The Smaldone brothers established control over Denver's underworld following the rubout of local boss Joe "Little Caesar" Roma in 1933 - and gripped to power for decades.
Cops suspected they had a hand in the Roma slaying (the capo died in a hail of lead in his living room with his mandolin) - but couldn't prove it.
The main players, and fixtures in local newspapers, were bothers Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone, Clyde "Flip Flop" Smaldone and Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone - Denver's last known capo.
The Mafia moved easily in territory once claimed by Western desperados, like the Sundance Kid. The ambitious Italian Americans expanded from Prohibition bootlegging into gambling, loansharking and racketeering etc. in Denver, its suburbs and Central City in the Rocky Mountains.
Their family-owned Gaetano's restaurant at 38th and Tejon served as hub. It still serves up outstanding Italian dishes under different owners with a mob theme - including the "Chauncey (as in Smaldone) Burger" with provolone, roasted peppers and balsamic ketchup.
The Smaldone gang wielded an iron first despite repeated arrests and convictions for crimes ranging from gambling to jury tampering. Police were never able to pin numerous murders on the Mile High gangsters. That's even the killing of a gambler named "Murph" Cohen, last seen dining at Gaetano's in 1949. His body, wrapped in chains, was dumped in a pond.
Website Gangland Wire reports the brothers maintained "national connections, including partnerships with mob bosses in St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago" including "their Las Vegas Riviera Casino skim."
And yet, they were somewhat low key in manner, with a local cop describing Eugene as, "... the schoolteacher type. He wore glasses. Very polite. Very civil." They also cultivated a reputation of benevolence in the Italian quarter of North Denver through charitable acts for orphanages, struggling families and Roman Catholic parishes.
The Smaldone criminal enterprise faded away in the late 20th Century - and the brothers died with no heirs apparent. A possible, perhaps, future boss - a former University of Colorado football lineman named Skip Laguardia - was shot dead, perhaps a victim of family strife. La Cosa Nostra thugs in Pueblo, aligned with the national syndicate, faded too as did Trinidad's mob family.
Today, other ethic gangs have taken the place of Denver's Italian mob, and the violence and racketeering continue while the "legit" Colorado Lottery, casinos, Bingo, off-track betting and legalized sports betting rake in cash.
[Photo: Mugshot of Clyde Smaldone]
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