Introduction
“A lot of what they
did in 30 ‘s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70s and 80s is legal today.”
A solid piece of bulletproof glass is
over one inch think, but just like any other piece of glass it is transparent. Behind
the glass is anyone or anything worthy of protection, perhaps, the President of
the United States of America, a teller at the Bank of America or a restaurant.
Wait, a restaurant? Why would a restaurant need bulletproof glass? The purpose
of this specific piece of bulletproof glass was to protect the Smaldone Italian
Crime family. Located at 38th Avenue and Tejone Street in Denver,
Colorado. Gaetano’s Italian restaurant has had a bulletproof front door since
1947. (The Restaurant has since been take over in the mid 90s by the Wynkoop
family of restaurants and has no connection to the mafia) The only reminisces
left of the Smaldone legacy are the little news clip it’s of past Denver Post
articles on “the family”, the bullet proof front door and the great Italian
food. The slogan was and still continues to be “ Italian to Die For.” Which is fitting for a place known for its
boot legging, illegal gambling and loan sharking. The only reason this
restaurant survived it’s owners being put in jail, cars driving through the
front door, and changes of ownership, is the great Italian food. This story is
not about Italian food, a restaurant takeover or a piece of glass - it is about
an impenetrable fortress, sheltering some of the most notorious mobsters Denver
has ever known.
Greed, jealousy, drugs, family destroyed
itself from the inside out
The Beginning of a Legacy
“You know they chased
Ralph out of New Orleans.”
Ralph Smaldone was a first generation
Italian Immigrant born in Potenza, Italy in 1882. Little Ralph and his family
left Italy for the United States when he was only a couple years old. Buffalo,
New York was the first taste Ralph and his family got of America. The first
taste was sour as it was for most immigrants. The Smaldones left Buffalo, to
the west following most of America at the time. Mamie Smaldone was born in
America after her mother emigrated from Italy. First residing in New York then
slowly finding her way to Colorado. Ralph and Mamie Smaldone got married in the
1910s something (still trying to
find date) They had many children
boys named Ralph Jr., Eugene, Clyde, Clarence, Andrew and girls named Genevieve,
Corinne, and Angie. Also they had a pair of identical twins die at birth.
Italians love having a big family and love making money.
Making money was not easy at first for
Ralph. He did what he could to keep his large family happy, which was make
money. He did various jobs even around Denver from picking crops, railroading,
and finally owning a small café. Just like all the people that start en empire-
it takes hard work. This employment did not last long because the family caught
its big break, which of coarse was the illegal bootlegging of liquor. Colorado
made alcohol illegal in 1916, 4 years before the rest of the United States of
America. For most people the band was unnecessary and painful, but for the
Smaldones it was necessary and profitable. Ralph saw this opportunity and
enlisted the help of his two best soldiers: Clyde and Eugene “Checkers”. Clyde
being the oldest took the position as the leader of the two and from there the
business soared. For the first couple of years the boys worked as peddlers for
their father, running liquor back, fourth and around Denver. It did not take
long for Clyde and “Checkers” to start expanding beyond their father’s control.
Taking the Denver bound business and making it prevalent in most of all of the
deep back alleys in mid-west cities. They did this by fist stealing insane
amounts of alcohol, then selling it back to the same customers of the joint
they just stole from for less then they were paying in the first place. This
business tactic shut down most of the competition made them a lot of money but
most of all a lot of enemies. Joe Roma took the boys under his wing. At the Time
Mr. Roma was the head of the mafia at Colorado and without him Clyde and
checkers might be dead. Roma saw Clyde’s business smarts and he gave Clyde and
Cheekers jobs. Soon the boys quickly made it to Romas right had man.
Being the leader and smart businessman that
he is Clyde saw that his crew needed help for protection and help to expand.
Guess who he called up? Al Capone. Lets just say, beside law enforcement, there
were very few problems after that. With the help of the Capone Mafia the boys
didn’t even need to make/steal liquor anymore. Moonshine was brought across the
boarder from Canada and Mexico, using bribed guards and fake bottles. Canada
had the biggest supply and the easiest ways into America. Mexico had the finest
America bourbon but was the biggest hassle to get back into the United States.
Liquor was also brought to Ottumwa, Iowa, and the boys helped produce,
supposedly, the best illegal moonshine in the country. The Smaldone boys Clyde,
“Checkers”, and now the youngest brother Clarence “Chauncey” were making a lot
of money for their family, until the end. This lucrative business all came to
an end in December 1933 with the end of prohibition.
The Year 1933
“To protect their mom
and dad from bootleggin’ they made a deal. The police didn’t care because they
were having trouble with the boys anyway. “
The end of Prohibition was not the only unpleasant thing to
happen in 1933 for the Smaldone family. In early 1933, just a little before
prohibition was over, Ralph and Mamie were being charged with illegal
bootlegging of liquor. Ralph was selling it out of there home, which was also a
restaurant at the time, called the Tejone Café. “Checkers”, Clyde and “Chauncey” were particularly involved
in the bootlegging; they were among the most notorious bootleggers of the time,
along with Al Capone. The boys knew it was their time and that they were going
to make it, all they needed was the restaurant and their parents. Clyde and the
other boys fought for their parents. Claiming that their parents were just
immigrants, oblivious to American law. When this was not working the boys
claimed that it was just police retaliation for the things that Clyde and
company were doing. Clyde and Checkers bravely stepped up to the plate to
served the 3-year sentence for their parents.
While this was going on, the plot to kill
Joe Roma was being set in motion. Joe Roma was the big boss in a figurative
sense. Joe was a little less then 5’1 and way less then 200 pounds. His small
stature was nothing next to his huge attitude and big business since. Roma was
not a very liked man because of his smallness but he rose to the top anyway.
This rise was contributed to the many deaths and arrests because of prohibition
between 1920-1930. Roma was one of the most powerful bosses because of his
whole control of the liquor sales in Colorado and his connection to Al Capone.
Romas right hand man was Clyde Smaladone. Clyde was thought even to be the
brain behind the bootlegging operation. This is why some were suspecting that
Clyde was the one to murder Joe Roma. On February 18,1933 Joe Roma’s house was
broken into by two men and his head was almost blown clean off with 6, .45. And
.38 caliber bullets. No one took the blame for the murder and the killers were
never found. The truth is that, there were too many suspects. Could it be
bootleggers from the south wanting control back, or was it someone close to Joe
trying to take over the business for good? A lot of fingers were pointed at
Clyde and Checkers Smaldone. At Joe’s funeral the Smaldone boys showed up and
brought the two biggest flower arrangements at the funeral. The grief was
evident, their innocents questioned but one thing was for sure; The Smaldones
were now the most powerful crime family in Denver.
The Restaurant
“Late 40s early 50s
Gaetano’s was doing real well good food, good drinks and entertainment one of
the best places in north Denver.”
After Clyde and Checkers’ served the
prison sentence in Leavenworth, Kansas they knew they needed a front to run a
successful gambling business. The family already had a small café but the cops
had already busted the illegal gambling out of the basement, in 1933. In 1947 Eugene, Clyde and Clarence moved the old café onto the corner of
38th and Tejone, then renamed it Gaetano’s (Italian for Clyde). The
old café was famous for its great Italian food so it was easy to get customers
to Gaetano’s. During the late 40’s and 50’s the restaurant thrived. Prohibition
was over so Gaetano’s bar was a hot spot for great food, great drinks and great
entertainment. Barbooth was being played in the basement and loans were getting
taken. Business was booming for the restaurant and so was the illegal business
within its walls.
Everything
was fine and dandy until 1953. In 1948 Checkers won a car in a crap game but
failed to file the correct taxes on the car. Checkers was on trail in 1953 for
income tax evasion, he was facing 3 years in prison. Checkers did not want to
go back in jail so he asked his brother Clyde for help. Clyde decided to bribe a juror. He got
caught and the brothers were sentenced to 88 years in Leavenworth, Kansas. The
two owners of Gaetano’s restaurant were going to be sent to jail for what
seemed to be the rest of their natural lives and then maybe a few decades when
they are dead. Then because of
their extreme sentence the state of Colorado took the restaurant’s liquor license
away. There was no more liquor, no more gambling and no more fun. Gaetano’s had
to sell food, not dice rolls, loans and liquor.
The Rebuild
“The food, the pizza,
the pasta! It was good and it did actually pretty well it was a family run
restaurant the brothers, sisters, mother and daughters in laws helped out.”
Gaetano’s had two things going for it,
delicious food and a determined family. There was no doubt that the restaurant
would struggle but it was the only thing the family had left. The food business
was taken over by the cousins, wives, and daughters in law, children and mother
of Clyde and Checkers Smaldone. They also helped out in the “other” business but younger brothers
Anthony, Chauncey and Cousin Paulie Villano were slowly keeping it in cheek.
Although they were not doing anything big they still were starting to get their
noses dirty. Gaetano’s started to thrive again the food was too good to pass up
and regulars kept coming back. In 1961 Gaetano’s got its liquor license back
and things were looking up. The young boys who took over the business were
becoming tougher and more experienced.
The shock
of everyone’s lives that was involved with the Smaldones came in 1962. The Supreme
Court ruled that he Smaldones sentenced was unjustly convicted and the 9 years
they spent in jail was enough. Clyde and Checkers Smaldone were released from prison.
The family’s lives have taken a sharp turn again but this time is was positive.
A person, present the day Clyde and Checkers came out of jail, recalled this.
“ When word got out in Denver that Clyde
and checkers were being released from Leavenworth in 1962 many rushed to
Gaetano’s restaurant to pay the debt that they owed the boys before they went
to prison. They never thought the boys would get out until they overturned it.
No one wanted any trouble. I remember the line was out the door and almost
around the block. They all had envelopes in their hands almost too eager to
give their money away. ”
Things
changed while Clyde and Checkers were in prison. Fist of all Clyde was getting
old. He never returned to prison after 1962, he just stayed in the background.
40 years of bootlegging, gunfights, accused murders, and jail time was enough
for Clyde. Checkers was now the head of the family. Second, Anthony, Chauncey
and Paulie Valliano wanted more
responsibility because of what they had done while the brothers were in prison.
Finally, while they were in prison their reign was put on hold. Other young
Italians believed it was their turn to run things in Denver.
Past the Prime
“The F.B.I broke in
one night while the restaurant was closed and bugged the downstairs office.”
It
was the right time to be a Smaldone in the 1960’s, Gaetano’s had its liquor
license back, Ralph and checkers were out of jail, and pro sports were becoming
extremely popular in the United States. The Denver pro sports obsession was
backed by the Smaldone bookies. Las Vegas was drawing most of the dice rollers
and card players across the country to the casinos. With the banishing of the
liquor license in 1953 the basement of Gaetano’s was just turned into an
office, loan station and bet talking room. But with all this good news it was
obvious that the family was past its prime.
The
fall of the family started with checkers son, Eugene. Checkers loved his son
dearly and never really wanted him to come into the family business. Eugene was
brought into the business when his dad was brought to prison in 1953. He first
started in the restaurant but eventually he got involved with the bookmaking.
He was in charge of collecting some of the debts that were supposed to be paid
while Clyde and Checkers were in jail. When the boys did get out of jail they
could never find the money that was owed to them. Eugene said he didn’t take it
and the men paying off his debt said that he did just that. Eugene was stealing
money from the family to buy, use and sell narcotics especially cocaine. Eugene
was finally banished from the family in 1972 when he was caught coming back
from Peru with 6 pounds of cocaine.
Checkers
was getting old and the falling out with his son was getting to him. Chauncey and cousin Paulie Villanno
started taking control of the loan sharking and bookmaking. These were some of
the most profitable times for the family but it was also a time where jail was
frequent. In the 1970s and 1980s the business was taking in one million to one
and a half million a week. This type of money was not being taken to lightly.
The Fbi shows up
busts the family with a bug.
Also have to tie
in family ties with casino in vagas said to have owned all the booke making at
the billagio. Do I have to tie this in or is it off topic?
Are there storys
or sections of the paper I can do without?
Are any boring?
Still have to
tie in meaning… Help on that
I still have a
bunch of quotes from my book would that help?
I still don’t
know how to end it…..
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