 Welcome into another quick hitter edition of the OG podcast original gangsters podcast. I am your host Scott Bernstein I'm gonna be doing these, you know, 10 to 20 minute quick hitter episodes. I'm trying to be I'm gonna try to do them weekly and today I want to talk about the Elmwood Park crew in the Chicago Mafia and some court filings this spring related to a case out of Elmwood Park that has unearthed the fact that right now There are up to a half dozen informants confidential informants operating within the Elmwood Elmwood Park regime according to some court filings from the spring of 2023 related to reputed Elmwood Park figure, I don't know what rank he holds. His name is Michael Frontier. He is an underling of a reputed power player in that family right now or in that crew right now, mean Jean Casano who's facing an extortion case in federal court right now and according to Michael Frontier's extortion case, which is separate from Jean Casano's the government put forth some records that told the judge that a big chunk of the information or most of the information that had come in that led to Frontier's indictment a couple years ago was related to these six six confidential informants. So I kind of want to break that down and I also just want to kind of give an update on where Elmwood Park stands right now. Elmwood Park has always been kind of a family within the family of the Chicago outfit. I think now it's it's more literal than figurative. I mean before that was the base of power and the outfit for a long time when the Defranzo brothers were around Marco D'Amico. They've passed in the last couple years and the power has moved back to Cicero but from my reporting and my researching and reaching out to sources that are on the street in that part of Chicago right now Elmwood Park is kind of Rudy Frato's own fiefdom. It kind of operates in some ways insulated from the rest of the outfit. I've been told that, you know, Solidi Larentis and guys like Albi Vena who are the top shot callers right now, Sammy Cattadella out of Cicero, have kind of let Rudy Frato give him some level of autonomy over in Elmwood Park and he has a group of a lot of younger guys that are loyal to him that that he's brought in or that he helped bring into the outfit over the last 10 to 15 years a group that hangs out a lot in Burridge at a restaurant called Capri and Rudy is like the godfather of that that region of the outfit and he's treated accordingly and whether he's close to the area right now or he's just a copo whatever it is, he is treated as a boss in in that Elmwood Park region and I think how the outfit's evolving right now is that at least when it comes to Elmwood Park and Cicero you have a group of younger generation guys that have come in to the outfit over the last 15 years or so that I'm told are kind of more loyal to the crew and the guys that are sponsoring them within that crew than they are to the outfit as a you know as an overall organization and I think that's what's happening in Elmwood Park right now the the money-making machine that was the de Fronzo brothers you know they're off the map now Marco D'Amico is off the map he was their their main counselor and Rui Frato is kind of the last man standing you got a handful of other guys that are alleged to be soldiers guys that had different roles over the years in Elmwood Park Bobby Abinadi Tony Dottie or Dodie Al Mitria a couple a couple names that that come to mind Jean Casano and His his brother and father before him who are now gone Angelo Casano and Vito Casano but A lot of younger guys, but just to kind of give a quick deep dive into what these court filings say Six confidential informants with half dozen confidential informants operating in Elmwood Park two of these guys have been Opened as CIs for three decades 30 years one began in 1994. I believe one began in 1991 The guy that was open these are all you know just Referred to as numbers. We don't know who these people are But but the one that that was open in 1994 has been giving information on the Casano family for 30 years Um, and I would guess is there is a reason that that Jean Casano is facing an extortion case right now um, or played a role in it and uh Then you have another four guys that have started cooperating between around 2010 and 2017 18 Uh, the cooperation has involved Jean Casano It has also involved marker D'Amico who passed, um about two years ago and He never faced any cases for that from that cooperation, but uh, he was The outfit conciliary. He was the defranzos kind of main advisor um He he's gone now, but he one of these informants was giving information on him and Tony D who was a right hand of of um Of Marco they called him the mover because he was a mover and shaker a guy that liked to party But also was very connected and could move around to you know different crews pretty seamlessly and and and help and hold respect Um, Rudy fratto on the other hand, you know, he was a he's a lightning rod A guy that's very polarizing you either love him or or can't stand him. He's very unapologetic Uh about being a gangster and wanting to be a a shot caller in the outfit uh got his button according to federal records uh in a ceremony in in 1988 and uh, there are informants that have tied into some of the Murders, uh that were taking place in the in the mid 80s that that rudia allegedly made his bones on a chunky chucky, uh Chucky English and uh little linearus so You know, the the court findings don't have anyone directly giving information on Rudy fratto, but a lot of Uh people in fratto's orbit you have one of these Cis was giving information on on john pudgey matassa jr Another you know high ranking figure for years at one time was a couple What was the north a north side crew was conciliary at some point in? the last 10 20 years he's dealt with some minor legal problems the last couple years related to some fraud and the social security filings But one of these guys was giving information on him. He dates all the way back Through his dad to sam g and kana and cicero a guy that in pudgy has moved around to a bunch of different crews and uh Then you also had Gary gagliana who another legacy in the outfit His dad joe gags was a was a big-time enforcer died pretty early Pretty young rather in in the 70s but gary gags in these court filings related to michael frontier Is alleged to be running prostitution rings uh in elmore park one of these Cis appears to be one of the women that he that he had or has uh Running some of these call girl operations Um just reading between the lines. I don't have any factual basis for that other than making some well educated well educated assumptions from from the language in the paperwork uh so You got a lot of Rats running around The elmwood park ship Um, it should be interesting to see how That plays out will there be more cases that come against elmwood park guys? Like I said, there was nothing mentioning rudy fratto in in those court filings related to mic frontier and gene kasano but I have it on really good authority that uh Rudy is is now top dog in elmwood park and uh, you know anything that's going on in elmwood park is going through rudy again, he's a guy that's He's og man, you know, he he's pushing 80 right now But uh, you know conducts himself more like a guy in his 40s or 50s Has a you know a wicked pedigree, you know his his dad and his uncles were were all big time outfit guys he is Did some prison time uh from from the uh higher truck mccormick play stuff um 10 plus years ago Came out of prison and and was pretty vocal that he You know wanted that to get back into a leadership role and uh according to court records fbi intelligence reports and and sources that I talked to he is also a guy that for the last 20 plus years has been a Representario or a liaison for uh outfit bosses to other crime families in the midwest specifically Cleveland chicago, kansas city. I mean sorry representing chicago in cleveland, kansas city um detroit He his family has has run Whatever rackets are are in the uh in the state of iowa dating back 50 60 70 years so um It will be interesting to see if this ever but if it ever turns out to bite rudy um could this affect tony d who who is named in in this uh uh in this filing as one of the confidential informants giving Information on tony d who was one of marco's main guys went to prison with marco uh in the 90s Gagliano, I don't know. You know, I'd be a little worried about if I was reading those findings if I was him So, you know only time will tell but it's very Enlightening, I think uh you we I always say that just assume when you're in that world just assume There are there are rats all around you But to see it in black and white in paperwork saying that at least Six confidential informants operating within elmwood park right now It's it's pretty sobering. I think if if you're someone that Is looking at it from a from the perspective of being you know Affiliated to elmwood park or in in the elmwood park outfit crew But for someone who studies it I felt like it was noteworthy and I wanted to bring to everybody's attention The future of elmwood park. I think is up in the air. There's a lot of rumors that when rudy fratto eventually Heads to that big social club in the sky at any point in the next 10 15 years That elmwood park would be rolled in to the Cicero crew and there'd just be three crews left south side Cicero and In grand avenue, but right now elmwood park is a is a its own crew although like I said it's kind of Separate but the same from the outfit That And I think this is by design and in some ways it's been like this in the outfit for a long time But now it's it's even more accelerated or amplified where I don't know how much the right hand knows what the left hand's doing There is crossover between Cicero and elmwood park a lot of those younger guys know each other, but Everybody's You know razor focused and and incredibly loyal to Who's ever leading that crew more it's more so than solid d or Albie over in grand avenue to its crew so in in the south side Or you know, jimmy. I who passed this year So, uh, you know keep an eye out for what's going on elmwood park We don't know what's you know, the frontier case is still being Adjudicated same with the gene casino case Which dates back to a 2000 alleged 2016 juice loan So we'll keep we'll keep updating you with what's going on the outfit, but I wanted to just Give you guys a little uh Some nuggets of of information about what's filtering out, you know in the court system about what's going on present day in elmwood park Again six six rats that are that are running loose So if you're if you're a part of the elmwood park crew Watch your back, and I guess only time will tell how this will play out in the court system Or if it will I mean with these these two guys that have been given information for for 30 plus years There's there's been a couple uh big busts out of the elmwood park, but you know nothing that uh Was that earthshattering obviously, you know the defranzos Skated from from a lot of stuff I have No problem going on record at this point in time saying that uh No, no, it's defranzo the godfather of the outfit for You know a good 25 years 30 years Whether it be acting or or or actual boss or Street boss under boss under carlesi You know, I believe he was a confidential informant and that's how we say it at a prison, you know the end So I don't know It's interesting to see that these guys have been getting information for 30 years and a marco demico took uh a big case Rudy took a case You know, tony tony d uh and bobby abinadi went down with marco in the 90s, but nothing that major so You know who knows but it's interesting to to note that these guys have been informing since the early 90s So that's it for this quick hitting episode Of the og podcast. I'm scott burnstein. We will see you on a full-length episode coming up soon for jimmy buchelato My uh co-host for ben my producer. I will see you later on the og podcast. I'm out