Donald Angelini (September 30, 1926 – December 6, 2000) was a

mobster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...

nicknamed "The Wizard of Odds" with the

Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or the Organization, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family based in Chicago, I ...

, a

criminal organization In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

that specialized in

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

operations.

Career

After years in the Outfit, Angelini became the

caporegime A ''caporegime'' or ''capodecina'', usually shortened to ''capo'' or informally referred to as "captain", "skipper" or "lieutenant", is a leadership position in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia). A ''capo'' is a "made m ...

for a crew operating illegal gambling rackets in

Elmhurst, Illinois Elmhurst is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Cook County, Illinois, Cook counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 45,786 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History M ...

. Angelini operated a highly successful

sports betting Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. Sports bettors place their wagers either legally, through a sportsbook or bookmaker (colloquially known as "bookies"), or illegally through priva ...

empire along with Dominic Cortina.''United States v. Cortina'', 733 F. Supp. 1195 (21 March 1990, Eastern Division of the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois) He was the brother-in-law to Chicago Outfit mobster Michael Caracci. In 1986, Angelini became the Outfit's enforcer in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

; his job was to protect the Outfit's illegal

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

profits. Angelini replaced

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

mobster Tony "The Ant" Spilotro in running the skim. Tony Spilotro and his brother,

Michael Spilotro Michael Peter "Micky" Spilotro (September 12, 1944 – June 14, 1986) was the younger brother of Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and was an associate of the Chicago organized crime organization referred to as " The Outfit". Family background Mi ...

, had been killed by the Chicago Outfit. White haired, trim, and very well-spoken with a pleasant smile, Angelini was a total opposite of the brutal Spilotro. Angelini found himself operating with a new crew in Las Vegas at a time when the Outfit's flagship casinos were badly crimped due to federal investigations. However, Angelini himself avoided arrest while there. In the late 1980s, Angelini, Sam "Wings" Carlisi, and John "No Nose" DiFronzo attempted to extend Outfit influence over the gambling operations of the

Rincon Indian Reservation Rincon or Rincón (Spanish for ''corner'') may refer to: * Rincon (meadow) * Rincon (abandoned meander) People * Rincon (surname) * Rincón (footballer, born 1977), born Gilvan Santos Souza, Brazilian football striker * Rincón (footballer, bo ...

near

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Their objective was to skim profits off the casino profits there. In 1989, Angelini was sentenced to 37 months in prison on gambling and

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act 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. RICO was e ...

(RICO) charges resulting from the Rincon operation. On October 14, 1994, Angelini was released from prison.

Death

Donald Angelini died on December 6, 2000.

Notes

References

* Roemer, William F., Jr. (1990) ''War of the Godfathers: the Bloody Confrontation Between the Chicago and New York Families for the Control of Las Vegas'' Donald I. Fine, New York,

External links

ISPN Spring 1994 Who Rules Vegas?
By William F. Roemer, Jr.
American Mafia.com 2000:A Look At Mob Hits, Misses, Disappearances, and Deaths In AmericaFederal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator Website
*http://realdealmafia.com/chicagolist.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Angelini, Donald 1926 births 2000 deaths American gangsters of Italian descent Chicago Outfit mobsters