Feds closing in on indicted fugitives
NWI Times
Dec 20, 1990
http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/feds-closing-in-on-indicted-fugitives/article_562d40dd-f028-51d8-8b19-63a17cfc4598.html
HAMMOND - Federal authorities said Wednesday they came within a whisker of capturing one of two fugitives sought in an alleged organized crime gambling and extortion operation in Northwest Indiana and the south suburbs.
Peter "Cadillac Pete" Petros, 56, of Chicago spent Tuesday night in LaPorte, leaving just before police arrived to arrested him, said Robert Pertuso, FBI supervisory senior resident agent in Gary.
The search for Petros began Tuesday when a 29-count indictment, returned Friday by a federal grand jury, was unsealed. Petros was one of 15 people charged in the alleged organized crime scheme in which local businessmen were shaken down for a cut of the profit from illegal gambling operations.
Dominic "Tootsie" Palermo, 72, of Orland Hills, reportedly head of the crime syndicate that controls Northwest Indiana and the south suburbs, was arrested Tuesday and ordered held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. He has been identified by police as one of four territorial bosses for the Chicago "Outfit" La Costa Nostra crime family.
Prosecutors will ask during a detention hearing at 9:30 a.m. Friday before U.S. Magistrate Andrew P. Rodovich that Palermo and Nicholas "Nicky" Guzzino, 49, Chicago Heights, be held until their trial. Guzzino is believed by federal authorities to be Palermo's top lieutenant, with authority in Indiana and Illinois to collect "street taxes" on illegal gambling businesses.
The other fugitive in the case, Steve Sfouris, 55, of 1106 Camellia Drive, Munster, has apparently fled to Greece, Pertuso said. Because Sfouris is a native of Greece, it will be difficult to extradite him because of the laws of that country, he said. Nevertheless, Sfouris' extradition will be sought.
Sfouris has been sought since June, when U.S. District Court Judge James T. Moody issued an arrest warrant for failing to make a court appearance.
The Munster man allegedly ran the high-stakes Greek dice game known as "barbut." He has also been linked by authorities to prostitution operations run through strip joints he owned in Northwest Indiana.
All of the other men and women charged in the indictment made an initial appearance Tuesday before the magistrate and were released on bond.
They were: Bernard J. Morgano, 54, and Anthony Leone, 51, both of Valparaiso; Sam M. Glorioso, 48, of Gary; Anthony J. Ottomanelli, 60, of Portage; Ned M. Pujo, 51, of Portage; Yolande Martha Pujo, 55, of Portage; and Sam Nuzzo Sr., 69; Sam Nuzzo Jr., 45; Arthur A. Nuzzo, 33; Sandra T. Mynes, 43; and Jennifer Kaufman, 37, all of Merrillville.
Pertuso said he is pleased that 13 of the 15 people have been arrested. The indictments stems from an eight-year investigation by the FBI, the Indiana State Police and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana.
"We're ready to go to trial today," Pertuso said.
The indictments represent the largest organized crime case handled by the northern district, and federal officials said Tuesday they believe they have dealt a major blow to organized crime in the Chicago area.
The charges strike at the heart of a lucrative gambling and extortion operation in Lake and LaPorte counties overseen by Palermo, the heir to South Side boss Albert "Caesar" Tocco, who was convicted this year of racketeering, extortion and tax fraud.
Investigators said thousands of dollars were transported weekly from Indiana to Illinois, where the family is based. Besides the "street tax" collection, the crime family also allegedly made money from illegal sports betting operation, which includes a football parlay card game and the "barbut" games.
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