Joseph Ferriola (March 16, 1927 – March 11, 1989), also known as, "Joe Nagall," "Mr. Clean" and "Oscar," was an American mobster who was boss of the Chicago Outfit, from 1985 to 1988, after Joseph Aiuppa and John Cerone went to prison for skimming Las Vegas casino profits.[1]
Joseph Anthony Ferriola came from Chicago's Near West Side.[2] He was the father of one son, Nicholas Ferriola who followed his father into organized crime.
Chicago Outfit career
Ferriola began his career as a protégé of the late mobster Leonard "Fat Lennie" Caifano.[3] Fat Lennie was Marshall Joseph Caifano's brother.
In 1970, Ferriola and four other mobsters were convicted for conspiring to operate an interstate gambling ring. He was sentenced to five years in federal prison, but only served about three years. He later became one of the Outfit's top enforcers, working in particular as an enforcer for Sam Giancana. A 1989 article in the Chicago Tribune reported that federal agents had described Ferriola as a "cold-blooded terrorist" and as one of the most feared men in the mob.[2]
During his mob career, Ferriola was the boss of his own street crew, the Cicero Crew, based in Cicero, Illinois with Ernest 'Rocco' Infelise serving as his underboss. This crew was involved in activities such as extortion, loan sharking, and bookmaking. To protect these enterprises, they resorted to bribery, corruption, and the occasional murder of someone who was a threat to their operation.
Ferriola's son, Chicago Outfit mobster Nicholas Ferriola, was sentenced by United States District Judge James Zagel on September 9, 2008, to three years in prison for taking part in a broad, Outfit conspiracy trial that later led to life prison sentences for Joseph Lombardo, James Marcello and Frank Calabrese, Sr. Nicholas Ferriola, who was the godson of Calabrese, had been convicted of running a gambling operation and attempting to extort the owner of the Connie's Pizza chain.[5]
Ferriola's nephew, Harry Aleman, was an imprisoned Chicago Outfit enforcer and hit man. He died in a downstate Illinois prison in May 2010.[6]
External links
New York Times - Story on Joseph Ferriola
"Joseph Ferriola". Find a Grave. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
^The New York Times. Joseph Ferriola, 61, Reputed Mobster. 8 November 2007
^ abcLuft, Kerry; Jacquelyn Heard (March 12, 1989). "Joseph Ferriola, Chicago mob figure, dies at 61". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
^ abcPetacque, Art (March 12, 1989). "Top mobster Ferriola dies - Grand jury was zeroing in on operations". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 1.
^O'Brien, John; Gary Marx (March 13, 1989). "Mob may shrug off boss' death". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
^"Son of late reputed mob boss sentenced in Family Secrets". Chicago Tribune. September 10, 2008. p. 4.
^. Americanfraud.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
January 24, 2023
joseph, ferriola, march, 1927, march, 1989, also, known, nagall, clean, oscar, american, mobster, boss, chicago, outfit, from, 1985, 1988, after, joseph, aiuppa, john, cerone, went, prison, skimming, vegas, casino, profits, born, 1927, march, 1927diedmarch, 19. Joseph Ferriola March 16 1927 March 11 1989 also known as Joe Nagall Mr Clean and Oscar was an American mobster who was boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1985 to 1988 after Joseph Aiuppa and John Cerone went to prison for skimming Las Vegas casino profits 1 Joseph FerriolaBorn 1927 03 16 March 16 1927DiedMarch 11 1989 1989 03 11 aged 61 Other namesJoe Nagall Mr Clean OscarOccupationCrime bossAllegianceChicago Outfit Contents 1 Early life 2 Chicago Outfit career 3 Death 4 Personal 5 External links 6 ReferencesEarly life EditJoseph Anthony Ferriola came from Chicago s Near West Side 2 He was the father of one son Nicholas Ferriola who followed his father into organized crime Chicago Outfit career EditFerriola began his career as a protege of the late mobster Leonard Fat Lennie Caifano 3 Fat Lennie was Marshall Joseph Caifano s brother In 1970 Ferriola and four other mobsters were convicted for conspiring to operate an interstate gambling ring He was sentenced to five years in federal prison but only served about three years He later became one of the Outfit s top enforcers working in particular as an enforcer for Sam Giancana A 1989 article in the Chicago Tribune reported that federal agents had described Ferriola as a cold blooded terrorist and as one of the most feared men in the mob 2 During his mob career Ferriola was the boss of his own street crew the Cicero Crew based in Cicero Illinois with Ernest Rocco Infelise serving as his underboss This crew was involved in activities such as extortion loan sharking and bookmaking To protect these enterprises they resorted to bribery corruption and the occasional murder of someone who was a threat to their operation In 1985 Ferriola became operations chief for the Chicago Outfit After suffering health problems and dealing with legal inquiries by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Ferriola was replaced in late 1988 by Sam Wings Carlisi 4 At the time of Ferriola s death federal prosecutors were in the process of seeking an indictment of Ferriola on racketeering charges Death EditOn March 11 1989 Ferriola died at The Methodist Hospital in Houston Texas after receiving a second heart transplant He was 61 years old and had been a patient of Dr Michael E DeBakey one of the world s foremost heart specialists 2 Ferriola was believed to have been the first gangster ever to have received a heart transplant 3 Personal EditFerriola attracted significant attention shortly after taking over as head of the Chicago Outfit because he constructed a 500 000 14 room home on Forest Glen Lane in Oak Brook Illinois about a mile from the home of mobster Joseph Aiuppa Ferriola also owned a home in Florida and a tri level log home in Green Lake Wisconsin 3 Ferriola s son Chicago Outfit mobster Nicholas Ferriola was sentenced by United States District Judge James Zagel on September 9 2008 to three years in prison for taking part in a broad Outfit conspiracy trial that later led to life prison sentences for Joseph Lombardo James Marcello and Frank Calabrese Sr Nicholas Ferriola who was the godson of Calabrese had been convicted of running a gambling operation and attempting to extort the owner of the Connie s Pizza chain 5 Ferriola s nephew Harry Aleman was an imprisoned Chicago Outfit enforcer and hit man He died in a downstate Illinois prison in May 2010 6 External links EditNew York Times Story on Joseph Ferriola United States Justice Department Exhibit Photo Joseph Ferriola Find a Grave Retrieved June 25 2013 American MafiaPreceded byJoseph Aiuppa Chicago Outfit Boss 1986 1989 Succeeded bySam CarlisiReferences Edit The New York Times Joseph Ferriola 61 Reputed Mobster 8 November 2007 a b c Luft Kerry Jacquelyn Heard March 12 1989 Joseph Ferriola Chicago mob figure dies at 61 Chicago Tribune p 1 a b c Petacque Art March 12 1989 Top mobster Ferriola dies Grand jury was zeroing in on operations Chicago Sun Times p 1 O Brien John Gary Marx March 13 1989 Mob may shrug off boss death Chicago Tribune p 1 Son of late reputed mob boss sentenced in Family Secrets Chicago Tribune September 10 2008 p 4 Joseph Ferriola Americanfraud com Archived from the original on 2010 01 07 Retrieved 2010 08 20 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Joseph Ferriola amp oldid 1101341682, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
