Frank Balistrieri

On the record

• 1974 — An FBI Milwaukee report records a source's statement of September 30, 1974 that Balistrieri "has been a frequent visitor to the Las Vegas area over the past several months," apparently "to oversee a teamster loan" made to the Stardust and Fremont hotels. The report calls him "Milwaukee LCN boss" in a passage repeating an informant (Vault, Balistrieri Part 01, as far as the OCR can be read).
• 1974 — United States v. Cerone, 830 F.2d 938 (8th Cir. 1987), on the Government's theory: "According to the Government's theory of the case, in early 1974, Frank Balistrieri agreed to help Allen Glick obtain a loan from the Teamsters pension fund to buy the Stardust and Fremont casinos."
• 24 February 1986 — United States v. Spilotro, 786 F.2d 808 (8th Cir. 1986), says the 1983 indictment alleged that Aiuppa, Joseph Lombardo and Balistrieri "used their influence" with Teamsters pension trustees to obtain Glick's loan.
• 29 May 1984 — United States v. Balistrieri, 779 F.2d 1191 (7th Cir. 1985): "On May 29, 1984, he was sentenced to four years imprisonment" for the Milwaukee gambling convictions, which the court affirmed.
• 1985 — United States v. Cerone: "Carl DeLuna and Frank Balistrieri pled guilty during trial."
• 20 June 1958 — An FBI Milwaukee report's synopsis says he "continues to operate the Roosevelt Hotel" and that an "Informant advises BALISTRIERI is 'top man' in Italian-American element, Milwaukee" (Vault, Balistrieri Part 01, scan 146; OCR). An unnamed informant's phrase as the Bureau recorded it.
• 6 January 1965 — A Milwaukee airtel to the FBI Director calls him "boss of the Milwaukee family of La Cosa Nostra" and reports his indictment that day on tax charges for 1959 and 1960 (Vault, Balistrieri Part 02, scan 133; OCR). The Milwaukee office's description in an internal communication, not a charge or a finding.
• 7 November 1968 — United States v. Balistrieri, 403 F.2d 472 (7th Cir. 1968), affirms his conviction for income-tax evasion for 1959 and 1960, tried in the Southern District of Illinois, with a sentence of "two years imprisonment and fined $5000 on each count, the prison terms to run concurrently." The court held the government's evidence free of taint from admittedly illegal FBI eavesdropping.
• 21 April 1969 — Balistrieri v. United States, 394 U.S. 985: certiorari denied, with Justice Fortas, joined by Justice Douglas, dissenting over "An electronic 'bug,' installed by trespass," in his office and other surveillance the government did not deny.
• 16 June 1969 — Balistrieri v. United States, 395 U.S. 710: rehearing granted, the Seventh Circuit's judgment vacated, and the case remanded "for further proceedings in light of Alderman v. United States" and Giordano v. United States.
• 2 October 1979 — United States v. Balistrieri, 606 F.2d 216 (7th Cir. 1979): "Balistrieri was convicted in 1967 on two counts of filing false and fraudulent income tax returns after a trial before a jury. He was sentenced to two concurrent two-year prison terms." The court affirmed the orders on his coram nobis motion concerning FBI surveillance of a Milwaukee restaurant in 1964.
• 29 July 1978 — United States v. Balistrieri, 778 F.2d 1226 (7th Cir. 1985): "On July 29, 1978, Cobb had a meeting with Frank Balistrieri and others in Milwaukee during which Frank Balistrieri made threats against Cobb because Cobb had attempted to start a vending machine business in Milwaukee without his permission." Court opinion.
• 20 November 1985 — The same opinion affirms his conviction for conspiracy to extort and attempted extortion, with a sentence of "thirteen years imprisonment, to be served concurrently with the sentence he received on his gambling conviction."
• 8 October 1987 — United States v. Cerone, 830 F.2d 938 (8th Cir. 1987), footnote 1, attached to the court's summary of what "The Government charged": "co-conspirator Frank Balistrieri was the head of the Milwaukee group." The Government's charge as the court summarizes it; the same opinion says the Kansas City, Milwaukee and Cleveland groups "Initially" shared the skimmed money.

This page is limited to federal records. The role line quotes the Government’s charge as the Eighth Circuit summarizes it and the Milwaukee office’s own wording in a 1965 airtel; neither is a court finding of rank, and the airtel is read from imperfect OCR. The 1974 report’s “Milwaukee LCN boss” and the 1958 report’s “top man” repeat informants and are not used as a role. The Seventh Circuit’s opinion concerns Milwaukee sports gambling and does not mention Las Vegas. Balistrieri’s own argument that a judge held a belief about him is described on the opinion’s page and is not a finding.

Records