Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness by Dennis N. Griffin
Authors: Dennis N. Griffin
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was only inside a couple of minutes when two Italian detectives he knew came in.
“Frankie, we need to talk to you,” one of the cops said. “We arrested your brother for robbery and we’re holding him at the station. He’s really worried about how you’re going to react, so we told him we’d try to find you before you got the news somewhere else.”
“I appreciate that. I really do. But Joey’s a straight kid. What the fuck happened?”
“Why don’t you come to the station with us and we’ll explain everything on the way.”
After promising he’d keep his composure and not take his frustration out on Joey when he saw him, Frank and the detectives headed out for the station. On the way the officers told him what they knew.
“According to your brother and other witnesses, Joey and another guy, who we’re still looking for, were holding up the store when this kid who knew your brother came in and started to say hello to him. Joey panicked, grabbed the kid, and ran out of the store. As they were running, Joey’s gun went off and the bullet caught the kid in the leg. Then Joey got really scared. He tried to find you and took the kid into a bar where he thought you might be, but you weren’t there. The kid was bleeding and one of the Outfit guys in the place told Joey he had two choices: Take the kid to the hospital or kill him. He brought the boy to the hospital. We arrested him there and he and the kid gave us the whole story.”
“How about the kid? How bad is he hurt?”
“He’s going to be okay; it was just a minor wound.”
Frank thanked the detectives for coming to get him. Although they had an adversarial relationship, these particular cops were human beings and understood what Frank was going through. He tried to give them money to show his gratitude, but they wouldn’t take it.
When Frank got to see his brother, Joey started to cry. He gave Frank a lame excuse for why he’d pulled the robbery. Frank knew the story was bullshit, but Joey was still his brother. He arranged for his bail and hired a lawyer.
Frank had all he could do to keep from laughing during the initial meeting he and Joey had with the attorney. The lawyer didn’t mince his words when he addressed the younger Cullotta. “Don’t try to put yourself in the same category as your brother. He’s been stealing since the day you were born. Here you are, a Johnny-comelately, trying to be a crook, a tough guy. Well, you’re not. You’re just a dumb son-of-a-bitch.”
Afterward they discussed Joey’s case. The lawyer said that even though there’d been a shooting, it was an accident and the boy hadn’t been seriously hurt. He thought he might be able to get Joey off with probation as a first-time offender. As the attorney predicted, Joey was sentenced to five years probation.
Frank wanted Joey to get into something legit, where he could make an honest living. Joey enrolled in school to become a barber. But instead of being satisfied to cut hair in a shop with a couple of chairs, he went on to become a successful hair stylist and made a lot of money. Frank is very proud of what Joey accomplished.
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•
•
Frank had always been attracted to Italian girls. He believed that they had old-fashioned values, so they’d be more devoted to their husbands than American women.
One night while he was making the rounds of the Chicago saloons, he met Marie, of Sicilian ancestry, and Frank liked her right away. She said she didn’t know how to drive, so he made a date to teach her. From there, things got serious. Frank brought her home to meet his mother and she seemed to like Marie.
One day Marie called Frank and asked him to come to her house. When he got there, he found that she and her mother were arguing. Marie packed her clothes and loaded her suitcase into Frank’s car. He took her to his house, but because he lived with his mother, she slept in a separate bedroom.
Josephine Cullotta never warmed up to Marie,
“Frankie, we need to talk to you,” one of the cops said. “We arrested your brother for robbery and we’re holding him at the station. He’s really worried about how you’re going to react, so we told him we’d try to find you before you got the news somewhere else.”
“I appreciate that. I really do. But Joey’s a straight kid. What the fuck happened?”
“Why don’t you come to the station with us and we’ll explain everything on the way.”
After promising he’d keep his composure and not take his frustration out on Joey when he saw him, Frank and the detectives headed out for the station. On the way the officers told him what they knew.
“According to your brother and other witnesses, Joey and another guy, who we’re still looking for, were holding up the store when this kid who knew your brother came in and started to say hello to him. Joey panicked, grabbed the kid, and ran out of the store. As they were running, Joey’s gun went off and the bullet caught the kid in the leg. Then Joey got really scared. He tried to find you and took the kid into a bar where he thought you might be, but you weren’t there. The kid was bleeding and one of the Outfit guys in the place told Joey he had two choices: Take the kid to the hospital or kill him. He brought the boy to the hospital. We arrested him there and he and the kid gave us the whole story.”
“How about the kid? How bad is he hurt?”
“He’s going to be okay; it was just a minor wound.”
Frank thanked the detectives for coming to get him. Although they had an adversarial relationship, these particular cops were human beings and understood what Frank was going through. He tried to give them money to show his gratitude, but they wouldn’t take it.
When Frank got to see his brother, Joey started to cry. He gave Frank a lame excuse for why he’d pulled the robbery. Frank knew the story was bullshit, but Joey was still his brother. He arranged for his bail and hired a lawyer.
Frank had all he could do to keep from laughing during the initial meeting he and Joey had with the attorney. The lawyer didn’t mince his words when he addressed the younger Cullotta. “Don’t try to put yourself in the same category as your brother. He’s been stealing since the day you were born. Here you are, a Johnny-comelately, trying to be a crook, a tough guy. Well, you’re not. You’re just a dumb son-of-a-bitch.”
Afterward they discussed Joey’s case. The lawyer said that even though there’d been a shooting, it was an accident and the boy hadn’t been seriously hurt. He thought he might be able to get Joey off with probation as a first-time offender. As the attorney predicted, Joey was sentenced to five years probation.
Frank wanted Joey to get into something legit, where he could make an honest living. Joey enrolled in school to become a barber. But instead of being satisfied to cut hair in a shop with a couple of chairs, he went on to become a successful hair stylist and made a lot of money. Frank is very proud of what Joey accomplished.
•
•
•
Frank had always been attracted to Italian girls. He believed that they had old-fashioned values, so they’d be more devoted to their husbands than American women.
One night while he was making the rounds of the Chicago saloons, he met Marie, of Sicilian ancestry, and Frank liked her right away. She said she didn’t know how to drive, so he made a date to teach her. From there, things got serious. Frank brought her home to meet his mother and she seemed to like Marie.
One day Marie called Frank and asked him to come to her house. When he got there, he found that she and her mother were arguing. Marie packed her clothes and loaded her suitcase into Frank’s car. He took her to his house, but because he lived with his mother, she slept in a separate bedroom.
Josephine Cullotta never warmed up to Marie,
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