Denver crime family
| Founded by | Giuseppe Roma |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Pueblo and Denver, Colorado |
| Years active | 1910s-2006 |
| Territory | Colorado |
| Ethnicity | Italian, Italian-American, Sicilian and Sicilian-American made men and other ethnicities as "associates" |
| Membership (est.) | Unknown |
| Criminal activities | Racketeering, loansharking, extortion, prostitution, drugs, bookmaking and gambling |
The Colorado crime family, also called the Smaldone crime family, was a small organized mob family based in Pueblo and Denver, Colorado.
Pete and Sam Carlino were southern Colorado's most notorious bootleggers. From 1922-1931 they controlled most of the bootlegging territories south of Denver. By the late 20's the Carlino brothers had moved to Denver and planned on expanding their liquor empire to encompass the entire state of Colorado. On January 25, 1931 Denver bootlegger Giuseppe "Joe" Roma set up a "Bootleggers Convention" to avert an all out war between the Carlino's and the other bootleggers. Police arrested 29 people at the meeting. 28 of the 29 had prior arrests. Pete Carlino and the others were charged but released. Roma was not at the meeting. District Attorney Carr publicly condemned Mayor Stapleton for not prosecuting the bootleggers. On March 17, 1931 Pete Carlino's opulent home at 3357 Federal Boulevard exploded. Initially Police suspected it was rival gangs who set the blast. Federal undercover agent Lawrence Baldesareli informed Police it had been Pete Carlino who planned the arson. Carlino was looking to collect the insurance money for the blast. His empire was fledgling and he was quickly running out of money. Joe Petralia, Chris Murkuri, and cousin Dan Colletti were convicted for setting the blast. On May 8, 1931 Sam Carlino was killed in his home by Bruno Mauro. Carlino cousin James Colletti was wounded but survived. Sam Carlino's wife and Colletti initially informed Police that Mauro was the shooter. When the trial approached Colletti had fled the area and Mrs. Carlino refused to testify in court against Mauro for fear for her family's lives. After his brother's assassination Pete Carlino went into hiding. According to Police testimony from Lucille Crupi on an unrelated matter, she claimed she met Carlino while in Milwaukee in early June 1931. She claimed that he was dropping off a shipment of booze and was picking up another load to return to Colorado. On June 19, 1931 Carlino was captured hiding in his cousins farmhouse outside Pueblo. On June 25, 1931 Joe Roma posted Pete Carlino's $5,000 bond, using his house as collateral. Contrary to popular belief Roma and Carlino were not enemies. They had a working relationship that spanned over 8 years. On September 10, 1931 Pete Carlino was killed, shot twice in the back and once in the head at close range. He was on his way to visit Joe Petralia at the prison in Canon City. Carlino's body was placed under the Siloam Road bridge just outside Pueblo. After two days the body had not been discovered the killers returned and dragged Carlinos body onto the road. An anonymous phone call made to Carlino's wife informed her where the body could be found. This ended the Carlino's reign of control of the Colorado bootlegging era.
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