July 22, 2025 • 12 mins
In this episode of Mobstercast Chronicles, we delve into the life and legacy of Joseph “Joe Nick” Ferriola—one of the Chicago Outfit’s most powerful yet least publicized bosses. From his rise through the brutal Cicero crew to his quiet reign over the Outfit during the 1980s, Ferriola ran the mob like a business empire—ruthless, efficient, and always from the shadows. Join us as we uncover how this low-profile mobster became the iron hand that held the Outfit together during its final golden era.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, when you think about the Chicago Outfit, you know,
the big names usually come up first, al Capone obviously,
Tony Jcardo, right.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
The legends, the ones who are always in.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
The papers exactly, they had this huge public profile. But
there were other guys, powerful figures who kind of operated
from the shadows, you know, pulling strings without wanting the spotlight.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
That's often where the real long term power lies, isn't
it away from the headlines precisely?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
And today we're going to take a deep dive into
one of those figures, Jaceph Joe mcphery Feriola, sometimes called
the iron hand of the.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Outfit, a fascinating character, not as well known perhaps, but
incredibly significant in his time right.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So for this deep dive, we're looking at materials that
chart his well, his rise, his time in charge, and
what he left behind. Our goal is really to understand
how this seemingly less famous guy became the de facto
boss in the nineteen.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Eighties and how he ran things. He had this very specific,
almost ruthless efficiency, but also a quiet style, very different.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, like a unique management approach, and his story tells
us a lot about how the outfit changed, especially during
a really critical and dangerous period, lots of money being made,
but also intense pressure.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
From law enforcement, a very volatile mix.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Okay, let's unpack this. Joseph Fariola born March sixteenth, nineteen
twenty seven, right here in Chicago, and.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
He came up in those close knit Italian American neighborhoods,
places where a community was strong, but also, let's be honest,
where organized crime often found fertile ground for recruitment.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Right, And like a lot of future mobsters, there's not
a ton of detailed info about his really early years.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
It's kind of murky, which is pretty standard. You know,
keeps a low profile early.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
On, But by the nineteen fifties Joe Nick was definitely
making his way into the outfit. He apparently showed a
real knack for numbers, good street smarts, and crucially, he
knew when to keep his mouth shut.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
That last part is probably the most important trait, especially early.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
On, no doubt. So he really started climbing the ladder
under Leonard fat Lenny Kaifano. He was a coppo like
a captain in the Cicero crew and Cicero well, Cicero
was important, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh? Absolutely Cicero wasn't just notorious for gambling and extortion
and you know, the usual corruption. It was almost like
the outfits private backyard.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
A safe haven kind of exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It was outside the direct blair of downtown Chicago police,
and they had cholways, say, arrangements, political connections, police on
the payroll. It made it a safer base for their
big money makers.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
And Fariola thrived there.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
It really did. As a soldier, he was reportedly involved
in running gambling dens, enforcement, the nuts and bolts of
the operation, and he built this reputation no nonsense, gets
things done.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Efficient but not flashy.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
That seems key, definitely not flatchy. He preferred working behind
the scenes, letting the results do the talking, which you know,
in hindsight was smart.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Yeah, because that quiet effectiveness, that businesslike approach, it got
noticed right by the guys at the very top, like
a Cardo and Joseph Iopa precisely.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
What's fascinating is how his quiet competence really stood out
to the top brass. They valued reliability, especially as law
enforcement got more sophisticated.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
So it wasn't just personality, it was tactical. Anonymity became
a form of power, especially later on.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Absolutely, while Capone used fame, Farriola seemed to understand that
in the era of IRO and federal wire tabs, staying
out of the spotlight was the smarter play. It was
about efficiency, yes, but quiet efficiency, minimal trails, very modern
in a way.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
And things really took off for him when he started
working closely with Joseph Joey doves Aopa. Ayopa had huge
control over Cicero operation.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, Ayopa basically took Fiola under his wing, trusted him,
gave him sensitive jobs, management roles. Eventually, Feriola was running
the day to day for the whole Cicero crew, which
was a big deal.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
And by nineteen seventy he becomes a made man, fully initiated.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Because he'd proven himself loyal, capable, made money, kept the
Feds away. He ticked all the boxes.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
So fast forward to nineteen eighty six, Ayupa and John
Cerone get hit with long prison sentences for skimming Las
Vegas casino money, big convictions. Suddenly there's a power vacuum
at the top of the.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Outfit, a major vacuum, and that's where Fariola steps in.
Maybe not the obvious public face but for stability and profit,
he was the logical choice exactly so.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Even though he apparently never officially called himself boss, Fariola
effectively takes charge in the mid nineteen eighties.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
De facto leader. Everyone knew who was running the show.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
And this was, as we said, a really crucial time.
The FBI was turning up the heat. There was more competition.
It was a tough environment.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Definitely, the outfit needed steady leadership.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
And under Fariola, things seemed to get leaner, more discreete.
He even set up shop out in Oakbrook in the suburbs.
That seems significant, it really does.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
You mentioned comparing him to a CEO, and I think
that fits. It wasn't just a moving house. It symbolized
a shift.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
How so what did that look like day to day?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Well, it meant less focus on say, street level beefs,
and more on the bottom line. He imposed discipline, structure,
rackets were treated almost like business units. If something was
too risky or not profitable enough, maybe it got.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Cut so more detached, maybe executive style.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Kind of yeah, less hands on street stuff, more oversight.
The suburban base reflected that move away from the city's chaos.
It was about market share efficiency, not just.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Turf wars, so less focus on flamboyant crimes, more on
the steady earners, extortion, illegal gambling, loan sharking, and labor racketeering. Right,
the unions were huge.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Oh, absolutely critical, especially construction unions that provided steady income, yes,
but also immense influence over building contracts, political leverage, furial
oversaw all that.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And his style was pragmatic, cutting out the loose cannons,
modernizing things without attracting too much attention. That quiet efficiency,
it sounds like it was really vital for their survival.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Then it really was. He adapted, but even with.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
That quiet style, the pressure was immense. By the time
he took over, the FBI was really going after organized
crime hard.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Oh yeah, federal investigations, wire taps were everywhere.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And then there was Ariika, the Racketeer Influenced in Corrupt
Organizations Act. That was a game changer, Wasn't it huge?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Because it targeted the whole structure. You could link lower
level crimes up the chain to the bosses. It made
just giving orders incredibly risky.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
So how did Fariola, with his quiet CEO style, adapt
to REKO specifically?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
That's a great question. It forced a big shift. Instead
of direct orders, you saw more layers of insulation. You'd
delegate through trusted guys. Maybe you rely on hints or
implied consent rather than explicit commands on a wire.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Tap, lawsible deniability.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Exactly a masterclass in it. Really, it was a direct
response to Reiko's power, making it much harder for prosecutors
to prove he directly ordered a specific crime.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
And despite that, by eighty five he was definitely a
prime target, showing up in surveillance reports, meeting known mom.
The FBI even had Operation Pendorf focused on his oak
Brook base.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
They're definitely watching him closely. They knew who was in charge.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
That in nineteen eighty seven he gets named in a
federal indictment loan sharking, extorting millions. But here's the kicker.
He was never actually convicted of any major crimes while
he was the boss, which is.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Pretty amazing when you think about the level of scrutiny.
It really speaks volumes about how well he insulated himself.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
That aversion to publicity, the layered management it worked, didn't it,
at least in terms of avoiding conviction.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
It certainly seems like it did. Plus, you know those
rumored ties to corrupt officials union bosses that probably helped
shield things for a while too. Can't discount that.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
But the pressure must have been immense. And in the
late eighties his health really started to decline.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah, he'd had long standing heart problems and the stress
of running that empire, constantly looking over your shoulder for
the FEDS. It couldn't have helped.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So by nineteen eighty eight he officially steps down because
of his health. Sam Wings Carlsi takes.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Over another long time Outfit guy, and.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Fariola moves down to Florida, Boca Raton, trying to get
some peace, maybe better weather for his health. But the
FBI didn't forget him, did they.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
No, they kept tabs on him even in retirement. They
were always weary he might still be pulling strings from Omar.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
And then, sadly for him, Joseph Joe Nick Fariola dies
on March eleventh, nineteen eighty nine, in Boca just shy
of his sixty second birthday, complications from the heart disease.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yeah, and his death really marked the end of an
era for the Outfit.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
How would you characterize him? A transitional figure?
Speaker 2 (08:32):
You said, I think so. Definitely less of the old
school street brawler, much more of a mob executive. Maybe
his role in steering the outfit through those really turbulent
eighties was crucial, even if he wasn't famous like Capone.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
He kept things profitable, stable despite the heat.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
For a time. Yes, But after he died things did
start to fray. That centralized power began to weaken. Law
enforcement kept infiltrating their rackets. The outfit never really regained
the kind of strength that had under.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Fariola, and the Fariola name didn't just vanish. His son,
Nicholas got involved later on.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Right, Nicholas Fariola. He ended up getting indicted in that
big operation Family Secrets case back in two thousand and five.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
That was the one targeting all those old unsolved mob hits.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Right exactly, a huge federal crackdown. Nicholas pleaded guilty to racketeering,
got three years. So family connection it definitely lingered.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Going back to Joe ni though, what really set him
apart was that methodical, no nonsense leadership. Like you said,
more CEO than traditional moss.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah. I mean he could be brutal when needed. Reports
link him to approving hits, but he seemed to prefer
quiet dispute resolution if possible. Loyalty was everything, betrayal was
punished swiftly. He kept everyone in line, but.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Without the theatrix. He stayed in the shadows, calculating risks,
pulling strings quietly, and.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
That emphasis on structure over chaos. I think that's a
key reason the Outfits survived the eighties better than say,
some of the New York Family.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Right the Five Families seemed to implode under IICO and
internal fighting.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
They really did very old, a strategic shift that moved
towards a less visible, more corporate structure. It made the
outfit more resilient, at least for a while. They could
absorb it and keep going. Yeah, it raises an interesting
question about well organizational resilience even in a criminal context.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Now he wasn't totally invisible. The press noticed him, right,
especially the Chicago paper.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Oh yeah, the Tribune, the Sun Times. They'd run articles
updates on investigations. They often called him a shadowy figure,
the suburban godfather because of the Oakbrook base.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
But he didn't seem to court that publicity like Capone
or Giancana did not.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
At all, and that lack of visibility probably did help
him avoid convictions, along with, as we mentioned, maybe some
helpful connections in politics and unions. But even he couldn't
escape the pressure forever as the Feds closed in during
the late eighties.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
So when you look at his legacy, it's complicated, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Very On one hand, undeniably a criminal profited from fear
or violence, illegal rackets.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
But on the other hand, he represents maybe a dying
breed discipline, strategic, loyal to the old outfit ways but
adapting them.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
I think that's fair. He ran the outfit during arguably
its last truly powerful era, before the federal crackdowns really
started to dismantle the command structure.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
After Feriola, the influence just seemed to erode over time.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
It did. His reign was kind of one of the
final chapters of that golden age of Chicago organized crime,
if you can call it that. His impact, though, even
if quiet, was undeniable. He understood power, not just grabbing it,
but holding onto it quietly.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
It's that mix of ruthless crime and almost corporate precision
that makes him so fascinating to look back on. Absolutely
so in a world often defined by loud gangsters. Joe
Nick Farriola really stood out by well not standing out
the quiet.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
On exercising immense power from behind the curtain getting results.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
And while the FEDS in the media caught up with
so many others, he largely of d major convictions during
his leadership. His story is about loyalty, strategy, control.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
He was a mobster, no doubt, but he didn't need
the headlines to prove his power. He just, as you said,
got the job done and in the outfit, that was
what mattered most.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
So as you think about all this, consider those different
faces of power. You've got the overt displays, the loud
demands for attention, and then you have people like Fariola
mastering that art of quiet, almost unseen control. It makes
you wonder what kind of influence actually leaves the most
lasting mark, even when it stays mostly in the shadows.
Okay, when you think about the Chicago Outfit, you know,
the big names usually come up first, al Capone obviously,
Tony Jcardo, right.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
The legends, the ones who are always in.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
The papers exactly, they had this huge public profile. But
there were other guys, powerful figures who kind of operated
from the shadows, you know, pulling strings without wanting the spotlight.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
That's often where the real long term power lies, isn't
it away from the headlines precisely?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
And today we're going to take a deep dive into
one of those figures, Jaceph Joe mcphery Feriola, sometimes called
the iron hand of the.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Outfit, a fascinating character, not as well known perhaps, but
incredibly significant in his time right.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So for this deep dive, we're looking at materials that
chart his well, his rise, his time in charge, and
what he left behind. Our goal is really to understand
how this seemingly less famous guy became the de facto
boss in the nineteen.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Eighties and how he ran things. He had this very specific,
almost ruthless efficiency, but also a quiet style, very different.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, like a unique management approach, and his story tells
us a lot about how the outfit changed, especially during
a really critical and dangerous period, lots of money being made,
but also intense pressure.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
From law enforcement, a very volatile mix.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Okay, let's unpack this. Joseph Fariola born March sixteenth, nineteen
twenty seven, right here in Chicago, and.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
He came up in those close knit Italian American neighborhoods,
places where a community was strong, but also, let's be honest,
where organized crime often found fertile ground for recruitment.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Right, And like a lot of future mobsters, there's not
a ton of detailed info about his really early years.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
It's kind of murky, which is pretty standard. You know,
keeps a low profile early.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
On, But by the nineteen fifties Joe Nick was definitely
making his way into the outfit. He apparently showed a
real knack for numbers, good street smarts, and crucially, he
knew when to keep his mouth shut.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
That last part is probably the most important trait, especially early.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
On, no doubt. So he really started climbing the ladder
under Leonard fat Lenny Kaifano. He was a coppo like
a captain in the Cicero crew and Cicero well, Cicero
was important, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh? Absolutely Cicero wasn't just notorious for gambling and extortion
and you know, the usual corruption. It was almost like
the outfits private backyard.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
A safe haven kind of exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It was outside the direct blair of downtown Chicago police,
and they had cholways, say, arrangements, political connections, police on
the payroll. It made it a safer base for their
big money makers.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
And Fariola thrived there.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
It really did. As a soldier, he was reportedly involved
in running gambling dens, enforcement, the nuts and bolts of
the operation, and he built this reputation no nonsense, gets
things done.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Efficient but not flashy.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
That seems key, definitely not flatchy. He preferred working behind
the scenes, letting the results do the talking, which you know,
in hindsight was smart.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Yeah, because that quiet effectiveness, that businesslike approach, it got
noticed right by the guys at the very top, like
a Cardo and Joseph Iopa precisely.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
What's fascinating is how his quiet competence really stood out
to the top brass. They valued reliability, especially as law
enforcement got more sophisticated.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
So it wasn't just personality, it was tactical. Anonymity became
a form of power, especially later on.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Absolutely, while Capone used fame, Farriola seemed to understand that
in the era of IRO and federal wire tabs, staying
out of the spotlight was the smarter play. It was
about efficiency, yes, but quiet efficiency, minimal trails, very modern
in a way.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
And things really took off for him when he started
working closely with Joseph Joey doves Aopa. Ayopa had huge
control over Cicero operation.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, Ayopa basically took Fiola under his wing, trusted him,
gave him sensitive jobs, management roles. Eventually, Feriola was running
the day to day for the whole Cicero crew, which
was a big deal.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
And by nineteen seventy he becomes a made man, fully initiated.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Because he'd proven himself loyal, capable, made money, kept the
Feds away. He ticked all the boxes.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
So fast forward to nineteen eighty six, Ayupa and John
Cerone get hit with long prison sentences for skimming Las
Vegas casino money, big convictions. Suddenly there's a power vacuum
at the top of the.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Outfit, a major vacuum, and that's where Fariola steps in.
Maybe not the obvious public face but for stability and profit,
he was the logical choice exactly so.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Even though he apparently never officially called himself boss, Fariola
effectively takes charge in the mid nineteen eighties.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
De facto leader. Everyone knew who was running the show.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
And this was, as we said, a really crucial time.
The FBI was turning up the heat. There was more competition.
It was a tough environment.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Definitely, the outfit needed steady leadership.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
And under Fariola, things seemed to get leaner, more discreete.
He even set up shop out in Oakbrook in the suburbs.
That seems significant, it really does.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
You mentioned comparing him to a CEO, and I think
that fits. It wasn't just a moving house. It symbolized
a shift.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
How so what did that look like day to day?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Well, it meant less focus on say, street level beefs,
and more on the bottom line. He imposed discipline, structure,
rackets were treated almost like business units. If something was
too risky or not profitable enough, maybe it got.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Cut so more detached, maybe executive style.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Kind of yeah, less hands on street stuff, more oversight.
The suburban base reflected that move away from the city's chaos.
It was about market share efficiency, not just.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Turf wars, so less focus on flamboyant crimes, more on
the steady earners, extortion, illegal gambling, loan sharking, and labor racketeering. Right,
the unions were huge.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Oh, absolutely critical, especially construction unions that provided steady income, yes,
but also immense influence over building contracts, political leverage, furial
oversaw all that.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And his style was pragmatic, cutting out the loose cannons,
modernizing things without attracting too much attention. That quiet efficiency,
it sounds like it was really vital for their survival.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Then it really was. He adapted, but even with.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
That quiet style, the pressure was immense. By the time
he took over, the FBI was really going after organized
crime hard.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Oh yeah, federal investigations, wire taps were everywhere.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And then there was Ariika, the Racketeer Influenced in Corrupt
Organizations Act. That was a game changer, Wasn't it huge?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Because it targeted the whole structure. You could link lower
level crimes up the chain to the bosses. It made
just giving orders incredibly risky.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
So how did Fariola, with his quiet CEO style, adapt
to REKO specifically?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
That's a great question. It forced a big shift. Instead
of direct orders, you saw more layers of insulation. You'd
delegate through trusted guys. Maybe you rely on hints or
implied consent rather than explicit commands on a wire.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Tap, lawsible deniability.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Exactly a masterclass in it. Really, it was a direct
response to Reiko's power, making it much harder for prosecutors
to prove he directly ordered a specific crime.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
And despite that, by eighty five he was definitely a
prime target, showing up in surveillance reports, meeting known mom.
The FBI even had Operation Pendorf focused on his oak
Brook base.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
They're definitely watching him closely. They knew who was in charge.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
That in nineteen eighty seven he gets named in a
federal indictment loan sharking, extorting millions. But here's the kicker.
He was never actually convicted of any major crimes while
he was the boss, which is.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Pretty amazing when you think about the level of scrutiny.
It really speaks volumes about how well he insulated himself.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
That aversion to publicity, the layered management it worked, didn't it,
at least in terms of avoiding conviction.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
It certainly seems like it did. Plus, you know those
rumored ties to corrupt officials union bosses that probably helped
shield things for a while too. Can't discount that.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
But the pressure must have been immense. And in the
late eighties his health really started to decline.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah, he'd had long standing heart problems and the stress
of running that empire, constantly looking over your shoulder for
the FEDS. It couldn't have helped.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So by nineteen eighty eight he officially steps down because
of his health. Sam Wings Carlsi takes.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Over another long time Outfit guy, and.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Fariola moves down to Florida, Boca Raton, trying to get
some peace, maybe better weather for his health. But the
FBI didn't forget him, did they.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
No, they kept tabs on him even in retirement. They
were always weary he might still be pulling strings from Omar.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
And then, sadly for him, Joseph Joe Nick Fariola dies
on March eleventh, nineteen eighty nine, in Boca just shy
of his sixty second birthday, complications from the heart disease.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yeah, and his death really marked the end of an
era for the Outfit.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
How would you characterize him? A transitional figure?
Speaker 2 (08:32):
You said, I think so. Definitely less of the old
school street brawler, much more of a mob executive. Maybe
his role in steering the outfit through those really turbulent
eighties was crucial, even if he wasn't famous like Capone.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
He kept things profitable, stable despite the heat.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
For a time. Yes, But after he died things did
start to fray. That centralized power began to weaken. Law
enforcement kept infiltrating their rackets. The outfit never really regained
the kind of strength that had under.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Fariola, and the Fariola name didn't just vanish. His son,
Nicholas got involved later on.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Right, Nicholas Fariola. He ended up getting indicted in that
big operation Family Secrets case back in two thousand and five.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
That was the one targeting all those old unsolved mob hits.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Right exactly, a huge federal crackdown. Nicholas pleaded guilty to racketeering,
got three years. So family connection it definitely lingered.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Going back to Joe ni though, what really set him
apart was that methodical, no nonsense leadership. Like you said,
more CEO than traditional moss.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah. I mean he could be brutal when needed. Reports
link him to approving hits, but he seemed to prefer
quiet dispute resolution if possible. Loyalty was everything, betrayal was
punished swiftly. He kept everyone in line, but.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Without the theatrix. He stayed in the shadows, calculating risks,
pulling strings quietly, and.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
That emphasis on structure over chaos. I think that's a
key reason the Outfits survived the eighties better than say,
some of the New York Family.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Right the Five Families seemed to implode under IICO and
internal fighting.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
They really did very old, a strategic shift that moved
towards a less visible, more corporate structure. It made the
outfit more resilient, at least for a while. They could
absorb it and keep going. Yeah, it raises an interesting
question about well organizational resilience even in a criminal context.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Now he wasn't totally invisible. The press noticed him, right,
especially the Chicago paper.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Oh yeah, the Tribune, the Sun Times. They'd run articles
updates on investigations. They often called him a shadowy figure,
the suburban godfather because of the Oakbrook base.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
But he didn't seem to court that publicity like Capone
or Giancana did not.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
At all, and that lack of visibility probably did help
him avoid convictions, along with, as we mentioned, maybe some
helpful connections in politics and unions. But even he couldn't
escape the pressure forever as the Feds closed in during
the late eighties.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
So when you look at his legacy, it's complicated, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Very On one hand, undeniably a criminal profited from fear
or violence, illegal rackets.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
But on the other hand, he represents maybe a dying
breed discipline, strategic, loyal to the old outfit ways but
adapting them.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
I think that's fair. He ran the outfit during arguably
its last truly powerful era, before the federal crackdowns really
started to dismantle the command structure.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
After Feriola, the influence just seemed to erode over time.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
It did. His reign was kind of one of the
final chapters of that golden age of Chicago organized crime,
if you can call it that. His impact, though, even
if quiet, was undeniable. He understood power, not just grabbing it,
but holding onto it quietly.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
It's that mix of ruthless crime and almost corporate precision
that makes him so fascinating to look back on. Absolutely
so in a world often defined by loud gangsters. Joe
Nick Farriola really stood out by well not standing out
the quiet.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
On exercising immense power from behind the curtain getting results.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
And while the FEDS in the media caught up with
so many others, he largely of d major convictions during
his leadership. His story is about loyalty, strategy, control.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
He was a mobster, no doubt, but he didn't need
the headlines to prove his power. He just, as you said,
got the job done and in the outfit, that was
what mattered most.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
So as you think about all this, consider those different
faces of power. You've got the overt displays, the loud
demands for attention, and then you have people like Fariola
mastering that art of quiet, almost unseen control. It makes
you wonder what kind of influence actually leaves the most
lasting mark, even when it stays mostly in the shadows.
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