Chris Spina and Chicago Corruption

As you know, this podcast runs on donations and purchases of my books, movie and the Kansas City Mob Tour app. I have over 200 free episodes out there with interviews of ex-mobsters, cops and federal agents, all mostly about the mob across the United States. We did a first-person interview with a parachuting skyjacker, a prison interview with the bank robbing Boonie Hat bandit and interviews with the investigators of serial killers. I thank Ben Ellickson, Mark Ryan, Berry Parks, Rich Sullivan and I have added an easy method of supporting the show. I got a Venmo account. If you have Venmo, just send a dollar or two to ganglandwire. Kind of like buying me a cup of Starbuck’s coffee. Remember my story about the “Starbucks kind of girl?” I am a Starbucks kind of guy, but you can buy me a McDonald’s senior coffee if you want. So, do that or go my gangland Wire website and click on the sip page to donate with a credit card or buy my movie or book. And you can help for free by liking and sharing my gangland wire facebook page, my twitter feed or Instagram.  Since you had to listen to that advertisement, now on to this bonus episode. The City of Chicago is well known for its corruption. They had it all: kickbacks on snow removal contracts, hauling contracts, and ghost employees. This corruption can be found mostly out of the famous or infamous Pat Marcy’s 1st Ward. He ran this Ward like his own personal fiefdom for years. If you listened to my show with Mike Byrne on the Outfit hitman, Harry Aleman, you will remember that the fixer lawyer Robert Cooley testified that Pat Marcy was involved in the payoff of Judge Frank Wilson ensuring that Aleman was found not guilty in the murder of Billy Logan. In 1991 Chicago’s Inspector General Alexander Vroustouris conducted an investigation into the Department of Streets and Sanitation. He found 37 employees on the payroll but he found no evidence that they reported to work. All 37 were from the 1st Ward. He took this information to the Daley administration. After negotiating with the politically powerful Laborer’s International, the city fired a handful and suspended the majority. I guess they came back to work after their suspension?   The City Inspector General was not done yet. In 1993, he has uncovered another Outfit-connected piece of corruption. A First Ward resident named Chris “Christy the Nose” Spina was a foreman assigned to a Streets and Sanitation scrap metal yard. He used city crews to periodically clean up all the scrap and sell it to private scrap yards. In one deal he received $6,000.00. When that was exposed the City sternly transferred him to the Bureau of Signs and Markings.  There, the City paid him $41,000 per year plus overtime. The FBI reported they often observed Spina driving Outfit Capo Joey Lombardo to meetings with other Outfit members. He was the perfect driver because he was an Outfit guy with no criminal record. The City Inspector found the City was paying Spina during the time he was seen with Lombardo and he was even putting in for overtime pay. I guess when Joey had a late meeting, Chris needed the overtime. It’s not over with yet, during this investigation they found Spina supervised his two brothers, John and Anthony Spina who were arrested for weapons charges during the city internal investigation. This was during the time when Lombardo was released from his last prison sentence and he took out an ad in the Tribune claiming. “I am not a made member of the Chicago Mob and if anybody hears my name in connection with any criminal activity, please notify the FBI, local police and my parole officer, Ron Kumke.” Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary,