Ken Eto
Encyclopedia
Ken Eto also known as Tokyo Joe and "The Jap", was a Japanese-American mobster with the Chicago Outfit
and eventually an FBI
informant who ran Asian gambling operations for the organization. He was the highest-ranking Asian-American in the organization and is also notable for his extraordinary survival of a murder attempt.
Eto was born in California
to a highly disciplinarian father. During World War II, Eto was interned
at Minidoka War Relocation Center, and was arrested in 1942 for violating wartime curfew at the camp. In 1949 he moved to Chicago
, where he set up an illegal gambling racket known as "bolito" and was managing up to $150,000 to $200,000 a week, including $3,000 a week payoffs to corrupt Chicago police.
Eto's gambling operation was eventually uncovered by the FBI, and Outfit capo Vincent Solano
was afraid that Eto would turn government witness. On February 10, 1983, a few weeks prior to sentencing on his gambling conviction he was invited to a dinner meeting. Afraid he was going to be shot, he took a bath and put on his best suit before heading out for the meeting. As he was sitting in a parked car, hitmen Jasper Campise and John Gattuso fired three shots into his head; however the bullets had only grazed his skull, and after regaining consciousnesses he dragged himself into a local pharmacy and called 911. Their failure to kill Eto was blamed on an insufficient amount of powder in the bullet cartridges. The two gunmen had packed their own ammunition to reduce their chances of being traced to Eto's murder.
Eto agreed to turn informant for the FBI and entered the witness protection program. On July 14, 1983, about five months after the unsuccessful hit, the bodies of Eto's would-be killers were found in the trunk of a car strangled to death in suburban Naperville, Illinois
. Eto testified in court against his former mob partners and helped put away 15 Outfit mobsters and their associates, including corrupt police officers.
Ken Eto died in Georgia
in 2004 at the age of 84, living under the name Joe Tanaka. He left behind six children.
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...
and eventually an 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...
informant who ran Asian gambling operations for the organization. He was the highest-ranking Asian-American in the organization and is also notable for his extraordinary survival of a murder attempt.
Eto was born in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to a highly disciplinarian father. During World War II, Eto was interned
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
at Minidoka War Relocation Center, and was arrested in 1942 for violating wartime curfew at the camp. In 1949 he moved to 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...
, where he set up an illegal gambling racket known as "bolito" and was managing up to $150,000 to $200,000 a week, including $3,000 a week payoffs to corrupt Chicago police.
Eto's gambling operation was eventually uncovered by the FBI, and Outfit capo Vincent Solano
Vincent Solano
Vincent Solano was a gangster, a caporegime for the Chicago Outfit who ran a corrupt Laborers Union local in Chicago.A longtime organized crime figure on Chicago's North Side, Solano served as chauffeur and bodyguard to mobster Ross Prio...
was afraid that Eto would turn government witness. On February 10, 1983, a few weeks prior to sentencing on his gambling conviction he was invited to a dinner meeting. Afraid he was going to be shot, he took a bath and put on his best suit before heading out for the meeting. As he was sitting in a parked car, hitmen Jasper Campise and John Gattuso fired three shots into his head; however the bullets had only grazed his skull, and after regaining consciousnesses he dragged himself into a local pharmacy and called 911. Their failure to kill Eto was blamed on an insufficient amount of powder in the bullet cartridges. The two gunmen had packed their own ammunition to reduce their chances of being traced to Eto's murder.
Eto agreed to turn informant for the FBI and entered the witness protection program. On July 14, 1983, about five months after the unsuccessful hit, the bodies of Eto's would-be killers were found in the trunk of a car strangled to death in suburban Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
. Eto testified in court against his former mob partners and helped put away 15 Outfit mobsters and their associates, including corrupt police officers.
Ken Eto died in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in 2004 at the age of 84, living under the name Joe Tanaka. He left behind six children.