Fratto, Louis Thomas (Jul 17, 1907 – Nov 24, 1967): Chicago’s man in Des Moines, also known as Lew Farrell. Born in Chicago as Luigi Fratto to Tommaso and Bianca Faiella Fratto. He was the older brother of Frank Edward Fratto. Louis was baptized on May 28, 1908 at the Holy Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Chicago.

Louis grew up at 713 Winchester and attended elementary school at Washington Irving in Chicago.

arrested January 1926 for petty larceny (a coat) and put on one year probation

in 1927 and 1928, was a small-time boxer who used the names Lew Farrell and “Kid Nacho”. He had no high profile fights, and had a losing record when he quit.

married teenaged Evelyn Glasser on July 13, 1929, who gave birth to their daughter Dolores in 1928 at age 16.

February 1931, arrested for malicious mischief

June 1931, arrested for carrying a concealed weapon

September 27, 1933, indicted by the US Marshal in Chicago along with Ted Virgilio, Samuel Levick and several others for violating postal laws. He was formally charged on November 14 with the theft of registered letters containing securities. The letters had been taken from a mail carrier during a holdup in December 1932 at the corner of Clark and Adams Street. After delays finally pleaded not guilty in July 1935, but the case was dismissed by Judge Holly on February 14, 1936.

August 1935, arrested in Chicago for vagrancy. He was with Sam Battaglia and John Wolek. He was picked up multiple other times for vagrancy, and in November 1936, he was arrested in Chicago on general principles

around 1937 or 1938, began using the Lew Farrell alias extensively as a legitimate name, and upon moving to Des Moines at this time was not known as Louis Fratto. Farrell moved from Chicago to Des Moines around 1938 in order to represent Canadian Ace beer for Manhattan Brewing Company. He set up a distribution company at 119 Columbus Avenue with Morris Greenberg and Sylvia Zevlin, siblings of Alex Louis Greenberg.

lived at the Chamberlain Hotel from 1939-1940

August 13, 1939, arrested in Racine County, Wisconsin and held as a material witness in what one report described as a “slot machine shakedown.” He was with Frank Nitto, who attempted to bribe the officer. Farrell was released on $50 bond. He told the police he had been born in Milwaukee, was the son of John Farrell of Boston and lived at the Chamberlain Hotel in Des Moines. (Later government reports would suggest Farrell tried to set up Racine as a territory, but met resistance and the Outfit redirected him to Des Moines. This is possible, but the timeline seems to suggest he was already set up in Des Moines before any trouble in Racine.)

September 13, 1939, arrested in Des Moines for investigation and released the next day. He told the same story he told the Racine police — he was born in Milwaukee and his father lived in Boston. Farrell was photographed and fingerprinted, but these records were destroyed in December after no charges resulted.

1942, lived at the Savery Hotel

lived at the Hotel Kirkwood from 1942-1946

October 7, 1942, displayed a revolver to Gladys Randa, the manager of the Mainliner night club and casino in Polk County, Iowa and demanded money. Farrell had allegedly invested $2,500 in the club and wanted his share of the profits. After this incident, police revoked his carry permit. He also had a restraining order issued against him for a year. Later reports from the Kefauver hearings would say “Cherry Nose” Gioe had been an investor and gave his share to Gladys, “in whom he had more than a financial interest.” Whether Farrell knew Gioe was involved is unknown, but Gioe allegedly told Farrell to leave Gladys and the Mainliner alone.

married Carmella T. Randa on June 9, 1945. She was born in Des Moines to Frank and Jennie DeAngelis Randa. This was his second marriage, and her first. Interestingly, Carmella was a cousin of Peter Randa, husband of Gladys Randa – the woman Fratto had threatened a few years earlier.

lived at 1115 Caulder Avenue, Des Moines from 1946-1965

In 1947, Kansas City mobsters Charles and Gus Gargotta were arrested in Harlan, Iowa for robbery and held on $30,000 bond. Money to bail them out was collected in Kansas City and then transferred to Farrell. Going to Harlan, Farrell brought August Randa with him to post the bond – he later explained his name would cause publicity, while Randa was an unknown. At trial, the witnesses did not recognize the Gargotta brothers – a $30,000 check was returned to Randa, and then cashed in Kansas City by Tony Gizzo.

gambler Bart Higgins publicly claimed that Farrell had forced him out of business by applying police pressure in January 1948. Higgins and Farrell would later merge their business.

The police raided the Sports Arcade (612 Grand Avenue) in April 1948, and found punchboards, racing forms and other evidence of gambling. While Farrell was not present and denied any connection, police believed he was involved with the operation. As he had listed $13,000 in income on his 1947 taxes, they were probably correct. A bill dated March 13, 1948 for $756 in wire service from Midwest Illinois News Service to Farrell would confirm it. On May 14, 1948, Farrell was arrested for a gambling conspiracy along with Al Cramm. The charge was dismissed in November by Judge Edwin Moore for insufficient evidence.

April 25, 1950, called Minneapolis attorneys Irving Green and Fred Ossona. It was noted these attorneys represented Kid Cann, and it was suspected Farrell may be getting slot machines from Minnesota.

May 1950, switched his beer distribution from Canadian Ace to Blatz. His new company, Superior Distributing, maintained the same address at 119 Columbus Avenue, but he had a new partner — brother-in-law August J. Randa.

A gambling venture involving Farrell and 13 others was said to be held at the Downtown Businessmen’s Club at 415 Locust Street in Des Moines. A raid in the fall of 1950 shut this down. The “front men” for this gambling operation were said to be Joe Swift, Bart Higgins and Joe Leo.

March 1951, testified before the Kefauver Committee that Dr. Dominick Michael Nigro asked him to raise $30,000 bail for Charlie and Gus Gargotta in 1947. The Gargottas were being held for a robbery in Harlan, Iowa, though the charges were later dismissed. Nigro was long known to associate with criminals, and was believed to have once aided Pretty Boy Floyd following the Kansas City Massacre. The money was given to Farrell by Kansas City hoodlum Thomas Lococo in the form of a check endorsed by Tony Gizzo. Farrell called Nigro “one of the greatest youth leaders in the country”, despite his connections to Tom Pendergast in Kansas City and his 1940 narcotics conviction. Farrell denied ever purchasing information from a race wire, despite his taxes listing $2,213 for a “horse service”.

May 1951, the Iowa Tax Commission declined to renew Farrell’s wholesale beer distributor permit

January 1952, had dinner with Omaha hoodlum Benny Barone in Des Moines, who was rumored to have some of Kenneth Kitts’ bank robbery “loot”

Around 1953, Farrell solicited help from John Mainelli, head of UNICO in Omaha, to help set up a UNICO chapter in Des Moines. According to Mainelli, Farrell lost interest and the Des Moines chapter never materialized

Jack Wolfe testified before the committee investigating the Federal Housing Administration in July 1954, and told them he handed his siding business, Interstate Siding, over to Farrell because he was tired of receiving complaints from customers about high-pressure sales methods. He and his partner, I. M. Cohen, also sold Universal Builders to Farrell and “his associates in Omaha”.

August 1954, Farrell testified before the committee in a closed hearing in Washington DC. In September, he testified before the committee in Chicago openly. He told the committee that for the past year, he had worked at Complete Home Remodeling and Universal Builders, both located at 7th and Indianola in Des Moines. He said he did not purchase Universal Builders from Wolfe, but was only a manager. He denied knowing who the owners or president (John D’Ercole) of the company were, and even denied knowing who his employees were. He said he was hired by Leonard Klein. He denied the claim he had an interest in the Downtown Businessman’s Club in Des Moines. He also denied any association with the Mainliner night club, but said it belonged to Peter Randa, his wife’s cousin.

While testifying in Chicago, he was picked up by the police and questioned about the murders of Charles Gioe and Frank Diamond.

December 1954, Ashton Wholesale Service sued Farrell and Complete Home Remodeling for an unpaid bill of $1438. The case was finally decided in Ashton’s favor in November 1957.

February 1955, Universal Builders was placed on the FHA precautionary list. Farrell was named, along with his associates Joseph Conti, Joseph Dinovia and Anthony Lawrence “Larry” Mitilier

summer 1955, James Hoffa stayed with Farrell in Des Moines. Hoffa allegedly gave Mrs. Farrell a rosary he received from the Pope as a gift.

around 1956, was involved in signing employees of the Midwest Burlap and Bag Company on to the roster for Teamsters Local 10, which was managed by Pete Capellupo of Omaha. Local 10 came under scrutiny by Robert Kennedy, who called it a “paper local”, meaning it had officers but no members and only existed on paper. President Richard Kavner was a close associate of James Hoffa.

In the autumn of 1956, Farrell worked actively with Teamster Union organizers to help elect Democrat Herschel Cellel Loveless as governor. His campaign succeeded.

Beginning in October 1956, Farrell made frequent — almost daily — visits to the Midwest Burlap and Bag Company, though he was neither employed there or had any overt financial interest. He continued these visits through January 1957, presumably to bolster the ranks of “his” union. The receptionist recalled during these months that Richard Kavner frequently called to talk with Farrell or Capellupo.

A check by the FBI revealed that a total of $7,978 was deposited in Farrell’s account at Bankers Trust Company in 1956. Of the deposits that could be traced (Superior Sales Company, Connecticut Life Insurance, South Omaha Bank), none was suspicious.

March 1957, Farrell asked the Des Moines city attorney for a private meeting. The attorney agreed and they met near the airport. Farrell told him that if he (Farrell) could run four or five gambling locations, it would be made worthwhile for the city. The attorney shot the idea down, saying Farrell was “living in the past” and “no longer had any influence” in Des Moines.

April 1957, Farrell received $13,000 from United Airlines as a settlement for injuries sustained in a crash

August 1957, Farrell was a frequent visitor to Mercy Hospital to visit union official Robert “Barney” Baker, who was receiving weight loss surgery

October 1957, a testimonial dinner was held in his honor at the Savery Hotel. 350 guests were there. Louis Anania was the toastmaster and Frank Renzo was the principal speaker. Michael Anania presented Farrell with a plaque.

was invested in Hymie’s Drive-In at 4701 Fleur Drive, Des Moines from 1957-1959. His partner was Hymie Wiseman. In December 1959, the restaurant closed down and was to be replaced by a 63-unit motel run by the J-M Corporation (represented by Louis Anania). Whether this went up or not is unclear — today the site has a Hy-Vee grocery store.

the FBI tracked Farrell’s long distance calls between November 1957 and January 1958. The bulk of them were to Omaha, but he also made calls to Chicago, Buffalo (Amigone’s Cafe), Fort Wayne (Globe Auto Glass), Minneapolis (Loring Liquor), Kansas City (D. M. Nigro) and Kirkwood, Missouri (Richard Kavner). Some of the Omaha calls were to the Center Construction Company (run by Don Greco, Larry Mitilier and attorney Joseph Inserra), while others went to Oddo’s Drive-In, Larry Mitilier and the Blackstone Hotel. Farrell further received two calls from Isadore “Kid Cann” Blumenfeld, the head of the Minneapolis Combination, in January 1958.

January 1958, the local newspaper reported he met every Wednesday morning with Assistant Police Chief Floyd Hartzer at Aunt Frances’ Cafe

January 1958, went to the home of Des Moines city councilwoman Florence Wallace with Ralph Bumpilori and George West to ask for her support in promoting Charles Andreano to chief of police. Andreano never got the promotion, and was fired in 1960 amid a scandal.

February 1958, made day trips to Minneapolis and Kansas City by plane. In Kansas City, he spent the day at Original Toy and Jobbing Company and had dinner at Gaetano’s Restaurant (run by Gaetano Lococo). Another trip there two weeks later, he met with Max Jabin at the Downtown Bridge Club and Muehlebach Hotel.

subpoenaed in May 1958 to appear before the McClellan Committee. Teamsters Local 10 was investigated by the Senate Rackets Committee after driving the Textile Workers Union out of a contract with the Midwest Burlap Bag Company. Farrell’s role in this was examined. Farrell was questioned in August 1958, and pleaded the Fifth, refusing to answer if he was associated with St. Louis Teamsters union man Harold J. Gibbons. He was also asked about dozens of phone calls to Barney Baker.

June 1958, collided with an off-duty police officer and then fled the scene. Was found not guilty of leaving an accident when he claimed he only left momentary to call an attorney, and said the initial collision was caused by his swerving to miss a dog

July and August 1958, made numerous phone calls to sports promoter Matt Brescia of Memphis. Other calls went to Pete Capellupo and Larry Mitilier. Called Dr. Nigro multiple times in August and September 1958. Also in September, he called the Tradewinds in Chicago, Fairmont Nurseries in Minnesota and Vic Tallerico at the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee.

during Governor Loveless’ re-election campaign in autumn 1958, Farrell tried to contribute $25,000 on behalf of the Teamsters. This attempt was not known to be successful. Investigation by federal authorities did reveal, however, that Loveless had diverted some of his political contributions to personal use and prosecution was considered.

September 1958, was at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha arranging a meeting of Democrats with the former Democratic State Chairman of Iowa. He had been picked up at the Omaha Municipal Airport by John D’Ercole. Former President Truman attended this event, as did Senator John Kennedy. Farrell did not attend the actual meeting, though he did claim he hand-picked Council Bluffs union official Donald Lewis to pick up Truman from the airport.

October 1958, observed by federal agents to be in conversation with Nebraska State Senator John Munnelly in the lobby of the Blackstone Hotel

November 1958, again made numerous calls to Matt Brescia. Calls to Larry Mitilier continued throughout the final quarter of 1958. Multiple calls also went to Mainelli Construction, Alsco Nebraska Corp, the Logan Hotel in Omaha and Dr. Nigro. Between December and February, Farrell called the Logan Hotel 12 times.

February 1959, Farrell had a conference with Nebraska Governor Ralph Brooks in Lincoln along with Bernard Boyle, Democratic National Committeeman from Nebraska. The next morning, Farrell had breakfast with Peter Capellupo in Lincoln. Around this time, the newspapers accused Farrell of trying to muscle in to the Carpenters Union Local 106 in Des Moines. Through February, March and April, Farrell made several trips to Omaha and Denver. Between February and April, he called the Logan Hotel thirteen times.

June 1959, was at the Chez Paree in Chicago with a man from Havana, Cuba

in early September 1959, he called John Alioto, boss of the Milwaukee Family. Later that month, Farrell was involved in a brawl at the Silver Dollar Tavern wherein a tendon in his right hand was cut. At the end of October, he spent two weeks in Methodist Hospital getting his right index finger amputated because it had become infected. He should have gone to the hospital sooner, but was in Chicago attending the World Series (Dodgers and White Sox).

December 1959, called Larry Mitilier (Omaha), the Jordan Exposition Service (Chicago), Logan Hotel (Omaha), Tony Oddo (Omaha) and Dr. Nigro (Kansas City). In January, he called Don Bordy (Omaha). Also in January, he met with Joseph “Ram” Salardino at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver. In early February, he met with representatives of Hammond Scrap Iron and Hammond Steel (both of Hammond, Indiana) at the Town House Motel in Omaha. Later in the month, Farrell was at a private meeting in Des Moines with Judge Luther Glanton, Sheriff Wilbut Hildreth and Democratic State Chairman Jake More.

Farrell called Harry Cohn (Miami), Larry Mitilier (Omaha) and Currency Storm Window Corp (Chicago) in March 1960. In early April, he called Al Gerardi multiple times in Ventura, Iowa. Farrell and Mitilier were at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver in April 1960 and met with Joseph Salardino. While there, Farrell (under the alias “Dr. Lewis”) also received a call from James Hoffa. Farrell was allegedly assisting the Teamsters in promoting Missouri Senator Stuart Symington in the Democratic primary over Senator John Kennedy.

June 1960, deposited a check for $2,000 into his account written from Epstein Paper And Metal Company of Council Bluffs to a “Lew Pomerantz”. Later that month, he was subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the shooting of Kenneth Bruce Sheetz in Kansas City. Also subpoenaed were the four Biase brothers and Bennie Barone of Omaha, and Alexander Joseph Presta of Kansas City. Farrell testified for two minutes in mid-July, giving only his name and address. While in town, he met with Barone and one of the Biases at the Italian Gardens.

At the end of June 1960, he was picked up at Twin Foods Products (33rd and Wentworth) in Chicago on general principles with Felix Alderisio and Leo Rugendorf. Farrell filed a $100,000 lawsuit against detectives James Kelleher and Anthony Ursetto alleging false arrest.

August 1960, local media was reporting that Farrell was involved with the Sanitary Disposal Company (602 7th Street), which was co-owned by Ralph Bumpilori and William J. Stepp. Stepp was also part owner of the Stepp Equipment Company of Chicago. All three denied Farrell’s involvement, and Farrell appeared on KRNT-TV to deny the claim, but did recommend the firm and stressed the importance of sanitation in combating diseases such as polio. In November 1961, Bumpilori told the local newspaper that Farrell would join the firm as a co-owner and sales manager. In May 1962, Farrell purchased $1,500 worth of stock in the company. He was seen driving a company truck in August. In March 1964, Carmella Farrell was listed as the company’s sole owner with Lew as sales manager. In July 1965, the company was sold to Rovner Sanitary Service for $23,000.

August 1960, made phone calls to the Labor Union Temple in Omaha and Joseph Salardino of Denver

early 1961, met with Louis J. Beckerman in Omaha several times. Beckerman was the manager of Fort Wayne Glass Company (formerly the Globe Glass Company) and had a criminal history including arson. When Fratto stayed at the Town House Motel in Omaha, the room was billed to Beckerman. In February, he called Peter Capellupo at the Hotel Lincoln from the room. In March, he made calls from the room to Denver, Council Bluffs (Laborers Local 1140), Detroit and Des Moines (Ralph’s Parking Lot and a bail bondsman).

June 1961, met in Omaha with two men from the Altex Corporation (manufacturers of aluminum siding) of Waukesha, Wisconsin and a man from the Biltmore Construction Company. Farrell offered to sell aluminum siding for Altex. While in Omaha, he called Chicago (Jordan Exposition Company) and Miami Beach (Coronet Hotel) from the Town House Motel. In July, Altex hired Farrell on as a salesman on a commission basis. Altex’s president was Peter Granata (a friend of James J. Adduci and Dom Volpe) and the company had a history of using strong-arm tactics. When interviewed by FBI agent Bill Roemer, Granata confirmed he had known Farrell since they were children in Chicago.

August 1961, made a phone call to William Richard “Dick” Richards, president of Hercules Aluminum Company in Phoenix, Arizona. When interviewed, Richards told the FBI that Farrell wanted Hercules to be a local dealer for Altex, but Richards declined the offer. Also in August, Farrell stayed at the Kahler Hotel in Rochester, Minnesota and made a phone call to the 620 Club in Minneapolis. Morris Klein, operator of the Original Toy and Jobbing Mart, called Farrell from Kansas City.

December 1961, Farrell met with Sol Baron (alias Robert Prince) in the Town House Motel for the purpose of fixing Baron’s insurance fraud trial in March. Allegedly, Farrell arranged for county prosecutor John Hanley to receive $1,000 and defense attorney Thomas Kelly to receive $500. At trial, the charges were dismissed.

August 1962, a two year lease was signed with Farrell to use the former Hymie’s property for the Gaslite Tavern.

September 1962, was admitted to Mercy Hospital with severe neck and chest pain. He was given oxygen and held for two weeks, diagnosed with heart failure, a duodenal ulcer and hypersensitive cardiovascular disease.

February 1963, spent a week at Iowa Methodist Hospital being treated for heart disease, angina pectoris and paroxysmal auricular fibrillation. In March, he spent three weeks there with chest pain that was diagnosed as gastroenteritis.

May 1963, arrested in Des Moines for drunk driving after running a red light and crashing. He pleaded guilty and paid a $300 fine.

January 1964, borrowed over $8,000 from a savings and loan to refurnish his home. The loan was guaranteed by Cataldo, Inc (the furniture company). With fees, the loan amounted to over $11,000 which had to be paid back in 48 monthly installments of $230. In April 1964, he took out $2,831 against his car. In August 1965, another car gave him $3,124. And in October 1965, a third car yielded $1,150, giving the bank a lien against all three vehicles. Payments on the loans were consistently late.

between July 1965 and March 1966, remained in telephonic contact with Peter Capellupo, Tony Oddo and Larry Mitilier. Throughout the summer and fall of 1965, he was in frequent contact with Alan Robert Rosenberg, who used intimidation tactics and threats to get the owner of Super Drug, Inc to sell.

September 1965, Morris Plan Company was given a judgment against Farrell for $2,380

November 1965, applied for a loan and claimed to be self-employed at the Midwest Wholesale Beer Company, a Des Moines distributor of Potosi beer. The company’s records did not reflect Farrell as an owner, but instead only named Philip F. Greco.

by 1966, he was financially ruined, owing money to various people as a result of his health problems and his wife’s cancer surgery. He could not even afford to pay bills of $84 to Florsheim Shoe Store and $5.15 to the public library.

summer 1966, was involved in some kind of scam with Alan Rosenberg wherein Rosenberg convinced Muncie, Indiana businessman Fred Amick, president of Air and Space Manufacturing, that he would be able to help him raise money for the business. Farrell was recommended to Amick by Des Moines resident D. C. Powell, who believed that Farrell had the right connections to acquire money. Amick flew Farrell to Muncie on a private plane and showed Farell the factory and some gyroplanes and said the business was losing $7,000 each week. In September, Amick was brought a counterfeit cashier’s check of $52,500 from the Marina City bank of Chicago.

September 1966, was admitted to Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha where he underwent cancer surgery and had a large part of his colon removed. The doctors believed the cancer had also spread to his liver and lymph nodes and gave him six months to live.

On March 15, 1967, Farrell spoke with an FBI agent for four and a half hours. He told the agent he was in financial difficulty and was bitter towards the Outfit, and offered to reveal everything he knew about the members and their operations in exchange for compensation and the promise he was never asked to testify. Farrell specifically said he knew about leaks in the Chicago Crime Commission, Las Vegas skimming and connections between the Outfit and public officials, including judges.

Alan Rosenberg was found handcuffed and shot on March 17, 1967 in a car parked in front of 3712 West Ainslie, Chicago

the end of June 1967, indicted along with Nimrod Solomon, George Sommer and Elmer Linkon for the attempted “fleecing” of Amick for interest on a $250,000 loan. Specifically, the counterfeit check these men provided Amick was considered “stolen money” and was transferred across state lines, from Illinois to Indiana. Farrell pleaded not guilty and posted $4,000 bond.

Farrell never made it to trial, dying of colon cancer in November 1967 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison cancer research facility, where he had been admitted on October 10. His body was brought to Guardalabene and Amato Funeral Home in Milwaukee before being flown to Des Moines for burial at Glendale Cemetery.

Around March 29, 1977, an underground newspaper called TakeOver alleged a connection between Louis Fratto, Madison alderman Anthony Amato, and Amato’s father Sam. Specifically, they quoted Fratto’s widow Carmella as saying Louis was long-time friends with Sam Amato, and when Fratto was dying in Madison, Sam Amato and Anthony Amato (then only 16) visited him every day. The timing was just as Amato was running to be mayor. The alderman told the press, “It’s character assassination. It’s guilt by association.” He declined to say if he had known Fratto.

Amato’s attorney, Curtis Kirkhuff, filed a $250,000 libel lawsuit against TakeOver. In addition to this story, a previous story alleged that Milwaukee Mafia members had contributed to his campaign. TakeOver’s defense was simple – truth. The Wisconsin State Journal spoke to Carmella Fratto, who confirmed the visits and said that Sam and Anthony Amato would drive her to the hospital for visits.

On April 1, Anthony Amato held a press conference and acknowledged that Carmella Fratto was the family’s house guest in 1967 and they would bring Louis Fratto food at the hospital. Anthony said the family met Louis in 1966 – not earlier – and did not know he had mob connections until they read it in his obituary. Amato further acknowledged that in 1972, when Frank Fratto was in the hospital, they also brought him food. But Amato insisted they did not know Frank, but did this as a favor to Carmella. Amato said, “(In my family) there is no connection with organized crime, and if I’m elected there’s going to be no one putting undue influence no matter who it is, whether it is a contributor or friend.”