck belonging to the Guardalabene's filled with 500 gallons of distilled liquor. The truck driven by Peter A. Pishetello was escourted to police headquarters where the investigation turned up a check book belonging to Guardalabene associate Albert Tusa issued by the Second Ward bank of Milwaukee. During the course of the investigation it was learned that the liquor operation included several figures which included rum runners from Cicero, Illinois as well as local brewery operators and compromised prohibition agents. After a five year legal battle, Guardalabene squirted free with an 8 month jail term which marked the end of his reign as king of Milwaukee's little Italy in 1934. |
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Louis "Lou Martello" Mastrello (1932-1940) |
With the infighting between Genosi and Lo Presti creating a rift within the Regent Street operation, Louis Mastrello quietly went about the business of making money and allies. Mastrello was believed to have played a role in the murder of Regent Street power broker Anton Navarra though he was never charged. It was widely noted that in the aftermath of Navarra's murder, Mastrello and his partner Phil Galvin who at the time operated a billiard parlor at 117 W. Main Street which was outside the Italian quarter. Prohibition agents Ben C. Parkinson and Gunder Erdahl conducted simultaneous raids which netted both men. Mastrello was picked up at his home at 738 Gwinnette Court., along with his nephew Benjamin De Lorenzo. Both men quickly entered guilty pleas to possession of illicit liquor and obtained there freedom on $500 bail. Mastrello conducted his business very quietly, successfully avoiding the conflict between Lo Presti and Genosi, a smart move which placed him in the perfect position to reunify the Regent Street organization. |
Unified Madison Family Boss |
 Carlo Caputo (1940-1993) |
Did a La Cosa Nostra branch exist within the city of Madison, WI? This is a question that has never been fully explained. One thing, however, the FBI has always kept charts denoting the structure and rank of most American Mafia “families”. They did also keep one on this mysterious and alleged Madison Family. They labeled the local crime boss as Carlo Peter Caputo. Carlo Peter Caputo was 16 years old when he stepped on America’s shore in 1919. Like so many before him, a native of Palermo, Sicily, Caputo was looking for the gold paved streets of America. He made his way to Chicago and was believed to have cultivated ties with the powerful mob family. In 1930 records indicate that Caputo was married to a Rosemary. His whereabouts during the 1930s are unknown. Law enforcement sources indicate that he was may have been officially “made” or became a member of the La Cosa Nostra syndicate of Milwaukee. Sometime in 1940 Carlo Caputo was transplanted to Madison. He settled into the ethnically Italian neighborhood of Greenbush. Local sources suggest that Caputo socialized very little with his neighbors. His quietness and withdrawn nature cultivated suspicion among many locals. Caputo quickly gained the reputation as a savvy and cagey businessman. He purchased commercial real estate, renovated them and them rented them out. They would mainly be centered around such businesses as liquor stores, taverns, restaurants and apartment complex. Caputo actually operated both the Carlo’s Restaurant and the Atwood Steakhouse. In addition he was tied in with crime boss Joe Bonanno of Brooklyn with his connection to the Grande Cheese Factor of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In 1961 Caputo was indicted for income tax evasion. He had reported income totaling $721.56 and had actually earned $31,000. This garnered him a 30-day jail sentence and two years of probation. U.S. attorney Edmund Nix had prosecuted Caputo. Ironically, Nix had once worked in a tavern owned by Caputo while paying his way through Wisconsin-Madison Law School as a bartender. In 1965 Caputo and his wife were divorced. Court records indicate that the Caputo household held real estate valued at $265,000. What is more amazing was that Caputo could not read or write English. He did, however, manage to build an impressive real estate holdings portfolio. On November 7, 1970 Joseph Aiello passed away from natural causes. In what law enforcement sources described as him being an underboss to Caputo, Aiello’s death attracted more controversy and questions regarding Caputo. If what law enforcement suggest is true, then the alleged Madison LCN Family was a two-man operation and has to be the smallest membership of any mob family. However evidence does suggest that there may have been others involved in the Madison LCN Family. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Caputo remained active in Madison’s local business affairs. He continued to cultivate more ties and purchase more properties. In 1983 he engaged in an interview the Madison-based newspaper The Capital Times and denied any links to organized crime. This didn’t agree with the FBI’s notion of Caputo’s true identity. They labeled him as boss or leader of the Madison LCN Family. Up until his death Caputo could still be seen as local business owners would watch as Caputo strolled up and down the prominent State Street. This area is large hub for many businesses. Carlo Peter Caputo died of natural causes on November 9, 1993. He was 90 years old. While relatives and friends spoke very little after his funeral, they all agreed he was quiet and an intensely private man. His property holdings were passed on to his relatives and he was given much credit for developing the Madison downtown area. However, the FBI would always give him credit for being the first and last crime boss in Madison. Currently the Madison LCN Family is labeled as “inactive” or “extinct”. |
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