October 2013 Issue of Informer

October 2013 Contents
Editorial

The name “Giuseppe Ruffino” occurs often in the history of the Mafia criminal society. Giuseppe Ruffinos have been associated with Mafia operations on both sides of the Atlantic. A number have received a good deal of press ink and interest from historians. In this issue, organized crime historian Joshua Henze takes a close look at one Giuseppe Ruffino who has been largely neglected.

Though involved in a high-profile federal case in the early years of the Twentieth Century, this Ruffino has been virtually forgotten. The reason is unclear. Perhaps he was merely overshadowed by the other underworld figures in the United States and Italy who shared his name. Perhaps he was brushed aside because his primary illicit enterprise was offensive, awkward to write about or at odds with the legendary “rules” of Mafioso conduct. This Giuseppe Ruffino procured young Italian women for American houses of prostitution. (Preview)

Also in this issue of Informer:

- Author Christian Cipollini provides an excerpt from his recently published book Diary of a Motor City Hit Man. (Preview).

- Bill Feather dedicates his latest Mafia Membership Chart to the early Sicilian-Italian underworld of southern California (Preview).

- Columnist Richard N. Warner discusses various organized crime figures who have “found” religion (Preview).

- A recently released biography of Joseph DiCarlo revises the history of the Magaddino Crime Family of western New York (Preview).

- Thomas Hunt reviews Diary of a Motor City Hit Man by Christian Cipollini and discusses its relationship to organized crime history (Preview).

Sixty-eight pages including cover.

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Ruffino and the White Slave Trade

October 2013 Contents
Feature Article

Ruffino and the 'White Slave' trade

By Joshua R. Henze

"The history of the Mafia criminal society is brimming with Giuseppe Ruffinos, and each of the men mentioned above has caught the attention of gangland chroniclers. However, one Giuseppe Ruffino, has virtually escaped the notice of history. Neglected to date, Giuseppe Ruffino of San Giuseppe Jato, Sicily, is worthy of some attention. In the summer of 1908, he gained sensational headlines as an elusive “Black Hand” leader who evaded law enforcement in Rochester, New York, and Chicago, was captured in Milwaukee, and was ultimately convicted in New York for white slavery..."

Thirty-three pages, including eight images and ten and a half pages of notes.

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Hit Man Chester Wheeler Campbell

October 2013 contents
Feature Article

Pandemonium in the Courtroom

By Christian Cipollini

An excerpt from Diary of a Motor City Hit Man.
"As if the Detroit-area judicial system did not already have more than its share of legal mischief, outlandish courtroom antics became the norm in the summer of 1975. Scandal, rumor and conspiracy worked their way into legal proceedings, and accusations of unsavory behavior were not directed solely toward accused criminals. The supposed “good guys” were under scrutiny for doing some not-so-good things, and the “bad guys” were being testified against by, well, basically just a bunch of other bad guys. In Michigan’s sultry summer months, various elements combined to create Pandemonium in the courtroom. Decorum surrendered to more arguments, physical altercations, threats and theatrics than could be seen in any television drama..."

Eight pages, with seven images.

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Los Angeles Mafia Chart

October 2013 contents
Mafia Membership Chart

Los Angeles Mafia Chart, 1910s-40s

By Bill Feather

Sixty-five documented and suspected members of the Southern California crime family based in Los Angeles active in the period of the 1910s through the 1940s. Chart contains information on aliases, birth, death, immigration, family connections and underworld rank.

Four pages.

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Books: Motor City Hit Man

October 2013 contents
Column

Just One More Thing
By Thomas Hunt

Review: Diary of a Motor City Hit Man

"In Diary of a Motor City Hit Man, author Christian Cipollini expertly crafts the intriguing story of Chester Wheeler Campbell's life and criminal career. Campbell was a freelance killer, who worked for various narcotics outfits in the Midwest and was for a time considered the most-feared man in Detroit. The narrative springs from a detailed description of a single, random event, the 1975 near-collision of Campbell's rented Oldsmobile with a Keego Harbor, Michigan, patrol car..."

Six and a half pages.

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Books: 'DiCarlo' revises Buffalo mob history

October 2013 contents
Books

DiCarlo biography revises

Buffalo underworld history

"The crime family of western New York was not at all a Magaddino-monolith as it is often portrayed. The Buffalo branch of that organization predated notorious Mafia boss Stefano Magaddino’s arrival in the region by decades, frequently resisted his control and eventually threw off his leader-ship to briefly restore the older DiCarlo-Pieri underworld dynasty, according to a coauthor of DiCarlo: Buffalo’s First Family of Crime..."

Four pages.

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The Warner Files: Religion and Mafia, Part 2

October 2013 Contents
Column

The Warner Files

Religion and the Mafia, Part 2

By Richard N. Warner

"In this issue we look at the personal side of religion and the Mafia. Most readers of the Cosa Nostra, except for those who live under rocks, have heard of Michael Franzese. He is the son of Colombo crime family underboss John “Sonny” Franzese, a former caporegime, and was one of the Mafia’s biggest earners thanks to a scheme to cheat the United States government of gaso-line taxes by using dummy corporations..."

Three and a half pages.

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