| The real Frank Nitti was not quite the dashing figure | | | | who found his confinement horrifying. When he was |
| portrayed in the movies ... nor did he die by being | | | | released he became the Capone gang's new boss. |
| tossed off a rooftop by Eliot Ness. He did, however, fill | | | | Under Nitti's leadership the Chicago Outfit expanded |
| hospitals in Illinois with his workmanship. | | | | from gambling and prostitution into other rackets such |
| Francesco Raffaele Nitto - aka Frank (The Enforcer) | | | | as controlling labor unions with the resulting extortion of |
| Nitti - was born in Sicily in 1883 and emigrated to the | | | | businesses such as hospitals in Il. In December 1932 |
| U.S. where he settled in Chicago and opened a barber | | | | Chicago police under Detective Sergeant Harry Lang |
| shop. He was a small time jewelry thief and fence, and | | | | raided Nitti's offices and shot Nitti 3 times in the back |
| went to work for crime boss Johnny (the Fox) Torrio. | | | | and neck. He then shot himself to make the shooting |
| Torrio was succeeded by Al Capone, who took Nitti | | | | appear to be self-defense. In court testimony was |
| on as his bodyguard and later appointed Nitti to run | | | | given that this attempt to assassinate Nitti was |
| Capone's liquor smuggling and distributing racket. | | | | ordered by Anton Cermak, Chicago's newly elected |
| Whiskey was imported from Canada and bootlegged, | | | | mayor. Cermak was being financed by gangsters who |
| and sold through speakeasies in and around Chicago. | | | | were rivals of the Capone organization. Nitti survived |
| Nitti was Capone's right-hand man, a skilled leader and | | | | the murder attempt and was acquitted of the charges |
| businessman. When in 1929 Capone was briefly | | | | against him in February 1933. In April 1933 Cermak was |
| sentenced to prison, he made Nitti head of business | | | | assassinated while conversing with president elect |
| operations; Jake (Greasy Thumb) Guzik was | | | | Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Some historians are of the |
| operations head, and Tony (Big Tuna) Accardo | | | | opinion that the assassin - an Italian immigrant - was |
| headed enforcement. Although nicknamed "The | | | | trying to murder FDR but shot Cermak by mistake. |
| Enforcer", in fact Nitti didn't send as many victims to | | | | Other historians believe that it was Frank Nitti who |
| the Illinois hospital as did Accardo. Nitti was a shrewd | | | | ordered the hit on Mayor Cermak, pointing to the fact |
| businessman and loyal Capone lieutenant. | | | | that the Italian immigrant assassin had been the best |
| Both Nitti and Capone were convicted in 1931 for | | | | marksman in the Italian army before emigrating to the |
| evasion of income taxes. Nitti, however, was only | | | | U.S., and it was unlikely that he missed his intended |
| sentenced for eighteen months, whereas Capone was | | | | target. |
| put away for eleven years. Nitti was a claustrophobic | | | | |