Apr 26, 2009 Article by Joseph Fosco | 8 comments

No Rimshot For Vito ‘Drumhead’ Scavo As Andersson Takes The Case

On the morning of April 23, 2009, I rushed to the Dirksen Federal building in Chicago with a postal money order in hand. I needed it to secure the services of the U.S. Marshals Office to serve the defendants in my civil RICO complaint (which accuses members and associates of the Chicago Outfit of extorting and conspiring to murder me – case # 09 CV 01882). Yes, I actually got a judge to give me the go ahead to use the Marshals to serve the men involved in my case. Evidently no one aside from these federal agents is brave enough to confront members of the Chicago Outfit.

After submitting my payment to the Marshals Office, I could not resist visiting Vito Scavo’s courtroom. I am sure that I will visit the courtroom again, if only to watch Drumhead in action.

Vito ‘Drumhead’ Scavo, former Melrose Park Police Chief

My friend Buddy had a pet nickname for Vito Scavo – Drumhead. Buddy sure was good at giving people nicknames. Anyone that has ever seen Scavo would agree that his head is very large, not to mention shiny. While I am sure his nogin lacks the acoustic qualities of a real drumhead, I have no doubt there is a long list of people that would be willing to try a drumroll on it. First in line seems to be the federal government.

Scavo is fighting the government’s allegations that he was running a private security company through the Melrose Park Police Department. I arrived at his courtroom at roughly 11:00 AM. As soon as I entered the room, Scavo and I locked eyes for a couple of seconds. I offered Vito a smile when I saw him, but not as big a smile as I offered Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Andersson. Mr. Andersson is a phenomenal prosecutor. And I am pleased that he is working on the Scavo case. Mr. Andersson has a wealth of knowledge on matters involving Melrose Park. If his boss, Mr. Fitzgerald, had anything to do with assigning the Scavo case to Mr. Andersson, I applaud Mr. Fitzgerald for making a great decision.

I am sorry that I missed the testimony of Melrose Park Police Lt. Joseph Urso. I once filed a complaint against Urso’s father, Cook County Judge Joe Urso, for allegedly having unethical involvement in a case lodged against me by Jack P. Cerone. What I find very interesting about Lt. Urso’s cooperation with the government is, in my opinion, if it were not for Chicago Outfit Boss Joe Aiuppa, both Ursos might be working as menial laborers instead of having prestigious jobs.

Mr. Andersson was the prosecutor when my late friend Buddy Ciotti was dealing with his federal indictment on gambling-related charges. The day that Buddy was sentenced was the first time that I had the chance of seeing Mr. Andersson. I recall his hair being a little longer back then. I like his hairstyle is much better now.

Since the Ciotti sentencing (which cannot be compared to the Scavo matter as Ciotti was man enough to admit fault), I was sure to read whatever media articles that I came across involving Mr. Andersson. This is how I have determined that Mr. Andersson is a phenomenal prosecutor. If anyone should be appointed to a federal judgeship, it is Mr. Andersson. I believe it was Mr. Anderson that assisted the government in confiscating 1.3 million dollars from the fat and bald Rocco Infelise (and his rap-partner) in the 1990s.

While I was watching the testimony of a witness in the Scavo case, I was thinking of all of the bad things that I know about Scavo. One of the last times that I saw Scavo, he was eating some homemade ‘supersot’ that Johnny DiFronzo brought toIllinois State Representative Skip Saviano’s house in Elmwood Park while celebrating Good Friday. Funny, I never saw Mrs. Peter DiFronzo there.

I have one question, though. How can Drumhead afford his legal defense? Could it be that he made a ridiculous fortune in the security business? If I were called to testify against Scavo, I would offer that he collected a small fortune from my friend Buddy Ciotti, who admitted to running an illegal gambling operation in Melrose Park (and its surrounding suburbs). I am certainly not the only person who knows these things. Drumhead has made his share of enemies who know much more than I do about his illict operations. That being said, I bet that Scavo’s racketeering charges should stick.