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John Philip Cerone (July 7, 1914 – July 26, 1996), nicknamed Jackie the Lackey, was an American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit during the late 1960s. He was the younger brother of mobster Frank "Skippy" Cerone, father of lawyer John Peter Cerone, and husband to the late Clara Cerone.
John Cerone | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Philip Cerone Jr. July 7, 1914 |
| Died | July 26, 1996 (aged 82) Barrington, Illinois, USA |
| Other names | Jackie The Lackey |
| Spouse | Clara Cerone |
| Children | 2 |
He was born to John Cerone Sr. and Rose Valant. He stood at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg). During the 1950s Cerone was a chauffeur to boss Antonino "Tony" "Joe Batters" Accardo, then became the protégé of boss Salvatore "Sam," "Momo" Giancana. Cerone was part of the enforcer team that tortured and murdered loan shark William "Action" Jackson.[citation needed] As an Outfit enforcer, Cerone was arrested over 20 times on charges including armed robbery, bookmaking, illegal gambling, and embezzlement. Cerone became boss of the Outfit following the semi-retirements of Accardo and Joey "Doves" Aiuppa. In 1986 Cerone, Aiuppa, Carl "Corky" Civella, Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra and Carl "Tuffy" DeLuna were convicted of skimming $2 million from a Las Vegas casino. Joseph Agosto, Kansas City crime family member and a Las Vegas show producer, who produced the Folles Bergere' at the Tropicana Hotel Casino, turned state's evidence and testified against the mob bosses. Milwaukee organized-crime boss, Frank Balistrieri, was sentenced to ten years in prison in the same case in December 1985.
Once a mob figure in Palm Springs, California, Cerone died of natural causes[1] six days after his release from prison in 1996.
Resources
edit- ^ Fessier, Bruce (December 1, 2014). "Mafia in the valley fades into the shadows". The Desert Sun. Gannett.[permanent dead link]
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia: Second Edition, New York, Checkmark Books Inc., 1999
- Demaris, Ovid. Captive City, New York, Lyle Stuart Inc. 1969