Donald Angelini (September 30, 1926 – December 6, 2000) was a mobster nicknamed "The Wizard of Odds" with the Chicago Outfit, a criminal organization that specialized in gambling operations.
Donald Angelini | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 30, 1926 |
| Died | December 6, 2000 (aged 74) |
| Other names | "The Wizard of Odds" |
| Known for | Mobster of the Chicago Outfit |
Career
editAfter years in the Outfit, Angelini became the caporegime for a crew operating illegal gambling rackets in Elmhurst, Illinois. Angelini operated a highly successful sports betting empire along with Dominic Cortina.[1] He was the brother-in-law to Chicago Outfit mobster Michael Caracci.
In 1986, Angelini became the Outfit's enforcer in Las Vegas; his job was to protect the Outfit's illegal casino profits. Angelini replaced Chicago mobster Tony "The Ant" Spilotro in running the skim.[2] Tony Spilotro and his brother, Michael Spilotro, had been killed by the Chicago Outfit.[3] White haired, trim, and very well-spoken with a pleasant smile, Angelini was a total opposite of the brutal Spilotro. Angelini found himself operating with a new crew in Las Vegas at a time when the Outfit's flagship casinos were badly crimped due to federal investigations. However, Angelini himself avoided arrest while there.
In the late 1980s, Angelini, Sam "Wings" Carlisi, and John "No Nose" DiFronzo attempted to extend Outfit influence over the gambling operations of the Rincon Indian Reservation near San Diego, California. Their objective was to skim profits off the casino profits there. In 1989, Angelini was sentenced to 37 months in prison on gambling and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges resulting from the Rincon operation.[1] On October 14, 1994, Angelini was released from prison.
Death
editDonald Angelini died on December 6, 2000.
Notes
edit- ^ a b United States v. Cortina, 733 F. Supp. 1195 (21 March 1990, Eastern Division of the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois)
- ^ Shaughnessy, Rick (21 September 1989) "Silberman case unable to lure ex-FBI agent" The San Diego Union-Tribune p. B-1
- ^ "SPILOTROS FOUND BEATEN TO DEATH - Chicago Tribune". www.chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
References
edit- Roemer, William F., Jr. (1990) War of the Godfathers: the Bloody Confrontation Between the Chicago and New York Families for the Control of Las Vegas Donald I. Fine, New York, ISBN 1-55611-193-2
External links
edit- ISPN Spring 1994 Who Rules Vegas? Archived 2007-11-16 at the Wayback Machine By William F. Roemer, Jr.
- American Mafia.com 2000:A Look At Mob Hits, Misses, Disappearances, and Deaths In America
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator Website Archived 2013-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
- http://realdealmafia.com/chicagolist.html Archived 2010-04-07 at the Wayback Machine