# FBI Milwaukee airtel of January 6, 1965 on Frank Peter Balistrieri's tax indictment

Canonical: https://mobfiles.org/items/fbi-vault-balistrieri-p02-tax-indictment-airtel-1965/

An airtel from the Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge to the FBI Director reporting that Frank Peter Balistrieri, "boss of the Milwaukee family of La Cosa Nostra" in the Bureau's words, was indicted that day by a federal grand jury on tax charges.

Part 02 of the FBI Vault's "Frank Balistrieri" file, scan 133 in the viewer. Most of Part 02 is weekly airtels from the Milwaukee office to the Director about an informant, the greater part saying the informant had nothing pertinent. This page was filed from the OCR text; the page image of scan 133 is now stored here, and OCR dates elsewhere in this part are unreliable.

The airtel is dated 1/6/65, addressed "To: DIRECTOR, FBI (92-3116)" from "SAC, MILWAUKEE (94-316)." It reads, as far as the OCR can be read: "FRANK PETER BALISTRIERI, boss of the Milwaukee family of La Cosa Nostra, was according to Assistant U.S. Attorney ... Milwaukee, Wisconsin, indicted by a Federal Grand Jury January 6, 1965 for the following violations: Title 18, Section 371, USC: impedin[g] collection of taxes - 135 overt acts being charged; Title 2[6] Section 7201, USC, charging fraudu[lent] returns, two counts, for 1959 and 1960." Bracketed letters are this archive's reading of gaps in the OCR. An associate, whose name is redacted, was indicted on the same charge.

The charges match those described in the Seventh Circuit's 1968 opinion, [403 F.2d 472](/items/courtlistener-us-v-balistrieri-403-f2d-472/). "Boss of the Milwaukee family of La Cosa Nostra" is the Milwaukee office's own description in an internal communication. It is an FBI statement, not a charge in the indictment and not a court finding.

## Sources

- FBI Records: The Vault: https://vault.fbi.gov/frank-balistrieri/Frank%20Balistrieri%20Part%2002/view