Frank Zito
Encyclopedia
Frank Zito was an Italian-American mobster who controlled criminal activities in Central
and Southern Illinois for over twenty years, providing protection from law enforcement and rival competitors.
Born in Palermo, Sicily, Zito immigrated with his family to Illinois. During Prohibition
, Zito became involved in bootlegging
, prostitution, and illegal gambling. During this period, Zito was convicted of violating federal liquor laws. Based in Springfield, Illinois
, Zito and the St. Louis
crime syndicate ran illegal gambling and drug trafficking operations in rural Illinois. While attending the 1957 Apalachin Conference in Apalachin, New York
, Zito was captured with numerous other mobsters when the New York State Police
raided the meeting. Although indicted in a federal investigation into organized crime in the Midwest, Zito remained in power into the 1970s.
On August 22, 1974, Frank Zito died of natural causes.
Central Illinois
Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central section of the state, divided in thirds from north to south. It is an area of mostly flat prairie. The western section was originally part of the Military Tract of 1812 and forms the distinctive western...
and Southern Illinois for over twenty years, providing protection from law enforcement and rival competitors.
Born in Palermo, Sicily, Zito immigrated with his family to Illinois. During Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, Zito became involved in bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
, prostitution, and illegal gambling. During this period, Zito was convicted of violating federal liquor laws. Based in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, Zito and the St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
crime syndicate ran illegal gambling and drug trafficking operations in rural Illinois. While attending the 1957 Apalachin Conference in Apalachin, New York
Apalachin, New York
Apalachin is a census-designated place within the Town of Owego in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2000 census. It is named after the Apalachin Creek. Apalachin means From where the messenger returned in the Lenape.Apalachin is in the southeast part of the...
, Zito was captured with numerous other mobsters when the New York State Police
New York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
raided the meeting. Although indicted in a federal investigation into organized crime in the Midwest, Zito remained in power into the 1970s.
On August 22, 1974, Frank Zito died of natural causes.
Further reading
- Capeci, JerryJerry CapeciGerald "Jerry" Capeci is an American journalist and author who specializes in coverage of the Five Mafia crime families of New York City. Capeci has been described by news organizations, such as CNN and BBC, as an expert on the American Mafia.-Gang Land:Capeci writes a column called Gang Land...
. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2 - United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field Publication. Investigation of Improper Activities in the Labor Or Management Field, 1959. http://books.google.com/books?vid=0dekEBGrjfUp_oNh737s9yW&id=3md7EN2kXasC&q=%22Frank+Zito%22+Illinois&dq=%22Frank+Zito&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Commerce. Effects of organized criminal activity on interstate and foreign commerce. 1972. http://books.google.com/books?vid=LCCN73601198&id=FRDxu__U_9AC&q=%22Frank+Zito%22&dq=%22Frank+Zito%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime and Use of Violence: hearings before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1980. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC06679032&id=bRZ0MVEIHTwC&q=%22Frank+Zito%22&dq=%22Frank+Zito%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime. For sale by the Supt. of Docs., Congressional Sales Office, U.S. G.P.O., 1988. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC19099088&id=DQeMhDjHx58C&q=%22Frank+Zito%22+Illinois&dq=%22Frank+Zito&pgis=1
External links
- Sangamon County Historical Society
- They're not goodfellas. For the Sins of My Father: A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life, a book review by Michael O. Garvey
- Attendee Profiles At The 1957 Apalachin Mob Confab By Mike La Sorte