Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Chicago Outfit Historian James Cosenza about the second trial of Outfit gambler, fixer, and killer Bobby Salerno. We learn Salerno worked with a Cicero shakedown and hit team that went too far when they murdered bookmaker Hal Smith. An Outfit associate named B. J. Jahoda turned witness after the Hal Smith murder because they used him to set up Smith without his cooperation and foreknowledge. Salerno was represented by his son, defense attorney Alex Salerno. James reports that during the trial, the prosecutor elicited from Jahoda that Salerno and others killed Smith because he refused to pay any extra tribute to the crew. He felt he had paid enough “street tax.” When a crew member named Solly DeLaurentis asked for more, Smith refused, and they got into a loud argument in a public place.
James Cosenza did not perceive that B. J. Jahoda was a believable witness. He spoke with Bobby Salerno at the water fountain during a break. Salerno said he was so proud that his son, Alec Salerno, was one of his two lawyers at the Defense table. He said, “I told my son that if he lost, don’t feel too bad because I have been around, and I can take it.”
In this trial, the government used William B.J. Jahoda, who had been Solly DeLaurentis’ driver, as their star witness. Jahoda owned the Long Grove, Illinois home where the crew murdered Hal Smith. Jahoda testified that he was ordered to bring Smith to his house for a “talk.” Instead, Bobby Salerno, Robert (Bobby the Gabeet) Bellavia, and Louis (Louie Tomatoes) Marino murdered Hal Smith.
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Transcript
SPEAKERS
SPEAKERS
GARY JENKINS, James Cosenza
00:00
During B. J. Jahoda’s testimony now he was the star witness against Bobby Salerno. He was a kind of a tough witness to listen to. And they called the break outside in the hallway near the water cooler. For some reason, Gary, I was so aggravating, a little little disturbed by B. J. Jahoda’s testimony that I made a couple of comments out loud that I normally don’t do. And to my surprise, Bobby Salerno actually replied and spoke to me. And he told me I’ll never forget it. He said that you can see my son Alex, who’s representing me is a very fine attorney. And I told Alex, before this trial started, if we lose, I don’t want you to hang your head low. I want you to continue to be a top defensive lawyer. Don’t let this trial affect your career in any way. Don’t worry about me. I’m an old fighter. I’m a boxer. I can handle it. Then he went on to say And I’ll never forget this. He said, you can see I have my son. Alex is a very fine attorney. He was very proud of his son representing them. He’s like my second kid. She’s going to law school right now. And I’m listening. Then he put his head down. He’s like, my third kid, he dropped out of school in the ninth grade. And he kind of smiled. He’s like, Jimmy, two out of three ain’t bad. And that was that. That was my little conversation with Bobby that two of his kids are successful. And the third one dropped out of school.
01:29
Well, that’s interesting. We’ll welcome you guys back here in studio ganglion. We’re got James M. Black back on again. He’s my friend in Chicago, who has gone to a bunch of the Bob trials out there. We’ve already done a couple. We did family secrets trial. And we did the large guy, Mike Sarno’s trial. And they were great. And I know a lot of people like him, especially in Chicago. So here we go. Another one with the trial of Bobby Salerno that James went to. So James, welcome. I’m really happy to have you back on here.
02:01
Thanks for having me, Gary. It’s a pleasure. I want to take gratulations on your 10,000 subscribers. That’s
02:07
it. Thank you. Thank you. Just a little aside, that we will get right back to my Dave, there’s two different audiences out there. There’s the audio audience and there’s the video audience. And they don’t really overlap very much just like I was telling you about or no show I did. Then you said, Oh, you did? I didn’t know you did that? Well, it was only on the audio platform, I can tell you had really been on the audio platform. So I was first started big time into the video. I thought God, I’ll be losing people. But I think it really is added to the audio. People like to listen and not have to look because you’re doing something else or working or jogging or driving or something else. I can’t really look at the video. So anyhow, that’s enough about the podcast. Let’s talk about the Bobby Salerno trial that was held in the main courthouse down there in downtown Chicago and Cook
02:59
here. All the major federal trials are at the Dirksen Federal Building, which is right there in the Chicago Loop, which is kind of like the financial district.
03:08
Right. So tell us about when you went in there. What background did you have about this trial? What did you know about Bobby’s learned, oh, and this star witness BJ Jahoda and the defendant and the other people who are involved in it.
03:25
Okay, about a year and a half prior to Bobby Salerno second trial was a major racketeering Rico case at the Dirksen federal building. The government called it the Good Ship Lollipop trial. Now, unfortunately, I did not attend that trial. But I followed in the news in the papers every day. And that was a major racketeering case. loan sharking, gambling and one of the charges was a murder. This crew Rockies crew murdered Hal Smith, which was one of the largest bookies in the country. That was Rocky Infelice, right. Rockie Infelice at the first trial, the good ship lollipop trial. You had Rocky Infelice Louis tomatoes Marino, Solly D’Laurentis, Bobby Bellavia and Bobby Salerno. These are like the top guys in his crew. Every one of them is a made member of the Chicago outfit. And at the end of the good ship lollipop trial, all the defendants were found guilty, except Bobby Salerno, the jury hung on Bobby Salerno, and I remember on CHANNEL SEVEN NEWS in Chicago, they showed Bobby Salerno coming out of the courtroom. He was ecstatic, even shocked. In his mind. I think he thought he’d beat the case. Now at that first trial, he has a top defensive lawyer in Chicago called Terry Gizepi. He is guy represented all the mob guys in Chicago, Mike Sarno, Bobby Salerno and several others. Bobby Salerno son Alex Salerno was co-counsel. So fast forward, all the defendants are found guilty. The jury hung on Bobby Salerno. He was so proud that his son Alex sat at the defense table. 17 months later, the government tried Bobby Salerno again for the murder of Hal Smith. And some of us may or may not know this, but anytime the government tries you a second time, your chances of beating that case have really diminished because it allows the prosecution and the defense. It allows them time to really sharpen up their case, by name mistakes they made in the first trial, they’re definitely going to tie up on the second trial. So I went to the second trial of Bobby Salerno, he was the only defendants of the government called five witnesses. Four of them were like associates, criminals of the rocky and police crew. But the main witness against Bobby Salerno was BJ Jahoda.
06:21
Who was Jahoda, who was he?
06:23
BJ Jehoda was basically a career criminal and associate of Joe Ferriola and the Rocky Infelice crew. He wasn’t a made guy, but he was definitely a part of that crew. And he was also a large bookie himself. I don’t remember the dollar amount, but he was literally making millions of dollars for the outfit. BJ Jahoda was very good friends with Hal Smith, the bookie that they kill.
06:49
Tell us a little bit about Hal Smith paint a picture of Hal Smith. He’s kind of a character if I remember right.
06:56
How Smith, according to the prosecution was one of the largest bookies for the Chicago office back in the day, and literally one of the largest bookies in the entire country. And this guy will call him an associate of the rocky police crew. He was paying his monthly dues every month on time like clockwork, never once missed a payment. Fast forward Joe ferry Hola, Boston, Chicago outfit Iraqi and Felice decided we’re going to squeeze every single booking in Chicago. We want them to pay an extra $6,000 a month. According to Rocky Infelice who was caught on tape. The reason they wanted this extra $6,000 A month was to pay for their lawyers and all the cops, sheriffs and politicians that they were bribing. So when Hal Smith found out he had to pay an extra 6000 a month. He was livid. He’s there’s like no way in hell, I’m paying this. I’ve been paying you guys every month. You’ve never once had a problem with me. So he balked at it after numerous threats. One night, he was at a restaurant a famous restaurant here in Chicago called the Como Inn right off Grand Avenue. He bumped into Solly D’Laurentis they had words and basically Solly D’Laurentis told them You my friend are Trunk Music. Shortly after that, Rocky Infelice as BJ Jadoda, “Where does Hal Smith live?” BJ Jahoda testified as soon as Rocky asked him that he knew how Smith was in trouble. So they used BJs home in Long Grove, Illinois, which is a very wealthy suburb of Chicago.
