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December 1, 2009

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Mob boss tied to gambling dies

Thursday, April 1, 1999 | 11:20 a.m.

LaPietra was among five mobsters convicted in 1986 of skimming $2 million in untaxed gambling profits from casinos owned by Argent Corp.

LaPietra and his co-defendants were also accused of influencing Teamsters' fund trustees to loan funds to San Diego businessman Alan Glick, who used the money to renovate and buy the Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda and Marina casinos.

LaPietra died Sunday at a Chicago hospital.

Besides controlling gambling operations on the South and Southwest sides of Chicago, LaPietra was known to Chicago police and the FBI as a mob enforcer who participated in stolen car rackets, burglaries and the syndicate's juice operation, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The Tribune reported that in 1977, he built a fortress-like home near Comiskey Park surrounded by a 6-foot-high brick wall and bathed in spotlights at night. The estate was seen by police as a sign of LaPietra's expanding mob role.

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