Dominic Cortina
Encyclopedia
Dominic Cortina was a Chicago mobster and high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit
criminal organization, who oversaw gambling. His nicknames were "Big Dom", "Large", and "the Hat."
machine and reported it stolen. Before it surfaced, millions of dollars in bogus tax stamps had been run off for the mob.
In 1963, Cortina was among associates of the Chicago Outfit named at a United States Senate
hearing.
In 1970, Cortina was convicted of federal gambling charges for operating a gambling business across state lines. He was sentenced to three years in prison. The convictions of Cortina and four other alleged gangsters, including that of Jackie Cerone
, were touted as a milestone in the FBI
's effort to smash coast-to-coast betting rackets on sports.
In 1982, an Illinois legislative investigating committee linked a bingo parlor on Chicago's Northwest Side to Cortina and another reputed syndicate gambling figure, William McGuire.
By the mid-1980s, Cortina was operating a highly successful sports betting empire along with Chicago Outfit
member Donald Angelini
.
In 1987, Cortina and Angelini were sent by Chicago Outfit
head Joseph Ferriola
to assume caretaker roles in Nevada
, in the wake of the murder of Anthony Spilotro
, who had overseen Chicago Outfit interests there.
On June 22, 1989, Cortina was arrested at his home and charged with conspiring with six others to engage in loan sharking, robbery, insurance fraud, gambling and the illegal import of cars into this country from Europe. The indictment, which was unsealed in Miami, Florida
, alleged that Cortina and others had conspired since 1982 to steal and defraud, using a North Miami Beach, Florida
pawn shop as a cover for their activities. Cortina, who also had maintained a home in Naples, Florida
, was accused in the indictment of racketeering conspiracy, plotting a home invasion in which an expensive diamond ring was taken, running a bookmaking operation and cheating the government out of payment of tens of thousands of dollars in customs duties on so-called "grey market
" cars imported from West Germany.
On November 8, 1989, Cortina, Angelini and an associate, Joseph Spadavecchio, were charged with running a multimillion-dollar sports betting ring between 1982 and 1988. Cortina was alleged to have supervised offices on Chicago's West Side and in its west suburbs that were used to take bets on professional and college football, basketball and baseball games. Cortina, Angelini and Spadavecchio all pleaded guilty to running the sports betting ring. Federal investigators presented evidence showing that the gambling ring operated in 16 locations in Chicago, Oak Park, Illinois
and Bensenville, Illinois
and took in $127,309,188 during that period.
On March 21, 1990, United States District Judge Nicholas John Bua
sentenced Cortina and Angelini each to 21 months in prison and ordered each one to pay the $1,210 monthly cost of his imprisonment. Spadavecchio was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, fined $50,000 and also ordered to pay the cost of his imprisonment. Bua rejected prosecutors' request for sentences of approximately twice those lengths, noting that no federal court anywhere in the U.S. had sentenced individuals convicted of similar crimes to sentences of the length that prosecutors were requesting.
Cortina was released from federal prison in 1992, and later returned to federal prison after being convicted of other charges. He was released from federal prison for good on April 6, 1995.
Cortina never was associated with the violent faction of organized crime. In fact, he and Angelini were known for not strong-arming clients but instead for treating them politely. In some cases, prosecutors said, the duo even suggested that their clients give up gambling for their own well-being.
. The house backed up to a hotel parking lot, and investigators speculate that Cortina preferred the location because the location would make it more difficult for investigators to learn who was coming to see him. Cortina sold that house in 1994 for $710,000 and moved into a condominium unit nearby.
Cortina died on November 19, 1999 of cancer in a Chicago-area hospice.
Cortina was survived by his wife, Jody; two daughters, Pam Cortina and Vicki Annecca; a son, Michael; and five grandchildren Michelle Cortina, Joseph Cortina, Christine Cortina, Anna Annecca, who was named after his mother, Anna Cortina; Dominic Annecca, who was named in honor of Dominic himself.
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...
criminal organization, who oversaw gambling. His nicknames were "Big Dom", "Large", and "the Hat."
Chicago Outfit career
In the late 1940s, Cortina famously purchased a cigarette tax stampCigarette tax stamp
A cigarette tax stamp is any adhesive stamp, metered stamp, heat transfer stamp, or other form or evidence of payment of a cigarette tax . A cigarette tax stamp is a specific example of a revenue stamp....
machine and reported it stolen. Before it surfaced, millions of dollars in bogus tax stamps had been run off for the mob.
In 1963, Cortina was among associates of the Chicago Outfit named at a United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
hearing.
In 1970, Cortina was convicted of federal gambling charges for operating a gambling business across state lines. He was sentenced to three years in prison. The convictions of Cortina and four other alleged gangsters, including that of Jackie Cerone
Jackie Cerone
John "Jackie The Lackey" Cerone was a Chicago mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit, during the late 1960s. He was the younger brother of mobster Frank "Skippy" Cerone and father of lawyer, John Peter Cerone and husband to the late Clara Cerone.He was born to John Cerone Sr. and Rose Valant. He...
, were touted as a milestone in the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's effort to smash coast-to-coast betting rackets on sports.
In 1982, an Illinois legislative investigating committee linked a bingo parlor on Chicago's Northwest Side to Cortina and another reputed syndicate gambling figure, William McGuire.
By the mid-1980s, Cortina was operating a highly successful sports betting empire along with 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...
member Donald Angelini
Donald Angelini
Donald "The Wizard of Odds" Angelini was a mobster with the Chicago Outfit criminal organization who specialized in gambling operations....
.
In 1987, Cortina and Angelini were sent by 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...
head Joseph Ferriola
Joseph Ferriola
Joseph Ferriola , also known as, "Joe Nagall," "Mr. Clean" and "Oscar," was an American mobster who helped run the Chicago Outfit, from 1985 to 1988, after Joseph Aiuppa and John Cerone went to prison for skimming Las Vegas casino profits.- Early life :Joseph Anthony Ferriola was a product of...
to assume caretaker roles in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, in the wake of the murder of Anthony Spilotro
Anthony Spilotro
Anthony "The Ant" Spilotro was an Italian-American mobster and enforcer for the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas during the 1970s and 1980s. His job was to protect and oversee the Outfit's illegal casino profits...
, who had overseen Chicago Outfit interests there.
On June 22, 1989, Cortina was arrested at his home and charged with conspiring with six others to engage in loan sharking, robbery, insurance fraud, gambling and the illegal import of cars into this country from Europe. The indictment, which was unsealed in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, alleged that Cortina and others had conspired since 1982 to steal and defraud, using a North Miami Beach, Florida
North Miami Beach, Florida
North Miami Beach is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was incorporated in 1927 as Fulford, but was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was...
pawn shop as a cover for their activities. Cortina, who also had maintained a home in Naples, Florida
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
, was accused in the indictment of racketeering conspiracy, plotting a home invasion in which an expensive diamond ring was taken, running a bookmaking operation and cheating the government out of payment of tens of thousands of dollars in customs duties on so-called "grey market
Grey market
A grey market or gray market also known as parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer...
" cars imported from West Germany.
On November 8, 1989, Cortina, Angelini and an associate, Joseph Spadavecchio, were charged with running a multimillion-dollar sports betting ring between 1982 and 1988. Cortina was alleged to have supervised offices on Chicago's West Side and in its west suburbs that were used to take bets on professional and college football, basketball and baseball games. Cortina, Angelini and Spadavecchio all pleaded guilty to running the sports betting ring. Federal investigators presented evidence showing that the gambling ring operated in 16 locations in Chicago, Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
and Bensenville, Illinois
Bensenville, Illinois
Bensenville is a village located primarily in DuPage County, Illinois, with a small section near O'Hare International Airport in Cook County, Illinois, overlapping into the city of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 20,703. Bensenville is home to the Edge Ice Arena, home of...
and took in $127,309,188 during that period.
On March 21, 1990, United States District Judge Nicholas John Bua
Nicholas John Bua
Nicholas John Bua was a United States federal judge.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Bua was in the United States Army in 1943. He received a J.D. from De Paul University College of Law in 1953. He was in private practice in Chicago, Illinois from 1953 to 1963. He was a Presiding Judge, Melrose Park...
sentenced Cortina and Angelini each to 21 months in prison and ordered each one to pay the $1,210 monthly cost of his imprisonment. Spadavecchio was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, fined $50,000 and also ordered to pay the cost of his imprisonment. Bua rejected prosecutors' request for sentences of approximately twice those lengths, noting that no federal court anywhere in the U.S. had sentenced individuals convicted of similar crimes to sentences of the length that prosecutors were requesting.
Cortina was released from federal prison in 1992, and later returned to federal prison after being convicted of other charges. He was released from federal prison for good on April 6, 1995.
Cortina never was associated with the violent faction of organized crime. In fact, he and Angelini were known for not strong-arming clients but instead for treating them politely. In some cases, prosecutors said, the duo even suggested that their clients give up gambling for their own well-being.
Personal life
In August 1988, Cortina moved into a one-story home on Windsor Drive in Oak Brook, IllinoisOak Brook, Illinois
Oak Brook is a village in DuPage and Cook Counties, in Illinois. The population was 8,702 at the 2000 census. A suburb of Chicago, it is the headquarters of McDonald's and Lions Clubs International.-History:...
. The house backed up to a hotel parking lot, and investigators speculate that Cortina preferred the location because the location would make it more difficult for investigators to learn who was coming to see him. Cortina sold that house in 1994 for $710,000 and moved into a condominium unit nearby.
Cortina died on November 19, 1999 of cancer in a Chicago-area hospice.
Cortina was survived by his wife, Jody; two daughters, Pam Cortina and Vicki Annecca; a son, Michael; and five grandchildren Michelle Cortina, Joseph Cortina, Christine Cortina, Anna Annecca, who was named after his mother, Anna Cortina; Dominic Annecca, who was named in honor of Dominic himself.