DeGeorge, James (Nov 3, 1899 – Oct 13, 1978): Early Outfit caporegime of the North Side who was demoted and relocated to Wisconsin.
DeGeorge was born Vincenzo DiGiorgio (or DiGiorgi) in Ribera, Agrigento, Sicily, to Domenico and Louisa DiGiorgio, and emigrated from the Port of Palermo on March 28, 1910 and arriving in New York on April 15 aboard the SS San Giovanni. The DiGiorgios lived at 1645 North Winchester Avenue in Chicago where his father worked as a general laborer. In 1918, according to his draft registration card, he worked as a machinist and he and his family was going by the name DeGeorge.
By 1922 DeGeorge was closely associated with members of the Chicago Mafia. On November 5, 1922, he and his brother Charles and Pasquale Lolordo were arrested as suspects in the murder of Joseph Fondanetta. Fondanetta was shot six times and killed in broad daylight on November 4th at 442 Elm Street, and when Lolordo was arrested the next day he had blood on his shirt. All four men lived at 1810 West North Avenue. Police believed the slaying was related to a bootleg feud.
Around 1927, DeGeorge married Mary F. Tallo, daughter of Vincent and Rose Demme Tallo. There is nothing to indicate the Tallo/Demme family was Mafia. The couple would have three children, one daughter and two sons – both sons would die in tragedy before their father.
July 1928: At 1417 Burd Avenue in St. Louis, mobster Giacomo “Jack” Lonigro was packing his family’s belongings for a move to Murphysboro, Illinois. Lonigro stood on his front lawn supervising the movers, who hefted his furniture into their cargo van. Visiting him that morning were his friends, grocery store owner Joseph Stallone and James DeGeorge. The latter’s wife, Mary and two month old daughter, Louise, were present as well. The DeGeorges were also planning on moving to Murphysboro. They had come over to help them with the packing and to make the drive to Illinois with the Lonigros.
By 7:10am the day was shaping up to be another scorcher. The DeGeorges got inside their Buick sedan, while Lonigro and Stallone talked on the sidewalk next to the latter’s Nash sedan. As they did, a red Chrysler and green Dodge drove rapidly toward them from the north. No one had time to react as an intense fusillade of pistol and shotgun fire erupted from the two cars. Joseph Stallone was struck squarely in the back by a shotgun blast that damaged his spine.
James DeGeorge took a bullet through his right thigh while another grazed his stomach. Buckshot tore away a portion of Mary DeGeorge’s scalp while she screamed and clutched two-month-old Louise to her chest. Miraculously, the baby was not injured. Neither was Jack Lonigro; his clothes were peppered with shotgun pellets, but none broke the skin. Stallone was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital where he was given emergency treatment. He was removed to the City Hospital. More than an hour later the other three wounded persons were found in the office of Dr. Abraham Bouhasin, 2017 Park avenue, where they had gone to have their injuries treated. Dr. Bouhasin is one of the physicians at the receiving room of the City Hospital dispensary. He is off duty during the day.
The shooters sped south on Burd to make their getaway. The Dodge blew out a tire as it made a sharp left turn on Ridge Avenue; still, the shooters continued on. The triggermen had tossed their weapons away once they were empty. Police recovered a total of five shotguns and two pistols on the block. It was later calculated that the gunmen fired between fifty and sixty shots. Both the Buick and the Nash in front of the house had been turned into sieves.
Police speculated this driveby was revenge for the September 9, 1927 murder of mobster Alphonse Palazzolo, where Lonigro was a suspect. One of the revenge shooters was thought to be narcotics dealer Salvatore “Sam” Faraci. Fast forward: Giacomo Lonigro’s car was found burning in June 1932, but Lonigro himself was nowhere to be found. Did he ever turn up?
On October 3, 1928, DeGeorge petitioned to be naturalized. He gave his occupation as “salesman.” His naturalization was granted on February 1, 1929.
In 1932, he was named as a witness in the shooting of Cipriano “Charles” Argento in the Piccadilly Hotel. Argento was a New York Mafioso who transferred to the Capone Outfit and organized the Italian Master Baker’s Association. Julius Anschell, a bookkeeper for the association, and DeGeorge, a business agent, drove to meet Argento at his hotel room. Anschell later told police that Argento’s door was open and as they entered he told them, “You better scram. It looks like you’ll get killed.” Suddenly there was a burst of gunfire and all three men fell to the floor, then Anschell and DeGeorge ran down the fire escape and left the building. Argento was dead. Anschell went to the police station and told his version of events after wandering for an hour while DeGeorge was being sought by police. DeGeorge was found and held as an accessory but freed about two weeks later.
A confidential informant in Wisconsin told the FBI that DeGeorge was a capodecina in charge of the North Side during this time period. Joseph Aiello’s brother, Sam, who did not support Joe Aiello and fled to Milwaukee, talked his way into being allowed to return to Chicago and was put in DeGeorge’s crew. DeGeorge’s successor was Ross Prio, another principal figure in Grande Cheese during its Chicago years.
In the mid-1940s, reportedly much of the North Side crew was in disarray with killings connected to the Grande Cheese Company in Chicago (later it moved to Wisconsin). It is not known if DeGeorge resigned, retired or was forced to step down, but according to later reports he continued to be friendly with his brother-in-law(?) Anthony Pinelli, Anthony Accardo, Paul Ricca, Rocco Potenza and Felix Alderisio.
In January 1948 DeGeorge’s daughter married Anthony Pinelli Jr, the son of Anthony Pinelli, a member of DeGeorge’s crew. Anthony Jr. was a co-owner with his brother Salvatore of the $200,000 Movie Town Motel (5920 Hollywood Blvd) in Hollywood, California. The Movie Town Motel was located 2 ½ blocks from Hollywood & Vine. It was part of the “Hollywood Strip” that runs through the heart of Hollywood. It had “32
units with baths, deluxe kitchens, free TV, 24 hour switchboard, complimentary Broadcast and Telecast Tickets.” In the late fifties and early sixties this motel was a stop over for many Hollywood industry types because of its proximity to the studios.
1948: DeGeorge moved to a large farm near Hancock, Wisconsin. This was the Triple D Ranch, a 4,000-acre cattle ranch in Big Flats, Wisconsin.
Between 1949-1959, DeGeorge purchased large amounts of land in Adams County. Most of the purchases aren’t really remarkable, but one of the first (April 25, 1949) was 720 acres from Erminio and Marie Menini, who lived in Chicago. There is no indication Erminio Menini, a butcher, had any criminal ties, but Chicago residents owning large tracts of land in Adams County seems odd.
April 1951: Dominic DeGeorge was charged with operating an unregistered vehicle and paid a fine of $5 and costs on his plea of guilty. DeGeorge was arrested by state patrolman Raymond Wiley. He appeared before Justice of the Peace William Belter.
Dominic DeGeorge, 21, was killed in a truck accident in September 1952. Dominic was instantly killed about 2:30am when his car rolled over three times east of Big Flats Corners. His body was found on the highway at 5:45am by motorist Don Stiegleman who called Sheriff Russell Henningson and Coroner Robert Roseberry. It was believed DeGeorge fell asleep.
Shortly afterward woodsman and hunting guide Victor “Bunk” Travis, who was allegedly seen drinking with Dominic before he died, went missing and was never found. The elder DeGeorge had allegedly warned Travis to stay away from his son, and after Dominic’s death blamed Travis. (Everyone in Adams County seems convinced DeGeorge killed Travis, but the evidence is non-existent and most of the “facts” seem hard to verify. There is the story that a hunter named “Ray” was really mobster Jack Enea and he did the job… but I have no idea how they make that leap.)
May 1953: The new DeGeorge school in the town of Richfield was formally dedicated with a program participated in by pupils, teachers and district and county officials. The school, completed during the past year, consists of three classrooms and a kitchen. It was named for Dominck De George. His father, James De George, has contributed $1,000 toward the improvement of the school grounds. The program, which also served as closing exercises for the school year, included recitations, group singing and instrumental music by the pupils. Included among the speakers were I.S. Jones, county superintendent of schools; James DeGeorge; Mrs. Mary Kirsenlohr, school district treasurer; and the school’s two teachers, Mrs. Beth McGonegal and Mrs. Vala Zwetz.
August 23, 1955: Mary Tallo DeGeorge died in Glenview, Illinois at 45 years old. Tony Accardo, Sam (Mooney) Giancana, Jackie Cerone, Sam Drago, Joey Glimco and others paid their respects at the funeral in Cicero. Jim DeGeorge would be remarried to Catherine Colletti.
DeGeorge was present for the 1962 opening of Chicago gambling house Villa Venice as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. performed. Others who attended included Sam Giancana, Rocco Potenza, Joseph Fischetti, William Daddano, Marshall Caifano, Jimmy Allegretti, and Felix Alderisio.
In 1963 DeGeorge was investigated for reported farm losses exceeding income by thousands of dollars for the entire decade of the 1950s. The income reported to the state did not exceed $23,000 in any year from 1951 thru 1959. But the losses reported on his ranch – which hit $36,000 in 1957 – always exceeded his income.
From 1965-1973, DeGeorge sold off much of his Adams County land. Over 3,000 acres of cattle grazing land were sold in a single transaction to Dr. Homer B. Field for $663,850. As of 2019, this land is owned by Heartland Farms.
On January 7, 1966 his son Vincent died of smoke inhalation in a second floor bedroom while his house, at 3716 North Kedvale Avenue, was on fire. There was speculation at the time this was a “mob hit” but there is no evidence of this. After the coroner came to receive Vincent DeGeorge’s body, his father drove up in his Cadillac with Anthony Pinelli, Jr., and driver Ben Spinato. The three loaded up the Cadillac with cartons of documents from file cabinets in the basement of the fire damaged house. Tribune reporter Robert Weidrich noted that James DeGeorge was a power in the local grape industry and was connected with Pinelli, who has extensive vineyards in California. He also had interests in olive oil, cheese, bread and macaroni industries.
September 1967: Federal tax liens totaling $24,601 have been filed against James DeGeorge, owner of the 4,000 acre Triple D Ranch in the offices of the Adams and Waushara County registers of deeds. The liens are for income taxes allegedly owned for the years 1959 through 1961 and for 1965.
December 1973: A $69,323 circuit court suit has been settled out of court. Terms of the settlement were not revealed. James DeGeorge and the First National Bank of Kenosha, trustee of a trust with the Triple D ranch as its asset, and cattle farmer Paal Mykelbust of Sauk County, were parties in the contract dispute. DeGeorge sought $43, 325 in loss of rents for 1971 and 1972 and the Mykelbusts sought $23,000 in an amended counterclaim for loses incurred in the sale of their cattle they claimed DeGeorge had agreed to care for.
March 16, 1978: The DeGeorge school was destroyed by fire. Rumors persisted it was arson, but fire inspectors believed it was caused by an electric laminating machine.
He died in Chicago on October 13, 1978 of heart failure.