Apr 8, 2010 Article by Joseph Fosco | 35 comments

Chicago Outfit Boss John “No Nose” DiFronzo Ordered Rudy Fratto And Others To Murder Teamster Official Senese

When I was a little kid, my dad used to tell me about a friend of his that smoked one carton of cigarettes a day. This person was a fellow by the name of Dominic Senese. Like my father, Dominic was the secretary-treasurer of a Chicago based local for the Teamsters. In fact, the interests of Dominic’s local (#703) and my father’s local (#738) were intertwined at several major food companies located in Chicago. Dominic’s local represented produce employees and my father’s local represented warehousemen.

Sadly, my father’s local (#738) no longer exists because of the absentmindedness of its last secretary–treasurer, Albert Massey, who misappropriated funds approximately five years ago. Unbelievably, the misappropriation of said funds is not the entire reason for the demise of Local 738. My foolish brother, Armando, Jr., was offered the position of secretary-treasurer in order to save the local from going in to receivership. However, my brother was persuaded by Massey to pass on accepting the offer. Instead my brother joined him in a federal lawsuit attempting to win Massey back the local. The lawsuit failed and both Massey and my brother lost their union positions.

But I would like to get back to Dominic Senese.

I remember hearing on the news in 1988 that my father’s friend Dominic Senese was shot in his face right in front of his home in Oak Brook, Illinois. I was astounded. I thought to myself who would shoot Dominic Senese? I later discovered that just prior to the shooting Dominic was having dinner with my uncle Romie Nappi at Chicago’s Gene & Georgetti Steakhouse (my favorite steakhouse in Chicago – no matter what Rudy Fratto says to John Kass).

As I got older and mingled with various individuals in the community, I learned that a power struggle involving Sam Carlisie and Dominic Sense caused the Outfit to put a hit on Senese. The power struggle was over some financial issues relating to a produce company.

According to two reliable sources, Sam Carlisie met with his underboss, John DiFronzo, to discuss plans for the Outfit hit on Dominic Senese. After their meeting the plan was put in to effect. The Carlisie-DiFronzo faction ordered Little Tony Zizzo, Anthony “The Hatch” Chiaramonti, Rudy Fratto, Jr., and Johnny Matassa, Jr. to carry out the hit on Senese.

Unfortunately, the conspirators that remain alive today most likely would not face prosecution because there is a statute of limitations on attempted murder. However, I hope that my article helps law enforcement understand the various combinations of Outfit hit-men that have worked together in the past. Perhaps such intelligence could somehow be helpful in keeping our community safe.