Sam DeStefano
Encyclopedia
Sam "Mad Sam" DeStefano was an Italian-American
gangster
who became one of the Chicago Outfit
's most notorious loan shark
s and sociopath
ic killers. Chicago
-based Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) agents such as William F. Roemer, Jr.
, considered DeStefano to be the worst torture-murderer in the history of the United States
. The Outfit used the mentally unstable and sadistic DeStefano for the torture-murders of Leo Foreman and Arthur Adler, the murder of DeStefano's younger brother, Michael DeStefano, and Outfit enforcer
and fellow loan shark William "Action" Jackson and many others. However, due to DeStefano's deranged mental state, The Outfit never let him become a Made man
. At least one Outfit insider, Charles Crimaldi, claimed DeStefano was a Devil worship
per.
, into the Italian-American
family of Samuel DeStefano, Sr., and Rosalie DeStefano (née Brasco). DeStefano, Jr's., parents were both born in Italy
and had immigrated to the United States in 1903. DeStefano moved to Chicago's Little Italy
as a teenager, with his family. Destefano, Sr., was a laborer and, later on in life, went on to be a store grocer and a real estate salesman before dying of natural causes, in 1942, at age 77. DeStefano, Jr's., mother, Rose, was a housewife, who throughout her life was supported by the contributions of her children. She died in October 1960. In all, the DeStefanos had six children, four sons and two daughters.
Sam DeStefano, Jr., suffered from malignant narcissism
. In 1927, at age 18, DeStefano was convicted of rape and sentenced to three-years imprisonment.
Released in 1930, DeStefano joined the Forty-Two Gang
, an infamous Chicago street gang led by future Outfit boss, Salvatore Giancana. DeStefano soon became involved in bootlegging
and gambling. In 1932, he was wounded during a grocery store robbery. In 1934, Stefano was convicted of a bank robbery in New Lisbon, Wisconsin
, and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Released in 1944, he returned to prison in 1947 for selling counterfeit sugar ration stamp
s.
While in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary
, in the 1940s, DeStefano met Outfit members Paul Ricca
and Louis Campagna
. Later in 1947, DeStefano was released and obtained a civil service
job in Chicago as a garbage dump foreman. In 1952, city officials discovered DeStefano had omitted his criminal record
from the Civil Service
application; however, they chose not to prosecute him.
By the mid-1950s, DeStefano's influence extended to city officials, prominent judges, and law enforcement officers. DeStefano would brag "there wasn't any case he couldn't 'fix
,'" and began offering his services accordingly. His fees ranged from $800 for fixing a robbery case to $1,500 for an assault case. DeStefano allegedly fixed a first-degree murder case for $20,000. DeStefano's arrangements became so routine, corrupt police officers would escort suspects to DeStefano's house. After DeStefano paid off the cops, the suspects would be "put on the juice" to DeStefano in exchange for his assistance.
Under normal circumstances, the Outfit would have distanced itself from DeStefano due to his sadistic behavior. However, the bosses tolerated DeStefano because he earned them a great deal of money. DeStefano was such a successful earner, Giancana and Tony Accardo
invested some of their own money in DeStefano's loansharking operations.
In 1961, the Outfit mistakenly suspected enforcer and loanshark William "Action" Jackson had become an FBI informant, after he met with the FBI in Milwaukee and someone spotted Jackson there. Jackson was then grabbed off the street and taken to a meat-rendering plant on Chicago's south side, where DeStefano and others brutalized Jackson with a cattle prod, while he was suspended on and tied onto a meat hook, where he died within three days after lapsing into unconsciousness. On August 11, his naked body was found stuffed in the trunk of his Cadillac. Jackson had never become an informant.
In November 1963, DeStefano had a violent argument with Leo Foreman, a real estate agent and one of DeStefano's "juice-loan" collectors, in Foreman's office. DeStefano was physically ejected by Foreman from his office, and then he went into hiding. Later on, DeStefano underlings Tony Spilotro and Chuck Crimaldi contacted Foreman and said DeStefano wanted to let, "bygones be bygones", however, Foreman was lured to DeStefano's brother's house and was murdered soon after.
In another incident, Peter Cappelletti, a collector for DeStefano, fled Chicago with $25,000 from a loan shark victim. DeStefano's men located Cappelletti in Wisconsin
and brought him back to Chicago. DeStefano chained Cappelletti to a radiator and tortured him for three days. While a banquet was going on, Cappelletti was secretly being tortured in the back of the restaurant. Finally, DeStefano's men dragged the severely burned Cappelletti into the dining area. DeStefano then forced the man's family to urinate on Cappelletti in unison. Following the banquet, the family quickly paid back the stolen money.
DeStefano and his associates were eventually indicted for the Foreman murder. As in his previous trials, DeStefano had raised a large amount of public interest with his bizarre behavior. He made demands to represent himself, dressed in pajamas, shouted through bullhorns, and rambled incoherently. DeStefano then started displaying similar behavior in the Foreman trial. The Outfit bosses began to worry DeStefano was not only jeopardizing his own defense, but also the defenses of his other crew members. In a secret meeting, the bosses gave DeStefano's crew permission to kill him.
On April 14, 1973, DeStefano was to meet with his crew in the garage of his West Side
, Austin neighborhood
home, in the 1600 block of North Sayre Avenue. Before the meeting began, Spilotro allegedly entered the lot and shot DeStefano twice with a shotgun, hitting him in the chest and tearing his right arm off at the elbow, instantly killing him.
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
who became one of the Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
's most notorious loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
s and sociopath
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
ic killers. Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) agents such as William F. Roemer, Jr.
William F. Roemer, Jr.
William F. Roemer, Jr. was an FBI agent for 30 years. He is known for his battle against organized crime and being the most highly decorated agent in FBI history. After retirement he became a private attorney for businesses being muscled by the mob...
, considered DeStefano to be the worst torture-murderer in the history of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Outfit used the mentally unstable and sadistic DeStefano for the torture-murders of Leo Foreman and Arthur Adler, the murder of DeStefano's younger brother, Michael DeStefano, and Outfit enforcer
Enforcer
Enforcer may refer to:*A thug who uses physical force or the threat of physical force to coerce others*Enforcer , a role in ice hockey*Enforcer - Gaming :*Enforcer, a units in the Battle Realms video game...
and fellow loan shark William "Action" Jackson and many others. However, due to DeStefano's deranged mental state, The Outfit never let him become a Made man
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
. At least one Outfit insider, Charles Crimaldi, claimed DeStefano was a Devil worship
Theistic Satanism
Theistic Satanism, sometimes referred to as Traditional Satanism, Spiritual Satanism or Devil Worship, is a form of Satanism with the primary belief that Satan is an actual deity or force to revere or worship. Other characteristics of Theistic Satanism may include a belief in magic, which is...
per.
Early years
DeStefano was born in Streator, IllinoisStreator, Illinois
Streator is a city in LaSalle and partially in Livingston counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city is situated on the Vermilion River approximately southwest of Chicago, Illinois in the prairie and farm land of north-central Illinois. It is the center of the geographic region known as...
, into the Italian-American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
family of Samuel DeStefano, Sr., and Rosalie DeStefano (née Brasco). DeStefano, Jr's., parents were both born in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and had immigrated to the United States in 1903. DeStefano moved to Chicago's Little Italy
Little Italy, Chicago
Little Italy is a neighborhood on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The current boundaries of Little Italy are Ashland Avenue on the west and Morgan Street on the east — bracketed by Harrison Street on the north and Roosevelt Road; i.e., 12th Street, on the south...
as a teenager, with his family. Destefano, Sr., was a laborer and, later on in life, went on to be a store grocer and a real estate salesman before dying of natural causes, in 1942, at age 77. DeStefano, Jr's., mother, Rose, was a housewife, who throughout her life was supported by the contributions of her children. She died in October 1960. In all, the DeStefanos had six children, four sons and two daughters.
Sam DeStefano, Jr., suffered from malignant narcissism
Malignant Narcissism
Malignant narcissism has been described as "an extreme form of antisocial personality disorder that is manifest in a person who is pathologically grandiose, lacking in conscience and behavioral regulation, and with characteristic demonstrations of joyful cruelty and sadism".Malignant narcissism is...
. In 1927, at age 18, DeStefano was convicted of rape and sentenced to three-years imprisonment.
Released in 1930, DeStefano joined the Forty-Two Gang
Forty-Two Gang
The Forty-Two Gang was a teenage street gang in Chicago during Prohibition. Like Brooklyn's Italian and Jewish street gangs of Brownsville and Ocean Hill, the Forty-Two Gang served as a "farm team" for future members of the Chicago Outfit...
, an infamous Chicago street gang led by future Outfit boss, Salvatore Giancana. DeStefano soon 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...
and gambling. In 1932, he was wounded during a grocery store robbery. In 1934, Stefano was convicted of a bank robbery in New Lisbon, Wisconsin
New Lisbon, Wisconsin
New Lisbon is a city in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,436 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Lisbon is located at ....
, and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Released in 1944, he returned to prison in 1947 for selling counterfeit sugar ration stamp
Ration stamp
A ration stamp or ration card is a stamp or card issued by a government to allow the holder to obtain food or other commodities that are in short supply during wartime or in other emergency situations...
s.
While in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary
United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas...
, in the 1940s, DeStefano met Outfit members Paul Ricca
Paul Ricca
Paul Ricca, also known as "The Waiter" , was a Chicago mobster who served as the nominal or de facto leader of the Chicago Outfit for forty years.-Early life:...
and Louis Campagna
Louis Campagna
Louis "Little New York" Campagna was a New York mobster and a high ranking member of the Chicago Outfit for over three decades.-Early years:...
. Later in 1947, DeStefano was released and obtained a civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
job in Chicago as a garbage dump foreman. In 1952, city officials discovered DeStefano had omitted his criminal record
Criminal record
A criminal record is a record of a person's criminal history, generally used by potential employers, lenders etc. to assess his or her trustworthiness. The information included in a criminal record varies between countries and even between jurisdictions within a country...
from the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
application; however, they chose not to prosecute him.
Political fixer
During the early 1950s, DeStefano became one of the first loan shark operators in Chicago. Using stolen money from his days as a bank robber, Sam DeStefano began investing in Chicago real estate. He bought a 24-suite apartment building and used the rent money as legitimate income to bribe local aldermen and other politicians.By the mid-1950s, DeStefano's influence extended to city officials, prominent judges, and law enforcement officers. DeStefano would brag "there wasn't any case he couldn't 'fix
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
,'" and began offering his services accordingly. His fees ranged from $800 for fixing a robbery case to $1,500 for an assault case. DeStefano allegedly fixed a first-degree murder case for $20,000. DeStefano's arrangements became so routine, corrupt police officers would escort suspects to DeStefano's house. After DeStefano paid off the cops, the suspects would be "put on the juice" to DeStefano in exchange for his assistance.
Loan shark
By the early 1960s, DeStefano was a leading loan shark for The Outfit. DeStefano's loan shark victims included politicians, lawyers and small-time criminals; by the end of the decade, DeStefano was charging 20% to 25% a week in interest. DeStefano would accept very high-risk debtors, such as drug addicts or business men who had already defaulted on previous debts. The reason was simple: DeStefano enjoyed it when debtors didn't pay on time. He could then bring them to the sound-proof torture chamber he built in his basement. Other gangsters said the sadistic DeStefano would actually foam at the mouth while torturing his victims. From time-to-time, DeStefano would also kill debtors who owed him small sums just to scare other debtors into paying their bigger debts.Under normal circumstances, the Outfit would have distanced itself from DeStefano due to his sadistic behavior. However, the bosses tolerated DeStefano because he earned them a great deal of money. DeStefano was such a successful earner, Giancana and Tony Accardo
Tony Accardo
Antonino Joseph Accardo , also known as "Joe Batters" or "Big Tuna", rose from small-time hoodlum to the position of day-to-day boss of the Chicago Outfit in 1947, to ultimately become the final Outfit authority in 1972, until his death...
invested some of their own money in DeStefano's loansharking operations.
Bloody trail
In 1955, underboss Giancana allegedly ordered DeStefano and his brother, Mario, to murder their younger brother Michael DeStefano, a mob wannabe and drug addict. On September 27, Michael's body was found in a car trunk in a West Side neighborhood; he had been shot to death. When police questioned DeStefano about the murder, he allegedly began laughing uncontrollably. The police later released DeStefano due to his political influence and a lack of evidence. Neither he nor Mario were charged with Michael's murder.In 1961, the Outfit mistakenly suspected enforcer and loanshark William "Action" Jackson had become an FBI informant, after he met with the FBI in Milwaukee and someone spotted Jackson there. Jackson was then grabbed off the street and taken to a meat-rendering plant on Chicago's south side, where DeStefano and others brutalized Jackson with a cattle prod, while he was suspended on and tied onto a meat hook, where he died within three days after lapsing into unconsciousness. On August 11, his naked body was found stuffed in the trunk of his Cadillac. Jackson had never become an informant.
In November 1963, DeStefano had a violent argument with Leo Foreman, a real estate agent and one of DeStefano's "juice-loan" collectors, in Foreman's office. DeStefano was physically ejected by Foreman from his office, and then he went into hiding. Later on, DeStefano underlings Tony Spilotro and Chuck Crimaldi contacted Foreman and said DeStefano wanted to let, "bygones be bygones", however, Foreman was lured to DeStefano's brother's house and was murdered soon after.
In another incident, Peter Cappelletti, a collector for DeStefano, fled Chicago with $25,000 from a loan shark victim. DeStefano's men located Cappelletti in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and brought him back to Chicago. DeStefano chained Cappelletti to a radiator and tortured him for three days. While a banquet was going on, Cappelletti was secretly being tortured in the back of the restaurant. Finally, DeStefano's men dragged the severely burned Cappelletti into the dining area. DeStefano then forced the man's family to urinate on Cappelletti in unison. Following the banquet, the family quickly paid back the stolen money.
Everyone at risk
With DeStefano around nobody was safe. At one point, as he was riding in his car, he saw a black man walking down a Chicago street. DeStefano forced the man into his car at gun point, took the man to his house and forced the man and his own wife to have sex with each other, all for some real or imagined grievance DeStefano had with his wife. Afterward, the black man was so mortified and scared he was going to be accused of rape, he went to the nearest police station and reported the incident.Final justice
In 1965, DeStefano was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to three-to-five years in prison. On February 22, 1972, DeStefano was sentenced to three-and-one-half years in prison for threatening the life of a witness. The witness was mobster turned informant Crimaldi, an accomplice in the Foreman murder. DeStefano had encountered Crimaldi in the elevator of the Chicago Dirksen Federal Building and threatened him.DeStefano and his associates were eventually indicted for the Foreman murder. As in his previous trials, DeStefano had raised a large amount of public interest with his bizarre behavior. He made demands to represent himself, dressed in pajamas, shouted through bullhorns, and rambled incoherently. DeStefano then started displaying similar behavior in the Foreman trial. The Outfit bosses began to worry DeStefano was not only jeopardizing his own defense, but also the defenses of his other crew members. In a secret meeting, the bosses gave DeStefano's crew permission to kill him.
On April 14, 1973, DeStefano was to meet with his crew in the garage of his West Side
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
, Austin neighborhood
Austin, Chicago
Austin, located on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, is the largest of the city's 77 officially defined community areas, followed by Lake View. Its eastern boundary is the Belt Railway located just east of Cicero Avenue. Its northernmost border is the Milwaukee District/West Line...
home, in the 1600 block of North Sayre Avenue. Before the meeting began, Spilotro allegedly entered the lot and shot DeStefano twice with a shotgun, hitting him in the chest and tearing his right arm off at the elbow, instantly killing him.
Further reading
- A Report on Chicago Crime Chicago: Chicago Crime CommissionChicago Crime CommissionThe Chicago Crime Commission is an independent, non-partisan civic watchdog organization of business leaders dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of organized criminal activity, especially organized crime, street gangs and the tools of their trade: drugs, guns, public corruption,...
Reports, 1954-1968. - Chiocca, Olindo Romeo. Mobsters and Thugs: Quotes from the Underworld. Toronto: Guernica Editions, 2000. ISBN 1-55071-104-0
External links
- "Mad Sam" DeStefano: The Mob's Marquis de Sade (Part 1) by Allan May
- The Free Information Society - Sam DeStefano Biography by Jonathan Dunder
- FindAGrave.com - Sam "Mad Sam" DeStefano
- Mad Sam by John William Tuohy
- Loan Shark Information