Jackie Cerone
 | This article needs additional citations for verification.(August 2016) |
John Cerone | |
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 Cerone's mugshot | |
| Born | John Philip Cerone Jr. (1914-07-07)July 7, 1914Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 26, 1996(1996-07-26) (aged 82) Barrington, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | "Jackie the Lackey" |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Spouse | Clara Cerone |
| Children | 2 |
| Allegiance | Chicago Outfit |
John Philip Cerone (July 7, 1914 – July 26, 1996), nicknamed Jackie the Lackey, was an American mobster who served as underboss and frontboss of the Chicago Outfit crime family during the late 1960s. He was the younger brother of mobster Frank "Skippy" Cerone, father of lawyer John Peter Cerone, and husband to the late Clara Cerone.
He was born to John Cerone Sr. and Rose Valant. He stood at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg). During the 1950s Cerone was a chauffeur to boss Antonino "Tony" "Joe Batters" Accardo, then became the protégé of boss Salvatore "Sam" "Momo" Giancana. Cerone was part of the enforcer team that tortured and murdered loan shark William "Action" Jackson.[1] As an Outfit enforcer, Cerone was arrested over 20 times on charges including armed robbery, bookmaking, illegalgambling, and embezzlement. Cerone became boss of the Outfit following the semi-retirements of Accardo and Joey "Doves" Aiuppa. In 1986 Cerone, Aiuppa, Carl "Corky" Civella, Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra and Carl "Tuffy" DeLuna were convicted of skimming $2 million from a Las Vegas casino. Joseph Agosto, Kansas Citycrime family member and a Las Vegas show producer, who produced the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel Casino, turned state's evidence and testified against the mob bosses. Milwaukee organized-crime boss, Frank Balistrieri, was sentenced to ten years in prison in the same case in December 1985.
While in Miami in January 1962, Cerone was recorded by the FBI in an electronic eavesdropping operation discussing the proposed killing of Frank Esposito with his fellow mobsters Fiore Buccieri, David Yaras and Jimmy Torello. The Florida authorities were subsequently tipped off.[2]
Once a mob figure in Palm Springs, California, Cerone died of natural causes,[3] six days after his release from prison in 1996.
Resources
- ^Grutzner, Charles (1970-01-11). "Prospect for Release of More Mafia Eavesdropping Data Called Doubtful". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
- ^Bash, Avi (2015). Organized Crime in Miami. Arcadia Publishing. p. 78.
- ^Fessier, Bruce (December 1, 2014). "Mafia in the valley fades into the shadows". The Desert Sun. Gannett.
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia: Second Edition, New York, Checkmark Books Inc., 1999
- Demaris, Ovid. Captive City, New York, Lyle Stuart Inc. 1969
