Harry Aleman
Encyclopedia
Harry "The Hook" Aleman was a Chicago mobster who was one of most feared enforcer
s for the Chicago Outfit
during the 1970s. Aleman got the nickname "Hook" from his boxing career in high school.
area of Chicago
, Aleman was the first of three sons of Louis Aleman and Mary Virginia Baratta. The Legendary Taylor Street was the port-of-call for Chicago's Italian Americans. Aleman was a nephew of future Chicago Outfit acting mob boss Nicholas Ferriola and uncle to Joseph Aleman.
Aleman's mother was Italian, his father a native of Durango, Durango
Mexico
was involved in narcotics trafficking. In a 1997 interview, Aleman said that his father beat him every day. The only relief Aleman got was from ages seven to eleven, when Louis was in prison. (The two weeks of each summer, which Harry spent at the Bowen Country Club, must have, by definition, also provided a reprieve of sorts.)
In 1956, Aleman graduated from Crane Technical High School
and enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts to study commercial art
. In 1958, he graduated with a two year degree in that field. Aleman went to work selling race track program sheets and produce from the South Water Street Market.
In 1964, Aleman married Ruth Felper Mustari, a widow with four children. Due to an accident as a teenager, Aleman wasn't able to produce children of his own. However, according to Ruth and his stepchildren, he was a loving and kind husband and father.
.
During the 1960s, Aleman was also arrested for malicious mischief, illegal gambling, possession of burglary
tools, assault,
aggravated assault, grand theft auto
, armed robbery, and aggravated kidnapping
.
According to law enforcement and the Chicago Crime Commission
, Aleman committed 13 murders in Chicago between 1971 and 1976. His victims allegedly included Richard Cain
, a top aide to boss Sam Giancana
, along with counterfeiters, mob informants, a former police officer, and another mob enforcer. Aleman was prosecuted for only one murder: the 1972 Logan killing. FBI detectives were reported to have said that Aleman "oozed menace" and his mere presence was usually enough to enforce the will of the Mafia.
On September 27, 1972, Aleman murdered Teamster
Billy Logan in his Chicago neighborhood. One report was that Logan, married to Aleman's cousin, was mistreating his wife, and had called Aleman a guinea
. Another story is that Logan refused to help Aleman steal goods from some trucks. In any case, two witnesses saw Aleman commit the murder and prosecutors thought they had a strong case. However, just before the trial started in 1977, defense attorney Robert Cooley
offered a $10,000 bribe to Cook County
Circuit Court
Judge Frank Wilson to find Aleman innocent. Wilson agreed, but later demanded more money to compensate for the risk. As a result, Aleman was acquitted in a bench trial
.
In 1978, Aleman was convicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
of organizing a series of home invasion
robberies. Sentenced to thirty years imprisonment, Aleman spent time at federal correctional facilities in Marion, Illinois
, Atlanta, Georgia
, Oxford, Wisconsin
, and Milan, Michigan
. During this time in federal prison, Aleman took some college courses and started painting as a hobby. On April 28, 1989, after serving 11 years in prison, Aleman was released on parole
.
retirement home.
In 1991, Aleman pleaded guilty to extorting money from bookmakers Anthony Reitinger and Vince Rizza in 1972. Aleman was convicted and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. In 1993, based on Robert Cooley's testimony, Aleman was re-indicted for the 1972 Logan slaying. In 1997, Aleman was convicted of the Logan murder and sentenced to 300 years in state prison. Aleman's re-trial and subsequent conviction are historic as he is the first American to be retried for murder following a fraudulent first trial. The retrial, however, does not constitute double jeopardy
.
Aleman died from complications of lung cancer
, which he had been battling for many years, on May 15, 2010 at Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, Illinois
. He is buried in Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois
.
Enforcer
Enforcer may refer to:*A thug who uses physical force or the threat of physical force to coerce others*Enforcer , a role in ice hockey*Enforcer - Gaming :*Enforcer, a units in the Battle Realms video game...
s for the 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...
during the 1970s. Aleman got the nickname "Hook" from his boxing career in high school.
Early life
Born in the Taylor StreetLittle Italy, Chicago
Little Italy is a neighborhood on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The current boundaries of Little Italy are Ashland Avenue on the west and Morgan Street on the east — bracketed by Harrison Street on the north and Roosevelt Road; i.e., 12th Street, on the south...
area of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Aleman was the first of three sons of Louis Aleman and Mary Virginia Baratta. The Legendary Taylor Street was the port-of-call for Chicago's Italian Americans. Aleman was a nephew of future Chicago Outfit acting mob boss Nicholas Ferriola and uncle to Joseph Aleman.
Aleman's mother was Italian, his father a native of Durango, Durango
Durango, Durango
-Climate:The city of Durango has a semi-arid climate, classified as Bsk in the Koppen system. The climate is temperate in the western portion , with the average annual temperature being 15 °C and consisting of an average annual rainfall of 1,600 millimeters. In the eastern region, the average...
Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
was involved in narcotics trafficking. In a 1997 interview, Aleman said that his father beat him every day. The only relief Aleman got was from ages seven to eleven, when Louis was in prison. (The two weeks of each summer, which Harry spent at the Bowen Country Club, must have, by definition, also provided a reprieve of sorts.)
In 1956, Aleman graduated from Crane Technical High School
Crane High School (Illinois)
Richard T. Crane Technical Preparatory High School, commonly known as Crane Tech Prep or Crane Tech High School, is a public high school in Chicago, Illinois. It is located at 2245 West Jackson Boulevard in Chicago's Near West Side community area....
and enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts to study commercial art
Commercial art
Commercial art is historically a subsector of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. The term has become increasingly anachronistic in favor of more contemporary terms such as graphic design and advertising art.Commercial art traditionally...
. In 1958, he graduated with a two year degree in that field. Aleman went to work selling race track program sheets and produce from the South Water Street Market.
In 1964, Aleman married Ruth Felper Mustari, a widow with four children. Due to an accident as a teenager, Aleman wasn't able to produce children of his own. However, according to Ruth and his stepchildren, he was a loving and kind husband and father.
Start of criminal career
In 1962, Aleman was charged with assaulting Howard Pierson, the 23-year-old son of a Chicago police commander. The incident started when Aleman, at a bar with his brother and friends, pushed a woman through a large window. Pierson chased Aleman out of the bar, then flagged down a police car. Police soon stopped Aleman and started questioning him. When Pierson arrived at the scene, the enraged Aleman punched Pierson, breaking his jaw. Aleman was convicted, but received only two years' probationProbation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
.
During the 1960s, Aleman was also arrested for malicious mischief, illegal gambling, possession of burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
tools, assault,
aggravated assault, grand theft auto
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
, armed robbery, and aggravated kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
.
Work as enforcer
In the early 1970s, Aleman decided to force independent bookmakers in Chicago to pay extortion payments, or "street tax", to the Outfit. If the bookmakers refused, Aleman was willing to use force on them.According to law enforcement and the Chicago Crime Commission
Chicago Crime Commission
The Chicago Crime Commission is an independent, non-partisan civic watchdog organization of business leaders dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of organized criminal activity, especially organized crime, street gangs and the tools of their trade: drugs, guns, public corruption,...
, Aleman committed 13 murders in Chicago between 1971 and 1976. His victims allegedly included Richard Cain
Richard Cain
Richard Cain was a notoriously corrupt Chicago police officer, made man in the Chicago Outfit and a close associate of Mafia boss Sam Giancana. Several conspiracy theorists have claimed that Cain was directly involved in the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F...
, a top aide to boss Sam Giancana
Sam Giancana
Salvatore Giancana , better known as Sam Giancana, was a Sicilian-American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957-1966...
, along with counterfeiters, mob informants, a former police officer, and another mob enforcer. Aleman was prosecuted for only one murder: the 1972 Logan killing. FBI detectives were reported to have said that Aleman "oozed menace" and his mere presence was usually enough to enforce the will of the Mafia.
On September 27, 1972, Aleman murdered Teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
Billy Logan in his Chicago neighborhood. One report was that Logan, married to Aleman's cousin, was mistreating his wife, and had called Aleman a guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
. Another story is that Logan refused to help Aleman steal goods from some trucks. In any case, two witnesses saw Aleman commit the murder and prosecutors thought they had a strong case. However, just before the trial started in 1977, defense attorney Robert Cooley
Robert Cooley
Robert Cooley is a former Mafia lawyer, government informant and author of the 2004 autobiography, "When Corruption was King."-Early life:...
offered a $10,000 bribe to Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
Circuit Court
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
Judge Frank Wilson to find Aleman innocent. Wilson agreed, but later demanded more money to compensate for the risk. As a result, Aleman was acquitted in a bench trial
Bench trial
A bench trial is a trial held before a judge sitting without a jury. The term is chiefly used in common law jurisdictions to describe exceptions from jury trial, as most other legal systems do not use juries to any great extent....
.
In 1978, Aleman was convicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
of organizing a series of home invasion
Home invasion
Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally...
robberies. Sentenced to thirty years imprisonment, Aleman spent time at federal correctional facilities in Marion, Illinois
Marion, Illinois
The city of Marion is the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois. The 2010 census counted 17,193 residents, making Marion the 25th most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in Illinois, and the second most populous city in Southern Illinois, outside of the Metro-East, behind...
, Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Oxford, Wisconsin
Oxford, Wisconsin
Oxford is a village in Marquette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 536 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Oxford.-Geography:Oxford is located at ....
, and Milan, Michigan
Milan, Michigan
Milan is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,775 at the 2000 census. About 60% of the city's area and 75% of its residents are located on the Washtenaw County side adjacent to York Township in Washtenaw County; while 40% percent of the...
. During this time in federal prison, Aleman took some college courses and started painting as a hobby. On April 28, 1989, after serving 11 years in prison, Aleman was released on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
.
Prison for life
During the late 1980s, investigators started Operation GamBat, an extensive investigation into decades of corruption and mob ties inside the Chicago court system. In February 1990, fearing prosecution from his actions during the 1977 Logan trial, retired judge Frank Wilson shot himself to death at his ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
retirement home.
In 1991, Aleman pleaded guilty to extorting money from bookmakers Anthony Reitinger and Vince Rizza in 1972. Aleman was convicted and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. In 1993, based on Robert Cooley's testimony, Aleman was re-indicted for the 1972 Logan slaying. In 1997, Aleman was convicted of the Logan murder and sentenced to 300 years in state prison. Aleman's re-trial and subsequent conviction are historic as he is the first American to be retried for murder following a fraudulent first trial. The retrial, however, does not constitute double jeopardy
Double jeopardy
Double jeopardy is a procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same, or similar charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction...
.
Aleman died from complications of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, which he had been battling for many years, on May 15, 2010 at Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
. He is buried in Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois
Forest Park, Illinois
Forest Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in the United States. The population was 15,688 at the 2000 census...
.
Further reading
- Cooley, Robert. When Corruption was King: How I Helped the Mob Rule Chicago, Then Brought the Outfit DownWhen Corruption was KingWhen Corruption Was King: How I Helped the Mob Rule Chicago, then Brought the Outfit Down is a memoir written by Robert Cooley, a lawyer who worked for Mafia criminals in Chicago, U.S.A., but eventually turned in his former clients. The book is co-written by journalist Hillel Levin and was...
, Carroll & Graf (December 13, 2005) ISBN 0-7867-1583-9
External links
- Harry Aleman: Legacy of a Vicious, Reputed Mob Hitman by James McGough