Dominic Cortina
| Dominic Cortina | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 28, 1925 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | November 19, 1999 (aged 74) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Other names | Big Dom, Large, The Hat |
| Occupation | Gangster, member of Chicago Outfit |
| Criminal charge | Gambling, Loan sharking, robbery, insurance fraud, conspiracy |
| Criminal penalty | 3 years (for gambling), 21 months (for insurance fraud and conspiracy) |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Spouse(s) | Jody Cortina |
| Children | Pam Cortina, Vicki Annecca, Michael Cortina |
Dominic Cortina (January 28, 1925 – November 19, 1999) was a Chicago mobster and high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit criminal organization, who oversaw gambling. His nicknames were "Big Dom", "Large", and "the Hat."
In the late 1940s, Cortina famously purchased a cigarette tax stamp machine and reported it stolen. Before it surfaced, millions of dollars in bogus tax stamps had been run off for the mob.
In 1963, Cortina was among associates of the Chicago Outfit named at a United States Senate hearing.
In 1970, Cortina was convicted of federal gambling charges for operating a gambling business across state lines. He was sentenced to three years in prison. The convictions of Cortina and four other alleged gangsters, including that of Jackie Cerone, were touted as a milestone in the FBI's effort to smash coast-to-coast betting rackets on sports.
In 1982, an Illinois legislative investigating committee linked a bingo parlor on Chicago's Northwest Side to Cortina and another reputed syndicate gambling figure, William McGuire.
By the mid-1980s, Cortina was operating a highly successful sports betting empire along with Chicago Outfit member Donald Angelini.
In 1987, Cortina and Angelini were sent by Chicago Outfit head Joseph Ferriola to assume caretaker roles in Nevada, in the wake of the murder of Anthony Spilotro, who had overseen Chicago Outfit interests there.
On June 22, 1989, Cortina was arrested at his home and charged with conspiring with six others to engage in loan sharking, robbery, insurance fraud, gambling and the illegal import of cars into this country from Europe. The indictment, which was unsealed in Miami, Florida, alleged that Cortina and others had conspired since 1982 to steal and defraud, using a North Miami Beach, Florida pawn shop as a cover for their activities. Cortina, who also had maintained a home in Naples, Florida, was accused in the indictment of racketeering conspiracy, plotting a home invasion in which an expensive diamond ring was taken, running a bookmaking operation and cheating the government out of payment of tens of thousands of dollars in customs duties on so-called "grey market" cars imported from West Germany.
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