Frank Nitti
Francesco Raffaele Nitto, better known by the name of Frank Nitti, nicknamed "The Enforcer" (born January 27, 1888 in Sicily and died March 19, 1943 in Chicago) was an Italian-American gangster and one of the main henchmen Al Capone and later, the Chicago Outfit.
Youth and prohibition
Frank Nitti was born in Sicily in the 1880s, his tombstone says 1888, although immigration documents mention 1883. He moved to New York at the end of the First World War and then to Chicago, where he opened a barber shop and also embodies the very lucrative business of stealing jewelry and concealment. Nitti built an extensive network of associates in the Chicago and attracts the attention of organized crime boss, Johnny Torrio.
Editor's successor Torrio, Al Capone, Nitti's reputation grew. He takes charge of smuggling and distribution of alcohol during Prohibition, a leading Canadian whiskey and selling it through a network of speakeasies around Chicago. Nitti was one of the best Capone's lieutenants, in whom he can rely for his leadership skills and business acumen. So when Capone goes to prison briefly in 1929, he appointed Nitti member of the triumvirate responsible for leading the mob in his place. Nitti took the lead with Jake Guzik at the head of the administration and Tony Accardo to manage the dirty work.
Despite its nickname, The Enforcer ("executor") Nitti uses the "soldiers" of the Mafia and other subordinates to commit violence, rather than the exercise itself. Not that Nitti condemns the use of firearms - he was once one of the best Capone's bodyguard - but climbing the rungs of the organization, its instinct dictates that he must personally take care to avoid the "dirty work" for which the killers are paid.
Nitti at the head of the Outfit
In 1931, Frank Nitti and Al Capone sentenced for tax evasion and sent to prison. However, Nitti was sentenced to 18 months while Capone takes for 11 years. Nitti is a model prisoner, but he finds abominable confinement a year and a half in such a small cell. Upon his release from prison in 1932, the press welcomes Nitti as the new boss of the gang Capone.
In reality, however, Nitti is a facade. According to the reporter and expert on the Mafia, Carl Sifakis, "it would be ludicrous" to believe that people like Paul Ricca, Tony Accardo, Jake Guzik and Murray Humphreys can be orders of Nitti. By most accounts, Ricca is actually in power since 1932 and more clearly the boss in 1939, although it is technically the Sotto Capo ("sous chef") Nitti. Ricca often violated orders Nitti, saying, "We'll do it like that. We've had enough of listening. When Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky organize Tomorrow, they consider as a simple number Nitti and Ricca deal with, as a representative of Capones.
The Chicago Outfit is then launched, among other activities, prostitution and gambling, as well as in the control of unions (which allow you to practice extortion in many areas). The underworld is more shaped and then reaping profits monstrous.
On December 19, 1932, a patrol of the Chicago police detectives led by Harry Lang and Harry Miller, forcing Nitti's office, in room 554, of 221 North LaSalle Boulevard. Lang fired three times Nitti in the back and neck. He then pulls a ball on himself (just scratched the skin) to justify a shooting in self-defense, claiming that Nitti was first fired on him. Testimony in court, prove later that the attempted murder was ordered personally by the new mayor of Chicago, Anton Cermak. The latter wishing replace Capones by gangsters in the pay.
Unfortunately for Cermak, Nitti survived his injuries. In February 1933, he was acquitted of attempted murder. During the trial, Miller testified that Lang received 15,000 dollars to kill Nitti. Another uniformed officer who was present during the gunfire certifies that Nitti was on the ground and disarmed. Harry Lang and Harry Miller are both fired from the police and are imposed at each fined $ 100 for assault and battery.
Two months later, Cermak was shot by Giuseppe Zangara, an immigrant from Calabria. At that time, Cermak was standing alongside the newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Most historians believe that Zangara attempted to assassinate Roosevelt, but missed and hit Cermak. But others believe that Nitti had given orders to kill Cermak, and that the contract had been offered to Zangara. It was known to have been a sniper in the Italian Army before emigrating to America, which led some to speculate that Cermak was indeed the target.
End of career
In 1943, the number of members of the Chicago Outfit find themselves charged with extortion. Among them, there are Nitti, Ricca, Louis Campagna, Ralph Pierce, John Roselli, Nick Circelli, Phil D'Andrea and Charles Gioe. The Outfit is accused of trying to take control of some of the biggest Hollywood movie studios, including MGM Studios, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures and RKO Radio Pictures. The studios have cooperated with the Outfit to avoid problems with unions manipulated by the underworld.
At a meeting of the Outfit bosses in Nitti, Ricca's Sotto Capo angrily blamed Nitti for indictments. He said that since the FBI informant, Willie Bioff worked for Nitti is for him to go to jail rather than bring down the entire Outfit. Maybe because of the feeling of claustrophobia that triggered his first incarceration, or because some sources say he suffers from terminal cancer, Nitti decides to end his days.
The day before his scheduled appearance before the grand jury, Nitti took breakfast with his wife in their home at 712 Riverside Road, Selborne. While his wife went to church, Nitti said he will go for a walk. After the departure of his wife, Nitti intoxicated and then loads a revolver caliber 32, puts it in his coat pocket and walk to a railway depot. Two workers, William F. Sebauer and Lowell M. Barnett Nitti spotted walking on the tracks facing an oncoming train and he shouted warnings. They believe that the train struck him, but Nitti had jumped out of the way just in time. Two shots ring out, the workers think firstly that Nitti shoots them, then they realize that trying to put a bullet in the head. Both bullets passed through his hat. Finally, Nitti sits against a fence, the two workmen are still watching, then shoots himself in the head. Frank Nitti died along a path from the Illinois Central Riverside March 19, 1943. It is, as Capone in Mount Caramel Cemetery in Hillside suburb of Chicago.
See also Jack the Ripper
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