Vincent Solano
Encyclopedia
Vincent Solano was a gangster, a caporegime
for the Chicago Outfit
who ran a corrupt Laborers Union local in Chicago
.
A longtime organized crime figure on Chicago's North Side, Solano served as chauffeur and bodyguard to mobster Ross Prio
. After Prio's death in 1972, Solano succeeded him as head of the Rush Street Crew
, which covered most of Northern Chicago and the adjoining suburbs. In 1977, Solano was elected union president of the Local 1 of the Laborers' International Union of North America
, which included syndicate members Joseph Aiello, Sal Gruttadauro, Frank De Monte and Frank Colaianni as business managers.http://www.americanmafia.com/Crime_And_Labor.html
According to Ken Eto
, a former crew member, Solano used the Local 1 union hall to run illegal gambling, extortion
and prostitution
rackets. In February 1983, Eto was convicted on a gambling charge. Afraid that Eto might strike a deal with the government for leniency, Solano allegedly ordered Eto's death. The two hit men approached Eto in his car on a Chicago street and shot him three times in the head. However, Eto managed to survive. Their failure to kill Eto was blamed on an insufficient amount of powder in the bullet cartridges. The two gunmen had packed their own ammunition to reduce their chances of being traced to Eto's murder. Eto later became a government witness. Five months after the unsuccessful hit, the two gunmen were found strangled to death.
In 1992, Vincent Solano died of natural causes.
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
for 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...
who ran a corrupt Laborers Union local in 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...
.
A longtime organized crime figure on Chicago's North Side, Solano served as chauffeur and bodyguard to mobster Ross Prio
Ross Prio
Ross Prio was a Chicago mobster and high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit criminal organization from the 1930s until the early '70s, when he died.-Early years:...
. After Prio's death in 1972, Solano succeeded him as head of the Rush Street Crew
Rush Street (Chicago)
Rush Street is predominantly a northbound one-way street in the Near North Side community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States...
, which covered most of Northern Chicago and the adjoining suburbs. In 1977, Solano was elected union president of the Local 1 of the Laborers' International Union of North America
Laborers' International Union of North America
The Laborers' International Union of North America is an American and Canadian labor union formed in 1903. As of March 31, 2010, they have about 632,000 members, members, about 80,000 of which are in Canada.The current general president is Terence M...
, which included syndicate members Joseph Aiello, Sal Gruttadauro, Frank De Monte and Frank Colaianni as business managers.http://www.americanmafia.com/Crime_And_Labor.html
According to Ken Eto
Ken Eto
Ken Eto , also known as Tokyo Joe and "The Jap", was a Japanese-American mobster with the Chicago Outfit and eventually an FBI informant who ran Asian gambling operations for the organization...
, a former crew member, Solano used the Local 1 union hall to run illegal gambling, extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
and prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
rackets. In February 1983, Eto was convicted on a gambling charge. Afraid that Eto might strike a deal with the government for leniency, Solano allegedly ordered Eto's death. The two hit men approached Eto in his car on a Chicago street and shot him three times in the head. However, Eto managed to survive. Their failure to kill Eto was blamed on an insufficient amount of powder in the bullet cartridges. The two gunmen had packed their own ammunition to reduce their chances of being traced to Eto's murder. Eto later became a government witness. Five months after the unsuccessful hit, the two gunmen were found strangled to death.
In 1992, Vincent Solano 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 - Fitch, Robert. Solidarity For Sale: How Corruption Destroyed the Labor Movement and Undermined America's Promise. New York: PublicAffairs, 2006. ISBN 1-891620-72-X
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Crime. Administration's Efforts Against the Influence of Organized Crime in the Laborer's International Union. 1997. http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0160542111&id=fmIa6EJlsY8C&q=%22Vincent+Solano%22&dq=%22Vincent+Solano%22&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union: hearings before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1984. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC09208961&id=I7pDDsHhQW0C&q=%22Vincent+Solano%22&dq=%22Vincent+Solano%22&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime in Chicago: Hearing Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs. 1983. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC09599763&id=7I5LFfsYSl4C&q=%22Vincent+Solano%22&dq=%22Vincent+Solano%22&pgis=1
External links
- Chicago Tribune, April 23, 1985, Eto Blames Union Aide For Attempted Mob Hit by Ronald Koziol and John O`Brien
- IPSN, August 10, 1997 Laborers’ Union Hearings Reveal Endless Mob Saga
- Readers' Digest A UNION IN BONDAGE TO THE MOB BY EUGENE H. METHVIN
- Chicago Sun-Times, Jun 8, 2006, Mobster 'Toyko Joe' died in Georgia in '04: Ken Eto survived a 1983 hit, by Steve Warmbir