Tales of the Milwaukee Mob and Two Cigarette Men - REVISED!

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expressmilwaukee.com

northbynorthside.blogspot.com

Revised and updated

3/1/2021 - The Mafia's control of the cigarette and candy vending business in Milwaukee.

Back in the 1970’s, I was a franchised gasoline station dealer with Clark Oil and Refining Corp. While still in high school, I obtained a job pumping gas for a Clark dealer named Chuck. He was a great guy to work for and actually helped several of his employees, including me get their own stations. My station was on Santa Monica Blvd and Hampton Ave. in Milwaukee. In those days, nearly one third or better of our business profits came from selling cigarettes to the customers right on the fuel island. Customers would drive in, roll down the window and not have to get out of their car for cigarettes. All the Clark Station dealers had a cigarette 'jobber' or vendor that would come by once a week and keep us stocked. There were two main competitors for most of the Clark Stations being run by independent dealers. When I got my station, I used the cigarette man that my former boss used, a man by the name of Ted Stroiman (Since all the principals are now deceased, I am using real names). My best friend, Bob, who had another Clark Station on Teutonia Ave, after a while, started using an Italian vendor by the name of Joseph Frank Alioto. Joe was trying to grow his business and was offering twice a week delivery, so the dealer had less inventory to carry. I was early into my 20’s at that time, and had no idea until many, many years later of how closely intertwined the Milwaukee Mafia was in the cigarette and candy vending business!

Typical Clark gas station in the '70s

Because the vendors were so competitive and wanted to retain our business (Clark stations sold a very high volume of cigarettes) they would give us dealers a sort of 'under the table' kick back of free cigarettes, which you either smoked them up or put them into inventory and took out the cash for your pocket! It wasn't much, maybe 10 or 14 free packs on an order of 70 or 90 cartons. Of course, this was not legal, but back then, it didn’t seem like a big deal to us.


As I mentioned, Ted Stroiman was my cigarette man. His father, Jack was born in Russia and came to Milwaukee as a boy in 1912. For several years, he ran a small laundry and in 1917 founded Jack Stroiman & Son, a candy and cigarette vending firm. His firm was one of the first in Milwaukee to use automatic vending machines. Ted took over the business after his father had a stroke in 1956 and at some point renamed it 'Stroiman Vending'. Ted was a good guy and I haven’t seen him since about 1980. I remember he used to bring his wife 'Ruth' along with him on his route. They were both very friendly and outgoing people. His obituary said he ran the business for over 40 years, so he would have retired about 1996 or 1997 at about the age of 70.

Joe with his wife at their wedding, 1970 or 71. In the middle

is George, founder of Upper Crust Pizza around the corner 

from my station

My friend, Bob was getting his cigarettes from Joe Alioto. I found out many years later that Joe was a convicted felon, who in 1970 had to sell his business 'Alioto Distributing' to his sister Jane Alioto because Joseph could not own a license. According to Joe’s nephew, the felony was related to some 'gambling pinches'. A cousin by the name of John Balistrieri was appointed manager. Turns out that John was the lawyer son of the reputed leader of the Milwaukee Mob. It has been well documented that Mr. Frank Balistrieri took over the leadership of the Milwaukee Mafia from his father-in-law, John Alioto in 1962. Knick-named 'Frankie Bal' and 'Mad Bomber', Frankie ruled the Milwaukee underworld, with control over loan shark “book”, sports betting and large scale control of the vending business. The vending business was very attractive for the mob, as all the proceeds are cash and very easy to hide. Besides the fact that you have a ready market for bootlegged cigarettes! His tentacles reached all the way to Las Vegas as he was receiving regular skim payments from the old Stardust and Fremont Casinos. (The movie 'Casino' with Robert De Niro was loosely based on Balistrieri's exploits with the Teamsters, Kansas City Mob and Vegas Casinos) The FBI had Frankie on tape saying that it was time for his regular monthly flight to Las Vegas to get his “transfusion”!

I have spent quite a bit of time over the years trying to read and research as much as possible. These people were pretty secretive and only recently learned about the felony that Joe Alioto was convicted of, thanks to his nephew. The following is my opinion of what I think most likely occurred!

Joe Alioto, was the nephew of the man that ran the Milwaukee Mob and because of his felony conviction, had to make a deal. Joe’s sister, Jane, had a full time job and was unable to run the business. John Balistreri was 'Frankie Bals' son and a lawyer. They wrote up the sale with a man by the name of Herb Rahn running the day to day and John Bal running the back end, according to Joe’s nephew.

Joe worked hard to grow the Clark Station business and was competing with Ted Stroiman. In 1976, Joseph Frank Alioto died suddenly at the age of 39 of a massive heart attack. His funeral was held at the Guardalabene & Amato funeral home on Holton St. According to Gavin Schmitt's book, "this funeral home was the primary business of it's type used by members of the mafia, their families and close associates". A friend of mine, Karl, who was a Clark station dealer at that time and attended the funeral wrote: "Joe looked like he was stuffed into a casket that was too small for him." Shortly after his death, control of Alioto Distributing went to the Balistrieri's. They actually went to the Clark gas stations that Joe had been selling to and informed the dealers that they no longer were going to service their businesses! As you can imagine, they wanted nothing to do with invoices and checks, they were only interested those vending machines that fill up with cash!

This is certain:

• Joe died in 1976 with the Balistrieri family in control afterwards.
• In 1977, a Paul La Galbo sold his firm 'Midwest Vendors' to Alioto Distributing for $4100.
• In 1978, undercover FBI agent Gail T. Cobb was told by a New York gangster (Benjamin Ruggerio) that he could not operate a vending machine business in Milwaukee without “sharing” the business with Frank Balistrieri.
• In 1979, a man by the name of Leo Dinon sold his cigarette distributing company to Alioto Distributing for $8000 to $9000.
• In 1984, Jane Alioto testified at John Balistrieri's extortion trial that she bought Alioto Distributing from her brother in 1970, and had given Balistrieri “the power to run it for me”. As far as I knew, it sure seemed to me that until Joe’s death, in 1976, he was the one running the business. Jane testified that Balistrieri was her cousin, advisor, and legal counsel and that she trusted him to manage the company. But not her own brother?
• Also in 1984,Peter Picciurro testified that in 1979 he had asked John Balistrieri to "take over" management of his vending company, Pitch's De-Lish-US Distributors.
• And on Monday, April 10,1984, Frank P. Balistrieri, described by the FBI as the head of organized crime in Milwaukee, was convicted of extortion for trying to take control of a vending machine business run by an undercover FBI agent Gail T. Cobb. Also convicted were his two sons, Joseph, 43 and John, 35! Joe and John each received a prison sentence of two years for extorting a vending machine businessman. 'Frankie Bal' got four years.

Back to Ted Stroiman. He and his father ran that cigarette and vending business for a combined total of about 80 years! I wish Ted were still alive, I bet he would have some stories to tell. Ted and his father were of Jewish faith and I wonder now whether he was able to insulate himself from the mob boys all those years, or if he wasn’t forced into 'sharing' with 'Frankie Bal' and the Milwaukee mob! I have the feeling that since Ted was well established, with a long history of running a small business, they probably left him alone. However, there could be a related taped remark from 'Frankie Bal' in the paragraph below. I can find no record of Stroiman Vending today. I don’t know if he sold the business or just liquidated it. He had a couple sons, but they live in different states. By the time Ted retired in the mid to late 90’s, the Milwaukee mob was a shell of its former self and pretty powerless. From the information I can gather, what’s left is now controlled by the Chicago Outfit. 'Frankie Bal' died of natural causes in 1993 at the age of 74. Son Joseph Balistrieri died in October, 2010 at the age of 70. Interesting note: Ted's funeral was held at the Goodman Benson funeral home right across the street from my old Clark station in 2010!

Please note, before reading this paragraph, in no way am I trying to impune or question the character of Ted Stroiman. I do not know for a fact who Frankie was referring to and just because you may be called to testify before a grand jury does not mean you are guilty of anything! You could be called for many reasons. I firmly believe that Ted was a man of good, moral character. In my original post, I wrote "One government document used during Balistrieri’s trial refers to a taped conversation of a meeting on Sept. 13,1978 in which Frank stated he was worried “about the Jew who had been subpoenaed”. The reference was not clarified. It added that Balistrieri stated: “Neither the Jew nor the Jew’s attorney would indicate what was going to be said to the grand jury and he did not know whether or not the Jew had taken the fifth amendment”. The document quoted Frank making other derogatory remarks not worthy of repeating. The meeting was at 'Snugs' restaurant and those present were Frank, his two sons, Frank's brother Peter, Benjamin (Lefty Guns) Ruggerio and Steve DiSalvo. Ruggerio was affiliated with the Bonanno crime family of New York and had been involved in introducing the undercover FBI agent to Balistrieri.

Another point of view of this meeting has been provided to me by Gavin Schmitt, reputable mob historian and published author who has spent many years researching Milwaukee organized crime history: "I believe you've written that Stroiman may have been ‘ the Jew’ they didn't want subpoenaed. I'm actually fairly confident they were referring to Sam Cooper. Cooper worked for Herman Paster until Paster was murdered, and then started Pioneer (Vending). He was a friend of Frank Bal's, and was the guy who taught John about the vending business. Cooper was the guy the Bals sent Gail Cobb to when he was trying to start Best Vending, and all of Cobb/Cooper's conversations were recorded.”

I have come to believe that Gavin's version is the more plausible from what I originally wrote and I really meant no disrespect to the Stroiman family.

I have read numerous transcripts of Frank Balistrieri's taped conversations and as you can read, he was ruthless and I think a very disgusting man. In his second book, "Unfinished Business" Agent Joe Pistone described how "it was disconcerting the way Frank Balistrieri treated his brother and sons. They bowed down to him like the Don that he thought he was. There was no feeling of fatherly or brotherly relationship. He barked at his brother in front of us like his brother was Fredo in The Godfather, and his brother took it."

More interesting facts,

In the early 70's, my friend Bob and his wife, my brother and I, lived in a four unit apartment building at 4381 N. Green Bay Ave in Milwaukee. 'Frankie Bal's Captain and right hand man was Steve DiSalvo and he was employed right across the street from us at Universal Builders (4380 N. Green Bay Ave). In 1973, Frank Balistrieri, Steve DiSalvo and Henry Nechy (president of Universal Builders) were subpoenaed to testify at a grand jury hearing in Miami! Of course the proceedings were secret and their testimony remains unknown. In September of 1974 the Wisconsin Justice Dept went to court and asked that Universal Builders be dissolved due to improper reporting procedures. The court was informed that Nechy and DiSalvo were known associates of Frank Balistrieri and the business was the subject of a criminal investigation.
In April of 1987 DiSalvo (while already in prison for the 1984 conviction with Frank Balistrieri) was questioned by a Federal grand jury about the unsolved 1963 murder of Kenosha vending machine dealer Anthony J. Biernat.

Quote from former undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone from his book "Donnie Brasco"

In 1978, New York undercover agent "Donnie Brasco" trying to introduce Milwaukee undercover agent "Tony Conte" to "Lefty Guns" Benjamin Ruggiero in New York. "Lefty Guns" was a made member of the Bonanno mafia crime family of New York. Brasco is telling "Lefty" that Conte is trying to start a vending machine business up in Milwaukee.

Lefty: "Where'd you say he was?" Brasco "Milwaukee". Lefty "Milwaukee! Is he connected?" Brasco "No, He don't know anything about the mob." Lefty "He's crazy. Doesn't the f***ing guy know you can't operate a vending business without connections? Especially, Milwaukee. They're crazy out there. It ain't like New York, where they may just throw you a beating to chase you out. Out there they're vicious. They answer to Chicago. They blow people up. If this guy's a friend of yours, you better tell him to get the hell out of that town. Tell him to move the business back to Baltimore. Baltimore is controlled by crews from Philly and Jersey. They're easier to deal with."
After an incredible 6 years of Joe Pistone “Donnie Brasco” being undercover, the FBI ended the operation in New York and Florida on July 26, 1981. Agent Pistone took the next available flight to Milwaukee to testify at a grand jury hearing on the Balistrieri case, which had been held in abeyance until the operation was wrapped up. On July 28, 1981 three FBI agents visited Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano in New York and informed him of the operation. “Sonny” was a captain in the Bonanno Mafia crime family and was killed by the mob shortly thereafter for his maleficence. They found his bullet riddled body in a trash bag with his hands cut off! "Lefty Guns" Ruggiero was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The FBI sting resulted in over 100 Mob convictions and gutted the Milwaukee leadership, which, hopefully is near extinct!

Quote, from Former FBI agent Gary Magnesen's book, Straw Men

"Soon after being assigned as case agent, I followed Frankie Bal to the apartment of John(sic) Alioto, nephew of the former boss, small time bookie and straw man for Alioto Distributing." He got the name wrong in the book and had to be referring to Joe Alioto.

More, thanks to Joe Alioto’s Nephew,

"In 1983 or 84 there was a Sentinel article written about Alioto Distributing and its ties to organized crime. In the article unbeknownst to my parents, that my mother and father were officers of the company. Jane who was at our house just about every Sat and Sun until my mother passed away in 1994, had added their names. After that article came out, our neighbors who were already scared of us, were then really on pins and needles. We didn't know if it was because of the article or the screaming and yelling my father unleashed on poor Jane."

"Joe Alioto had the nickname ‘Minnow’. This is how he came by it, My uncle and Joe Balistrieri were busboys and uncle Joe started acting like a big shot, barking orders to the other busboys. The mater'd caught my uncle's big shot act and sternly told him that there was only one big fish in the joint and you are just a Minnow."

"When I returned from the service I went to my cousin Joey Balistrieri, who had been my juvenile attorney. I chose the service at 17 over a career path that held no promise. I wanted to work in the vending business and Joe discouraged me and told me that I could have a legitimate career or start my own business since I had done very well for myself in the army. And that's what I did."

"Joe gave me the best advice ever and Joe & John included me in their revitalization of the La Societa di San Giuseppe (sicilian men's organization)."
"Did you know Joe drove a school bus for a time before the vending business?
The bus, Minnow and his father Angelo would be at our house on Oakland ave in Whitefish Bay daily."

Update 1/17/2013 The following are additional comments that were received in the past month or so by a contributor who wishes to remain anonymous. He knew Steve DiSalvo (Balistrieri's second in command) and his family well during those years and has some very interesting stories!

Enjoyed your article, very informative. I knew the DiSalvo family very well. They lived a modest life in a home in back of Segals junk yard in Cudahy Wisconsin. Steve senior was quite a nice guy who treated his 3 kids well. My family went to school with all his kids.We were all shocked when he was arrested. We were walking toward his home when the FBI and who ever closed in. Pretty wild! Steve was very good looking fella and always reminded me of Bob Deniro. He was very generous man. He often give us all money to go out on but I think he was trying to get us out of the house. He did buy me a new pair of shoes and a suit when his son got married. Well I just thought I comment some. Hope I didn't bore you.

I do have quite a few stories. That is if I can remember them. Vince was Steve's oldest son and a hell of a nice guy. He had another son Rick and a daughter whose name I don't recall. None of them were involved in the family business. It was said that Steve did the hit on Anthony Biernat, the pinball man because he wouldn't cooperate. They found him in a shallow grave out at Bong air force base. But I don't think it was ever proven. I had relatives in KC and would fly there often and would see the Milw gang going there, more that once. One time I saw Steve walking with his group and approached him and came close to getting shot by one of the group. Last time I did that! My brother-in law was good friends with Frankie Bel “not Ba” and tended bar for him in one of the downtown strip joints he owned. I think one was called the "Brass Rail". My friends and I went down to see my brother in-law on occasion and would run into Frankie Bel in the Bar. He always had two women with him or two men who sat on each side and two more hoods sitting in the booth behind him for protection. The first time my brother-in law introduced me I went to shake his hand and one of the hoods waved me off. He wasn't a very pleasant guy, but you never had to buy a drink while he was there. Getting back to Steve DiSalvo, when his son got married the reception was at that then fancy Hotel across from the airport. Every mob boss in the country was there. None of them with their wives. They were with some of most gorgeous young women I ever saw in my life. I'm sure the FBI had all our pictures'. Gifts were in the form of hundred dollar bills and the groom couldn't fit them in his pockets. I hope you found this interesting. Sorry about the earlier name error but its been a long time.

Frank picked his bartenders carefully because he was afraid he could be taken down easily by anybody in his position. Although he trusted my brother-in-law he would sometimes order drinks and make the girls drink them first. I forgot to mention something strange about Steve DiSalvo. When he died in prison and his body was sent home the mortician said he had a hole drilled into his head to which there was no explanation. The family was very upset to say the least!

I was good friends with a number of Milwaukee cops and also someone higher up in the County Sheriff's Dept. during the 60's. I also know of quite a few relatives of the Mafia gang. Some liked that their older family members were gangsters but most would have just as soon forgot it. Steve's family I think was the latter. His son and I ran together and got in some trouble, but minor compared to his Dad. I'm surprised he didn't mention Steve's brother Jack. He owned a restaurant in Cudahy that I'm sure it was a Mafia hangout. It was raided once by the FBI for gambling and they caught the Mayor and Police Chief and a few more big shots in it.

Steve seemed to be a main figure in the mob. I know for instance that Frank’s nick name was Bell not Bal. Where he got that I don't know. And the Cudahy police chief at the time of Franks reign wasn't who he pictured but was Fred Schleater. Oh well! All in all your blog is great and I will keep an eye on it. If I run across something interesting I will let you know. Thanks for the Info.

Angelo Lonardo's testimony before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on April 4, 1988.

He explained why the Cleveland Mob got a piece of Las Vegas:

"[Maishe] Rockman told me the skim started when Allen Glick approached Frank Balistrieri about Glick's obtaining a Teamsters Pension Fund loan so that Glick could purchase a Las Vegas casino." Balistrieri was the boss of the Cosa Nostra Milwaukee family.

"Balistrieri talked to Nick Civella, boss of the Kansas City family, since he controlled Roy D. Williams, who was a high official with the Teamsters Union. Civella told Balistrieri he found find someone in Cleveland that could talk to Bill Presser."

"Glick told Balistrieri that in return for the Teamster pension loan he, Glick, would give the Milwaukee, Kansas City and Cleveland families a piece of the casinos. ... Our family averaged about $40,000 a month from Vegas and 25 percent of the Youngstown rackets, which would average about $5,000 per month."

He said Cleveland and Kansas City Teamster leaders each got about $1,500 a month from the skim. He explained how the Mafia dictated the choice of Williams as president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and decided on a replacement when the Feds closed in on Williams.

"When it appeared that Williams, who had been indicted, was going to be likely to be forced to step down from his position, Rockman and I made a second trip to Chicago to get Chicago Cosa Nostra Outfit's support for Jackie Presser as president of the IBT, because he was Maishe's protege, and it would increase the Cleveland family's prestige and respect."

Many thanks and credit to the “Writings of Gavin C. Schmitt” for much of the information obtained. A link to his site follows as he put together an excellent chronological history in two parts. “Rise of the Milwaukee Mafia, 1892-1961” and “Milwaukee Mafia, the Balistrieri Years: 1962-present” also thanks to the archives of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper. Link to them below. Also to Joseph Pistone and I highly recommend his book "Donnie Brasco". Gary Magnesen's book "Straw Men" was also an excellent resource

http://www.framingbusiness.net/archives/2245

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19840330&id=6nobAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6k4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6732,6656648

Reprinted from the Milwaukee Journal Obituaries of August, 2010
Theodore “Ted” Stroiman of Glendale died on June 11. He was 84.
He was a Milwaukee native who graduated from Washington High School. He was the owner of Stroiman Vending for more than 40 years. He was a member of Congregation Sinai. According to his family, he won numerous awards for his volunteer work at places that included the Milwaukee Jewish Home, the Milwaukee Protestant Home, and Columbia Hospital. He also enjoyed playing poker.
He is survived by his wife Ruth (nee Pories); daughter Mindy Stroiman of Glendale; sons Marty Stroiman of San Diego and Jeffrey Stroiman of Newport Beach, Calif.; step-daughters Linda (Bill) Ross of Whitefish Bay and Judy (Michael) Hamrell of Yorba Linda, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Goodman-Bensman Whitefish Bay Funeral Home handled arrangements. Rabbi David Cohen and Cantor Rebecca Robins officiated at the funeral on June 12. Burial was in Mound Zion Cemetery. The family would appreciate memorial contributions to the Wisconsin Parkinson’s Disease Association.
Reprinted from the Milwaukee Journal Obituaries of 7/8/1961
Jack Stroiman, one of the first cigarette and candy vending machine jobbers in Milwaukee died of pneumonia at the National Convalescent home Saturday. He suffered a stroke about four and a half years ago and had been in the hospital for two weeks. He lived at 2913 N 76th St, Milwaukee.
Mr Stroiman was born in Russia and came to Milwaukee as a boy in 1912. For several years, he ran a small laundry and in 1917 founded Jack Stroiman & Son, a candy and cigarette wholesale firm. The firm was one of the first in Milwaukee to use automatic vending machines.
The firm is now operated by a son, Theodore from the 76th St address. His father was active in the business until his stroke. Mr. Stroiman was a member of e Beth Jehudah congregation. Surviving besides Theodore are Mr Stroiman’s wife Rose, another son Harry, Milwaukee: a daughter Mrs. Eve Kitner, Montreal Que. and a brother Bernard Stroyman, Indianapolis. Burial will be in Mound Zion cemetery.

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Frank Balistrieri with sons Joseph and John

More of my related mafia posts:

The Beef That Didn't Moo - Wisconsin Ties to the Mob
Tales of the Milwaukee Mob and Two Cigarette Men!
Married to the Daughter of a Milwaukee Mob Boss-Our Pediatrician!
The Milwaukee Queen Bee of Organized Crime
Tale of a Failed Milwaukee Mob Hit!
Lieutenant Uhura (of the Starship "Enterprise") - close encounters with the Chicago and Milwaukee Mob!
Part Two: The Milwaukee Mob and Lieutenant Uhura (Star Trek)
"Mr. Fancy Pants" Balistrieri - Tracking Milwaukee's most dangerous mobster

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Frigo Cheese Corp. - The Story of the Great Man who Ran It

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With all the mob related posts I've written lately concerning the Italian American community, I thought it was about time for a story of a great Italian American businessman and leader.
In 1981, I obtained a job as a truck driver at the Frigo Cheese Company in Lena, Wi and it enabled me to make the move from Milwaukee to the small town of Crivitz in northern Wisconsin. The President of the company was Leo Frigo and, unfortunately, I never got the chance to meet him. I was only there for a short time before he retired in 1983. I never heard one person bad mouth him while he was there and didn't find out what a great guy he was until after he left. Below is a biography of him by Paul’s Pantry, a non-profit he started in Green Bay after he retired. Today, it is one the largest food pantry programs [Paul's Pantry] in the nation for feeding the hungry!

My 1990 Kenworth T600

Leo Frigo was born into a large Italian-American family who at the time were living in Pound Wisconsin. He was the thirteenth of sixteen children, nine sons and seven daughters of Pasquale and Camilla Frigo.
Pasquale Frigo, his father, was born in Italy and came to the United States with $50 in his pocket and the dream of opening a cheese factory. His mother assisted him in this dream and he opened the Frigo Cheese Factory in Wisconsin. Both of his parents possessed a strong faith, which they passed along to their children. In her oral history, S. Pasqualine noted that her mother always taught her children to trust in divine providence.
When he was five years old he enrolled in Guardian Angels Boarding School in Oneida. Several of his older brothers and sisters were also students there. He loved the woods in Oneida and sometimes played cowboys and Indians with the Oneida children, ending up tied to a tree when the Indians won!
His four years of high school were spent in De Pere at another boarding school, St. Norbert High School. There Leo made many lifelong friends and seriously considered a religious vocation. In fact, his sister, Sister Marie Pasqualine Frigo spent her life as a Catholic nun, working with children.
After graduating as Salutatorian of his class, he entered the Franciscan order in New York and after a few months entered the Trappist Order in Dubuque Iowa. After less than a year he decided a meatless diet was not for him, so he returned home and worked in the family business. When Uncle Sam came calling Leo entered the U.S. Army and served in the Searchlight Division in Korea.
Using the G.I. Bill, he became a student in the Dairy Science Department at Iowa State University, Ames where he met and married fellow student Fran Chapman. After graduation from ISU it was back to Frigo Cheese where his first managerial position was as plant manager at Carney Milk Products, Carney Michigan. After six years as a "UPer" he and Fran took their growing family of four daughters to Lena WI where he became the Corporate Production Manager and Treasurer. He and his brothers expanded the business into South Dakota and he traveled to the Dakotas by car every other week for two years, many times picking up hitchhikers of dubious character. Like his father before him, he was never afraid to give a helping hand to those in need.
Leo retired as President of Frigo Cheese Corporation in 1983 at the age of 52. He wished to devote the remainder of his life to apostolic work and had been preparing for that mission before retirement by joining the St. Vincent de Paul Society. His first few months of retirement were spent assisting parolees, taking them on job interviews and assisting in their rehabilitation. The director of a local halfway house, Arlene Conant, suggested to Leo that the biggest problems ex-convicts faced was finding a job and supporting themselves. They sometimes resorted to stealing to have enough food. Arlene took Leo to St. Joseph Food Pantry in Appleton and it is here that Leo conceived the idea of beginning a food pantry in Green Bay.

Leo Frigo at Paul's Pantry

Obtaining space in a corner of the former St. Vincent de Paul store on Webster Court, now renamed Leo Frigo Way, Leo organized meetings of volunteers through the churches of all denominations. He visited all the local grocery stores begging for their surplus unsaleable food, even going as far as jumping into the dumpsters to retrieve food when it was denied. Leo used to say,

"Its better that I go into the dumpster rather than making the poor go there, at the end of the day my dignity will be intact and so will theirs." 

Leo passed away on February 13, 2001 from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was delivering food to a shut in.
Pictured below is the Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge. After Leo's death, the Tower Drive Bridge in Green Bay was renamed in his honor. Leo spent his life building a bridge between the "have's" and "have not's."
http://www.paulspantry.org/our-founder

Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge, Green Bay , WI

Future of the Cheese Plant
I moved to Salt Lake City in 1993 and in January, 1996, a major fire broke out in the plant and destroyed it. At the time, it was owned by Stella Foods. Because of a major commitment by the community and state of Wisconsin, the plant was rebuilt and today is owned by Saputo Cheese, a Canadian based company. Following from the Chicago Tribune:

LENA, WISCONSIN — A fire at a cheese factory that forms the financial backbone of the community forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes Saturday--and fear for their livelihoods. The fire, detected just before midnight, raged for hours, spewing thick black smoke and noxious fumes across this community of 600 in Wisconsin's far northeast corner, witnesses said. The Stella Foods Inc. plant, known locally by its former name, Frigo Cheese Co., was destroyed, Mayor Ed Patenaude said. No one was injured in the blaze or during the evacuation in near-zero temperatures. The noxious fumes were created by an ammonia leak at the plant, said Pat LeBreck, the county's emergency government director. The cause of the fire hasn't been determined, but Stella Foods already has made provisions for rerouting its milk deliveries to six other cheese-producing facilities and other producers in Wisconsin, a spokesman said. Stella Foods Inc., based in Green Bay, is the fourth-largest U.S. cheese producer. It bought the Frigo plant in 1992 from Frigo Foods Inc. of Green Bay. The company sells ricotta, Parmesan and Romano cheeses under the Stella, Frigo and other labels. Stella Foods is a unit of Specialty Foods Corp. in Lincolnshire, Ill.
Chicago Tribune Article

Note: In 1997 Saputo Cheese USA bought up Stella Foods and the Canadian company has owned it since.

(Edit 4/29/2025): Nice story about the Carney, Michigan plant that was located about 60 miles from Lena. Readable text in from the image is shown just below it:

Forty-Five years ago, the largest milk processing plant in Menominee County, Carney Milk Products - Frigo Brand, was processing 300,000 to 500,000 pounds of milk per day - depending on the season. The plant was also a major employer with 75 employees. Lloyd Benson was manager.
The plant had been owned and operated by Casper Loberger prior to being purchased by Frigo in 1956. Benson stated that, “In 1956, we had about 150 producers shipping, at peak periods, 60,000 pounds of milk per day. In the last 20 years, many cheese factories and plants in the area have fallen by the wayside and their milk has come to us. The increased volume of milk enabled us to produce 4,000 pounds of cheese per hour.” In 1977, the plant was producing about 8,000,000 pounds of Italian cheese.
The Carney plant produced different kinds of cheese over the years but had begun specializing in Italian cheese due to demand. One of Frigo’s major plants was located in Lena, WI. Some of the cheese produced in Carney was sent there for further processing and packaging.
Many of the employees in the plant were women and their work often included trimming and packaging the large chunks of cheese (photo at right). Women also worked in the lab, where all of the milk and cheese was tested. The plant was USDA inspected and followed federal regulations. The plant’s Grade A milk operation brought in about 4,500,000 pounds of milk per month.
The plant in Carney closed in the early 1990s.
Several area haulers had trucks going to the plant and some had hauled milk to other cheese factories and Great A & P Tea Company’s White House Milk plant in Stephenson.

Article thanks to: https://www.facebook.com/MenomineeCountyJournal

Other Posts:
Benjamin "Lefty Guns" Ruggerio-The real story of the "wise guy"
The Beef That Didn't Moo - Wisconsin Ties to the Mob
Tales of the Milwaukee Mob and Two Cigarette Men!
Married to the Daughter of a Milwaukee Mob Boss-Our Pediatrician!
The Milwaukee Queen Bee of Organized Crime
Tale of a Failed Milwaukee Mob Hit!
Lieutenant Uhura (of the Starship "Enterprise") - close encounters with the Chicago and Milwaukee Mob!
Part Two: The Milwaukee Mob and Lieutenant Uhura (Star Trek)
The New York Mob and Iowa Beef - Part 1
The New York Mob and Iowa Beef Processors - Part II

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Milwaukee Gas Station Robbery - The New Normal!

westorlandonews.com

In November of 2011, my wife and I were able to take a few days and fly back to Wisconsin during Thanksgiving week. The most economical airfare had us flying into Milwaukee, which worked out well as we got to spend a couple days with my brother and his wife and then drive up north to Crivitz. Although after being born, raised and spending my first 29 years in Milwaukee, I consider Crivitz my adopted “hometown”, having lived there 12 years, and any trip back to Wisconsin has to include some “actually most” of our time there.
Anyone who has grown up living in Milwaukee would know that the city, itself, has had a troubled past. There have been distinct neighborhoods that were settled by different ethnic groups. For instance, a lot of Polish immigrants settled on the south side, Italians more on the eastern part of the city, etc. There were German, Irish, Jewish neighborhoods, you name it, Milwaukee had it. 
In the 1970’s a federal judge ruled that the Milwaukee public schools were segregated and African American students were not being given equal opportunities to receive a quality education. His “brilliant?” plan of recourse? He ordered that students start being bused all over the city, from north to south, east to west to achieve a “balanced” mix of ethnicity in every school! Students were forced to spend enormous amounts of time riding around in buses all over the city to get to class. So began the “white flight” exodus from the city to the suburbs which has been going on for more than 40 years. Most of the rest of the country outside of Wisconsin would be shocked to know what Milwaukee homeowners pay in property tax, much of which goes to support the failed public school system! Now, most all of the system is in ruins and responsible parents that do not have the means to leave are almost forced into paying for private school educations for their kids. My own brother and his wife felt they had to do this with all three of their daughters (and it was a financial struggle!).

My point in the preceding is that a lot of the city has been in a downward spiral with many areas not safe to be walking around in at night “some, you better stay away even during the day!”.  A lot of crime, violence, drugs and gangs are the newer norm. Gas stations and takeout pizza joints in many neighborhoods have cashiers behind bulletproof glass with a sliding tray to pass items through. Not everything is that bad, some areas of the city have been rebuilt and revitalized, like the downtown area, but much of Milwaukee is not in good shape.

I spent a couple years as a gas station attendant and about 12 years as a franchised gas station operator from the late 60’s to early 80’s in Milwaukee. During that time, I was robbed twice, once with a knife and once with a gun. Two of my employees were held up. I was also involved in a knock down, no holds back street fight with some punk one night at the station (that’s another story). The thing is, it was a big deal back then when you were robbed. Police came from everywhere, business stopped, and you put everything on hold while they investigated.

So from that long winded perspective, I began my day on Sunday, November 20, 2011. My wife and I awoke at my brothers house on Milwaukee’s northwest side that morning. Our plan for the day was to leave for Crivitz (a 3 hour drive) while listening to the Packer game (of course, the Packers won!), go to my buddy’s house and get to Shaffer’s Resort for their amazing chicken that evening. If you’ve ever had Shaffer’s chicken, you know what I’m saying, my mouth waters at the thought. See the link for the John Shaffer story below.

Packing our stuff into the rental car, we decided that we needed to bring a lunch along so that we didn’t need to stop during the game, which started at noon. Just so happens, one of my favorite all time sub shops “Suburpia” from back in the 70’s is still operating with a store at 108th and Bluemound Drive. So, we decided to drive down there, pick up a couple subs to eat on the way north. As, I wasn’t happy with their drink menu (Pepsi), I decided to stop at the Citgo gas station on 104th and Bluemound to get a couple bottles of the “real thing” (Coke) to take with us.

So, I turn into the station and park the car. After asking Mary what she would like to drink, she hesitated and I said to come in and look. We entered the station, chose our drinks and as we turned to go to the cashier station, the door burst open and a uniformed police officer came storming in. The cashier, who looked to be of Indian descent with a strong accent was engaged in a casual conversation on the phone with someone as he was taking payment from a customer. The police officer looked at him and asked if he had just called in a robbery. I couldn’t believe it as he nodded his head yes and waved the officer to the side while he stayed on the phone and continued working the cash register! As the stunned cop stood there, a couple of other squad cars came screaming into the station with tires squealing, looking for suspects. Meanwhile we were standing next to the first cop when he just lost it, loudly stating something to the effect “ Sure! I’ll just stand over here in the corner while you do your business and when you get a minute, we’ll talk!” I was half expecting to hear some racial comments come out, but he refrained from doing that, although I wouldn’t have blamed him! He was kind of muttering something under his breath and I could see the anger in his face. There had just been an armed robbery! The dumb ass cashier just continued taking money and talking on the phone, so I gave him our cash while looking at the cop and shaking my head. The other two cops came storming in and I can only imagine what took place afterwards as we turned and got the heck out of there!

Seeing what those officers went through that day sure gave me more reason to be happy I don’t live there anymore. I left that city in 1981 and have never regretted it! Of course, I have some good memories of good times and there are many good people living there. Having lived in Salt Lake City for the past 19 years, comparing the two cities, the good people of Milwaukee deserve so much better! To really see how bad a city can get, click the link to the Detroit post below. It's an unbelievable scene of desolation and waste!
Link to the Shaffer story:
Tribute to John Shaffer and his Chicken
Link to a post on the city of Detroit:
Detroit - A Dead City!

Chicago 1981: The Beginning & the Scam

POSTED BY CHASER ON DECEMBER - 12 - 2010

Can there be any wonder of how difficult the war on organized crime has been with all the corruption in the major cities, especially Chicago? When the police force is so corrupted to begin with, it allows the mob families the freedom to thieve, rob and kill. This is a guest post of a true Chicago-land story. I've also experienced pay-offs of a different sort myself in the old days, 90 miles north. There is a link at the end to the story I did on the Milwaukee Mob of the 1970’s. Dan

This guest post thanks to driverstorymagazine.com. Links provided here and in my sidebar:

Chicago 1981: I was twenty-one years old, and had just gotten out of the Army. I was married and had two kids already, so I needed to make some good money. I got a job at Majestic Towing- they had two tow trucks and an auto body shop. It was here that I’d learn how to be a chaser.

Day one: George Mawson was sitting behind a beat-up desk piled high with a mess of papers, and barely room for his ashtray. “Come on in Ken, welcome to tow truck hustling. I’m gonna show you your new boss.”

In walked Gary Basso. He was a big fat guy with glasses. He stepped behind another cluttered desk, sat down and put his feet on the corner that had enough room. He took a drag off a cigar, looked at it, and asked in a strong Chicago accent, “Do you know how to hustle?”

The eager student, I responded, “Yeah, I’ll work hard.”

He looked me up and down, and said, “All right, let’s go.”

He walked out of the office and I followed. He got into the driver seat of truck one. I jumped in the passenger door, and he turned on the police scanner. “Always have your scanner on, and listen to it closely, so you won’t miss it when there’s an accident.” And he cranked it up a little.

He elaborated on my job description. “While you listen to the scanner, you drive around on the expressway, up and down, all day, looking for a broken-down car. Whenever you find one, you pull over and, help them.” With a little emphasis on the word help, he smiled, raised his eyebrows and rubbed his fingers together, to indicate money.

“Make sure you stay within the boundary’s of the police district you’re listening to. In this case, 16th and 17th districts are on one channel. That goes up and down the Kennedy from about Belmont to Harlem. If you stay in that area, you’ll be close enough to an accident that you can get there quickly, when there is one.”

He took off and didn’t get six blocks when the scanner barked, “1732…” A second passed and an officer answered, “1732, go ahead.

“1732, take the auto accident, 4532 N. Central Park, auto accident with injuries, fire’s on the way.” And 1732 respond. “Ten-four.”

Gary’s mind raced for the best way there, then he quickly turned right on Montrose. “We’re only a mile away. We should get there before the cops.” And raced to the scene.

We did arrive before the cops and heard the ambulance coming as we parked. “Hurry up,” Gary said. He jumped out and walked as fast as he could over to the smashed cars, people still in them. I kept up with him, and we approached the nicest of the two cars. “Always go to the nicest car first. We want the job for the body-work, so we go to the car worth the most money first, the one with the most damage, that would cost the most to fix.”

He looked at both cars quickly, saw one was a young man in a beat up car, who was standing next to his car, apparently not hurt. The other car wasn’t so lucky. He smiled like a concerned citizen at the driver, an old lady with blood on her forehead. “Are you alright ma’am?” He asked. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

She looked at him in a daze. “I don’t know… I can’t feel my legs… And I can’t move.” She looked like she was about to cry, but the old gal had some fortitude.

Gary offered, “Would you like me to call somebody for you? A relative? A doctor? A lawyer? A tow-truck?”

She stumbled for a coherent thought. “I guess, you can call my husband, Bob.” She gave him a name and number and he sent me to the truck. It had a phone in it.

This was 1981, so it was one of the first mobile phones. It had a huge box in the trunk which transmitted the signal to an operator. I jumped in and picked up the receiver. After a ring, an operator answered, “number please.” I gave her the number, and after explaining to the husband, he said he’d be on his way.

The ambulance and the cop showed up almost simultaneously. I ran back to Gary, still trying to console the old gal. “What happened?” He asked her.” She smiled and said, “I must have blown the stop sign, but he was speeding.”

Gary saw the cop walking over, so he acted quickly. “Ma’am, why don’t you let me tow your car for you. We have a tow truck right here, and we won’t charge you anything. We’ll just bill your insurance company. So you won’t have to worry about where your car is.”

She agreed, and Gary was writing down her name and number when the officer approached. I offered a brief to the cop. “This lady needs an ambulance. She can’t feel her legs. The other guy is OK.”

The cop looked at the other car. It was an old beater that looked like it could still drive, and the driver was sitting on the hood. He asked the old lady, “Do you need an ambulance?” She nodded. The cop looked at the approaching paramedic, and pointed at her, to indicate this is where he’s needed.

While the paramedics were tending the old gal, we went back to the truck to wait. The cop walked up to Gary’s window and asked, “Did you guys get the tow?” Gary answered, “Yes, and we’ll take care of you.” The cop nodded, and walked away to do his work.

Gary took out a 50-dollar bill and folded it twice. “Whenever you get a car, make sure you slip the cop 50-bucks. Don’t worry, George will give you your money back in the morning.”

The ambulance left with their customer, and we hooked up the car. When the cop was done with his paperwork, he pulled up next to us, close enough that no one would hear him except Gary and me. “Just walk over and put your two hands on my door, and just let it fall into the car.”

Gary agreed and nonchalantly walked over to the cop car and rested his hands on the door. The windows were rolled down, so Gary let the fifty slip down inside the police car. This was my first involvement in bribing a cop, but a lot more of that would come. They all took the money, expected it, in fact, demanded it. Except maybe for the old one out of ten, who was about to retire.

The next morning, I arrived just as George and Gary were opening up the door. Gary explained, “George, we got a car. An old lady with a brand new car and State Farm insurance.”

George smiled, “Great. Let’s make some calls.”

Then, the real scam began. They showed my exactly how they would trick the insurance company and the old lady into letting us fix the car.

George called the old lady, posing as the insurance company. “Hi Mrs. So-and-so? This is George at State Farm. Are you OK?” After a moment of concern, he added, “We have your car at one of our authorized body shops, so we’re going to go ahead and fix your car right away.”

That made her happy. No doubt, she went back to resting her aching legs.

Then he called State Farm. And with his best impersonation of an old lady, he said, “Hi, this is Mrs. So-and-so. I’ve had an accident. The car is at my body shop, and I want you to let them fix it.” They agreed, and said they’d send an adjuster to write the estimate.

George and Gary shook hands and congratulated each other. George gave Gary his $50 back, plus $175 for getting the job. Gary reminded him of the tow, and George gave him another $25 for the tow.

Gary turned toward me, split the $200 in half and gave me $100. “Here’s your half. Just think when you start getting cars by yourself, the whole $200 will be yours. And there will be days when you get three, four cars.”

He was correct, I’d soon find out. And I spent the next three years or so chasing, raking in the money- I was bringing home $400 to $1600 a week, at a time when most working men made around $150 a week.
Article about Frank Balistrieri and the Milwaukee Mob:
http://dbridgerhot.blogspot.com/2012/05/tales-of-milwaukee-mob-and-two.html
Link to above piece:
http://driverstorymagazine.com/2010/12/chicago-1981-chaser-the-beginning-the-scam/

Related Posts:
Tale of a Failed Milwaukee Mob Hit!
The Milwaukee Queen Bee of Organized Crime