John DiTrapani (1913-1954)

John DiTrapani was born in Milwaukee, WI on August 18, 1913 to Rosolino and Catherine (Martorana) DiTrapani, who were originally from Palermo, Sicily, Italy.

DiTrapani rose to prominence within the Milwaukee Mafia in the early 1950s. He was considered to be one of the “Young Turks”, which also included Jack Enea and Frank LaGalbo, who had angled to take over leadership from Milwaukee Mafia boss John Alioto. Under Alioto’s rule, the muscling of gamblers and legitimate businesses stopped, but internal dissent continued. DiTrapani spread the word that he would pay for “hits” in order to get the leadership role. This would lead to his eventual death, Enea’s death, and cause LaGalbo to lose stature and to transfer his mafia membership.

DiTrapani was murdered around midnight on the night of March 17, 1954. His bullet-riddled body was found behind the wheel of his light blue 1952 Cadillac sedan at 425 North Van Buren Street in Milwaukee. Frank LaGalbo would later tell an informant that DiTrapani was killed because he tipped off police that the Chicago Outfit was behind a gambling deal that took a large sum of money from oil baron Robert Roman. This alleged motive was never proven, and the murder remains unprosecuted to this day.

The murder was no doubt a mob hit, and it was the catalyst that caused the Milwaukee Police Department to look into the Milwaukee Mafia and Milwaukee’s Italian-related crime more closely than ever before. The investigation uncovered a lot of information about the Milwaukee Mafia and John DiTrapani’s involvement. It also found that DiTrapani was shady in his private life, too.

John DiTrapani

For more information beyond this webpage, see chapter 15 “Who Killed John DiTrapani?” in Gavin’s book, The Milwaukee Mafia: Mobsters in the Heartland.

Family

John was the only male of five children, and was the fourth oldest. His sisters were Josephine, Mary, Frances and Ann.

Josephine, John’s sister, married Salvatore Balistrieri, an uncle of mob boss Frank Balistrieri. While three of Salvatore’s brothers were known mobsters, Salvatore likely was not.

John’s father, Rosolino, died in December 1919.

1920 US Federal Census, Milwaukee

Per the 1920 US Federal Census, Catherine’s brother, Salvatore “Sam”, lived with the DiTrapani family for a period of time.

1926 Milwaukee City Directory

Deaths – Mary and Catherine

January 1929: John’s sister, Mary, died at 19 years old. John was 15.

November 1932: John’s mother, Catherine, died at 43 years old. John was 19.

Sam Ferrara and the Marinos

Future Milwaukee Mafia boss, Salvatore “Sam” Ferrara, was DiTrapani’s godfather. They also became related through marriage when Ferrara married Laura Marino, whose step-father was DiTrapani’s maternal uncle, Salvatore “Sam” Martorana.

Laura Marino’s father was Nicola “Nick” Marino. Nicola had been the shooter in an altercation at the Boston Store. Her brother, Santo, is mentioned below.

Arrests

John turned to crime by his teenage years, getting arrested with step-cousin Santo Marino for rape in April 1929. DiTrapani, only 15, was sent to a detention home. Within two years, he was arrested twice more: for attempted larceny in October 1930 and suspicion of burglary in September 1931. In both cases, he was released without charge and was never arrested again after reaching adulthood.

John Di Trapani

Affairs

Mary Knuese

Mary Knuese was in the tavern business in Mequon with her mother in 1940 and became acquainted with DiTrapani. The two started seeing each other and would take monthly trips to Chicago for bowling tournaments or just for fun, and stay at the Craydon Hotel.

Mary was not aware that John was married, as he bought her a diamond and expensive gifts, and she had been to his home and tavern on several occasions. Mary found out after dating for two years because she ended up in the hospital and needed blood; her brother-in-law called John’s house and his wife Angeline answered.

John convinced Mary to stay with him for two more years with false promises of divorce, but after that she packed her bags and fled to California.

Mary Materna and Mary Mackelke

Mary Materna, Boston Store model, met DiTrapani when she was at the Schroeder Hotel bar with her co-worker, Patricia London, during World War II, and DiTrapani would buy them a drink or two. London believed that Materna had dated DiTrapani, but she denied it and said people might have her confused with Mary Mackelke, whom DiTrapani dated for ten years and was very possessive of, not even allowing her to go out with her female friends. Pat London, incidentally, knew gamblers Joe Krasno and Sid Brodson, and would have drinks with them at the Casino Tavern.

Marian “Terry” Gigstead

John started dating Marian “Terry“ Gigstead around 1944 and would for ten years. DiTrapani picked up Terry from mobster Jack Enea’s tavern “15 or 25 times” in a year, using it as a meeting place. DiTrapani and Terry would also go to a restaurant called the Wagon Wheel near Chicago or Dan’s Steak House in Beaver Dam.

To cover up her relationship, she had John call himself “Jack Dennis” when he called, and while she was pregnant she told her parents she was in Chicago and had a friend forward letters from Milwaukee to Chicago and back. Terry had given birth to DiTrapani’s stillborn baby girl on November 2, 1947; DiTrapani paid the medical bills.

They had gone to Chicago quite a few times, usually staying downtown. She fought with John on occasion, and one time he hit her after she bit his arm. On another occasion, he knocked her head against a door and her tooth came out. 

Robert Gigstead, Terry’s ex-husband, divorced Terry because of her running around, but swore he had no animosity towards DiTrapani.

Violet Becker

In autumn 1948, petty thief Violet Becker told police she was formerly DiTrapani’s girlfriend and would get even with him for throwing her out. Becker had been kept in beautiful clothes and a nice apartment. They broke up when DiTrapani grew sick of her pressuring him to get a divorce.

Tavern Business

DiTrapani got into the tavern business around 1942, opening Johnny’s Round-Up with the help of businessman George Michaels. According to a nephew, Michaels allegedly stopped associating with DiTrapani when he received a load of hijacked whiskey from Kenosha.

Starting out, he needed liquor and bought $3,000 ($43,000 today) worth from Meyer “Babe” Shaw’s Globe Wholesale Liquor on credit. They became friends, hung around the Schroeder Hotel Coffee Shop, traveled together to Chicago and New York, and their wives would go “cabareting” multiple nights a week. Their friendship fell apart in 1948 when Globe liquidated and John still owed $7,000 ($68,000 today). The money was soon repaid, but their friendship had ended.

A safe containing $961 was stolen from Johnny’s Round Up in April 1945. The empty safe was found in the woods a year later. Police suspected John “Boss Man” Mandella and Cono “The Weasel” Librizzi as the culprits.

In April 1947, Charles Kezele was caught with Prairie du Chien shed full of whiskey with no markings. He purchased the booze from Johnny’s Round Up, where his brother Fred was a manager. Charles said he intended to go into the tavern business, but that fell through. He then tried to sell the whiskey to retailers at $50 per case, but they turned him down.

Throughout 1953, John’s tavern phones were contacting questionable men. Felix Alderisio’s, known as Milwaukee Phil, unlisted number was called, as was the Outfit’s Silver Frolics burlesque club.

In November 1953, DiTrapani was carrying a package and a patron jokingly asked if the bundle was laundry. He was asked to hold the bag and John said, “I bet that this is the first time you ever had $20,000 in your hands.” DiTrapani then took the bag back and gave the package to his bookkeeper. DiTrapani would often get large amounts of cash from his business account at Home Savings Bank so people could come to his tavern and cash their payroll checks. He would then deposit the checks into his account. DiTrapani’s personal account never went much above or below $1200.

On March 16, 1954, John DiTrapani and Sol Lewensohn became co-representatives of the Progressive Tavern Owners of Wisconsin. Previously, DiTrapani was the sole representative for the group, represented by attorney Abe Skolnik. Police later found the timing of this change suspicious given that it was the day before DiTrapani was murdered.

Blackie Sullivan – Attempted Murder

Gangster Blackie Sullivan was picked up in September 1948 by DiTrapani, who next picked up Michael Albano. From there, they drove to Dousman where Albano strangled Sullivan with a wire, an unidentified man shot him in the head, and he was pushed from the car and left for dead until found by an elderly woman. The rumor around town was that Joe Alioto, owner of the Kilbourn Hotel, had received at least $30,000 ($291,000 today) from Chicago gamblers to “have Sullivan taken for a ride.” Allegedly, DiTrapani was given $10,000 of this money.

John Volpe and the Holiday House

• John Volpe was the co-owner of the Holiday House (Clybourne in Milwaukee) along with Bruno Ramazini (and their wives).
  
  • The Holiday House was burglarized in January 1953. $15,340 was taken from a safe, mostly cash. Police believed two burglars broke in by jumping from a neighboring building’s stairs to the restaurant’s roof. Then they forced open an outside door on the second floor. The smashed safe was found under a bridge. The FBI believed Walter Brocca and Jerome DiMaggio had stolen the safe because August Maniaci owed $25,000 to the Chicago Outfit for a truckload of “hot meat.” Co-owner John Volpe, believing DiTrapani was in the Mafia, asked him if he knew who did the job. DiTrapani said he knew nothing, but offered Volpe money if he needed assistance.
• Volpe said he had pitched in $3500 with DiTrapani on an oil deal that went bust, and he suspected it was possible that DiTrapani just pocketed the money, as he knew DiTrapani was a “lieutenant” in the Mafia.

DiTrapani Murdered – March 17, 1954

DiTrapani, 40, woke up around 11:00am and left home at noon on March 17, 1954. He entered the Merchandise Mart around 4:00pm with Jerry O’Rourke. While there, John asked an off duty officer to look up a license plate number, claiming the car was following him. He declined, saying he would have to file a request at the department, and jokingly asked if he was having trouble with one of his girlfriends. John replied, “You know how much trouble girls are.”

John called his wife around 5:00pm, and she told him that she and daughter Catherine were going to have dinner at Chico’s. John said he would meet them there. The women arrived at 6:50pm and John was already seated at a table with Russ and Frank LaGalbo. John told his family he was not hungry, but they could order and he would pay. John left at 7:30pm. After dinner, the women returned home and John was already there watching boxing on television with his other daughter, Rosalind. Angeline left at 8:10pm to visit friends.

John made a phone call to an unknown person at 10:00pm and left the apartment. DiTrapani was next seen by bartender Raymond “Buzz” Krasno between 11:15 and 11:30pm at the Holiday House, sitting alone.

John left around 11:45 pm.

DiTrapani’s bullet-riddled body was found around 3:42am, slumped behind the wheel of his Cadillac on Van Buren Street. Patrolmen took fingerprints and photos of the car, and the time of death was estimated to be shortly after midnight. The body was identified at the scene by Santo Curro; Curro had arrived at the nearby LaTosca until around 3:00am, and the restaurant was still packed with customers. Owner Carlo DiMaggio said “the place was jammed with Irish people” until 6:00am.

DiTrapani’s car

A loaded .357 Magnum revolver was found on DiTrapani’s lap and dull blue .45 automatic pistol on the seat beside him. A full .45 clip was in the glove compartment. Six bullet holes were in the driver’s side window that came from the passenger’s seat of the car, not externally. Six spent cartridges were found on the floor, and a seventh outside of the passenger’s door. At the morgue, four .45 bullet holes under his right ear were discovered. A loaded .38 Colt revolver with a snub- nose barrel was in DiTrapani’s right trouser pocket.

Police found more guns at Johnny’s Round-Up and Johnny’s Super Bar. They found a 32/20 Smith and Wesson, fully loaded, with the serial number obliterated, and a Spanish-made .38 pistol.

Murder site

Frank LaGalbo

Frank LaGalbo, arguably DiTrapani’s closest friend, was in and out of Chico’s restaurant all night, stopping in last at 4:00am to check the daily receipts. Was he a suspect, given the Mafia’s tendency to give hitman jobs to people the victim can trust?

Other LaTosca Cafe Patrons

Although likely unrelated, a handful of other interesting characters were at the LaTosca Cafe on the night of March 17, 1954. They were:

• Funeral director and former US Representative Peter Granata, who was also vice president of Altex, a siding business in Milwaukee. He had been keeping company with a Milwaukee woman named Doris.
• James Adduci, state senator from Chicago who had been indicted for receiving illegal commissions from state contracts, and fought the Crime Commission Bill. While at the Holiday House, he called Milwaukee boxing promoter Phil Valley. Valley, also business manager for the Waiters, Waitresses and Cooks Union Local 122, knew DiTrapani very well, and worked with his bartenders. None of them had ever complained to him about wages, working conditions or other grievances.
• Ned Bakes, who was shielding fugitive Nick Montos at the time and was a partner of James “Cowboy” Mirro. “Bakes” was an alias, his real name being Ignatius Spacchesi, married and in the siding business. He would later serve time for tax evasion and ultimately be murdered.
• Dom Volpe (no relation to John Volpe), the business manager of Mafia-linked Premium Beer Sales of Chicago.

These men stayed at the Holiday House until 1:45am and then continued their night at the Casino Club on North 5th Street. After this, Dom Volpe went to the LaTosca Cafe, where he stayed until 4:00am. The other three men went to the Astor Hotel.

Johnny’s Round Up Tavern

DiTrapani’s bar, Johnny’s Round Up (2665 North 27th Street, Milwaukee) was robbed in broad daylight days after the murder. Manager Tony DePalma was in the alley behind the bar when two men forced him into his car and had him drive to the corner of 25th and Vine, without looking at either man. They then stole his car. DePalma had $9,000 on him because he had just returned from the bank, and the tavern was used by many patrons as a place to cash their paychecks. After the car was recovered three days later, debris samples were taken, in the hopes that they could be traced to the thieves (and ultimately DiTrapani’s killer).

Tax agents brought a case of Old Thompson 86.8 whiskey to the police department they had found in Johnny’s Round Up. The serial numbers had been removed, and they suspected this might be connected to a hijacking. The tax stamps were still attached, and a list of numbers was sent to Glenmore Distillery. They found no evidence of hijacked whiskey in town beyond the case of Old Thompson.

Frank Balistrieri

Frank Balistrieri said he had no knowledge of DiTrapani being involved in illicit liquor or being part of a “syndicate”. Balistrieri said he did not know much about Frank LaGalbo, and that “he does not know of any Mafia existing in Milwaukee.” He further said he would “cooperate with the Police Department 100%” if he heard anything. Balistrieri, the future Mafia boss in Milwaukee, was dishonest on at least one point: LaGalbo was godfather to one of his daughters, so to say he did not know much about him seems hard to believe.