Mob 101, Part 4: "Big Jim" Colosimo

The more you know: Mob Adjacent brings you stories about the people whose names are synonymous with organized crime.
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JAMES ‘BIG JIM” COLOSIMO (1878 – 1920) ran Chicago in the early days of the 20th century. In the days before Prohibition changed the nation and organized crime, Colosimo amassed an empire based on brothels and gambling. A cultured, opera-loving man, Big Jim created the gangster style with his preference for flashy white suits, diamond pins, rings, and other jewelry. In 1902, Colosimo married Victoria Moresco, an established Chicago madam. Within a few years, the Colosimos had nearly 200 brothels. He started moving into gambling and racketeering.

When Black Hand extortionists tried to put the muscle on Colosimo, he brought in his nephew from New York to solve the problem. After JOHNNY TORRIO took care of the Black Handers for his uncle, he brought trusted pal AL CAPONE to Chicago. The rest, as they say, is history. But when Big Jim expressed indifference to bootlegging, Torio decided it was time for his friend and mentor to retire. Colosimo was murdered in his restaurant. Curiously, his vast fortune disappeared.

Find out how it all started in this episode of "Bloodletters and Badmen" and learn about the man who organized crime in Chicago in the 1920s.