Chicago Outfit

Chicago Outfit
Former Chicago Outfit leader Al Capone
Foundedc. 1910; 114 years ago (1910)
FounderBig Jim Colosimo
Founding locationChicago, Illinois, United States
Years activec. 1910–present
TerritoryPrimarily the Chicago metropolitan area and the surrounding Midwest, with additional territory in Las Vegas, Phoenix, South Florida and Southern California[1]
EthnicityItalians as "made men" and other ethnicities as associates
Membership (est.)28 made members and 100+ associates (2007)[2]
ActivitiesRacketeering, bribery, conspiracy, burglary, coercion, labor racketeering, police corruption, hijacking, loansharking, drug trafficking, fencing, bootlegging, fraud, money laundering, murder, torture, illegal gambling, auto theft, prostitution, pornography and extortion[3]
Allies
Rivals

The Chicago Outfit (also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or the Organization) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Chicago, Illinois, which originated in the city's South Side in 1910. The organization is part of the larger Italian-American Mafia.

The Outfit rose to power in the 1920s under the control of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone, and the period was marked by bloody gang wars for control of the distribution of illegal alcohol during Prohibition. Since then, the Outfit has been involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including loansharking, illegal gambling, prostitution, extortion, political corruption and murder. Capone was convicted of income tax evasion in 1931 and the Outfit was next run by Paul Ricca. He shared power with Tony Accardo from 1943 until his death in 1972; Accardo became the sole power in the Outfit upon Ricca's death and was one of the longest-sitting bosses of all time upon his death in 1992.

Though it has never had a monopoly on organized crime in Chicago, the Outfit has long been the largest, most powerful and most violent criminal organization in Chicago and the Midwest in general. Unlike other Mafia factions such as the Five Families of New York City, the Outfit has been a unified faction since its conception.[10] Its influence at its peak stretched as far as California, Florida and Nevada and it continues to operate throughout the Midwestern United States and Southern Florida, as well as Las Vegas and other parts of the Southwestern United States. Heightened law enforcement attention and general attrition have led to its gradual decline since the late 20th century, though it continues to be one of the major and most active organized crime groups in the Chicago metropolitan area and the Midwestern region.

  1. ^
    • The Chicago Mob The Arizona Republic (June 25, 1978) Archived April 23, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
    • Jury selection begins in racketerring trial United Press International (August 6, 1985) Archived April 23, 2024, at archive.today
    • New Generation of Mob Leaders Rises in Chicago Chicago Tribune (March 30, 1986) Archived February 4, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
    • Mob holds a summit in Florida Chicago Tribune (March 22, 1989) Archived March 21, 2024, at archive.today
    • Mob Accused in Plot to Control Rincon Gaming Barry M. Horstman and Paul Lieberman, Los Angeles Times (January 11, 1992) Archived May 5, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
    • Organized crime loses its foothold Las Vegas Sun (July 2, 2002) Archived March 16, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
    • "Chicago Outfit Chart 2010". Mobbedup.com. 11 February 2014. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
    • "Phoenix 101: Underworld". Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  2. ^ "ABC7 WLS : Chicago and Chicago News". Abclocal.go.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  3. ^
  4. ^ Federal grand jury indicts seven accused of trying to take over loan-sharking and bookmaking United Press International (July 13, 1984) Archived April 23, 2024, at archive.today
  5. ^ Checking In With The Players On 12th St.: Chicago Mob’s Freshly-Minted Stars In Cicero Continue Stretching Their Legs Scott Burnstein, The Gangster Report (September 27, 2024)
  6. ^ "Chicago mob bust; Grand Ave. Crew Takes a Hit". July 28, 2014. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  7. ^ “Dixie Mafia” figure dies WGAU (April 10, 2017) Archived May 6, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Organized Crime in Chicago: Beyond the Mafia Robert M. Lombardo (2012) ISBN 9780252078781
  9. ^
  10. ^ Coen, Jeff (2009). Family Secrets. Chicago Press Review. p. 47. ISBN 9781556527814.