Barbara was part of failed casino plan

In the early 1980s, Mayor Daley's friend Fred Bruno Barbara had a "deep involvement'' in illegal gambling, according to federal court records. By the mid-1990s, Barbara was an investor in a Louisiana casino company that tried to expand to Illinois, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

Barbara is a grandson of the late Bruno Roti Sr., a reputed mob boss whose son-in-law, Frank "Skid'' Caruso, allegedly took over Roti's criminal empire, running illegal gambling for the Chicago Outfit's 26th Street Crew until his death in 1983.

Shortly before Caruso died, federal prosecutors alleged in court documents that his nephew, Barbara, "is believed to be a major participant'' in illegal gambling for Angelo "The Hook'' LaPietra, the reputed mob boss said to have replaced Caruso, and Joseph "Shorty'' LaMantia, another reputed mobster.

The operation used telephones listed under the names of employees for Fred Barbara Trucking, prosecutors said in a 1983 court filing when Barbara and LaMantia were on trial for extortion. They were acquitted.

By 1994, Barbara was among dozens of Illinois residents who invested in Crown Casino Corp., which won a casino license in Louisiana and was planning to buy a riverboat casino in Illinois, according to a report the company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Barbara had 50,000 shares of Crown Casino, less than a 1 percent stake, according to the filing.

His cousin, Bruno F. Caruso, also had 50,000 shares. Caruso, identified by the FBI as a reputed mobster, is a son of "Skid'' Caruso.

Other investors included Barbara's business partner William Pacella, a trucking executive whose company was in the city's Hired Truck Program.

Investors also included Sam Skinner, former chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush, and Skinner's brother-in-law, Gerard Jacobs, former chief executive of Metal Management Inc., a recycling company. Jacobs, a director of Crown Casino, was hired to help the company move into Illinois in 1994, according to SEC filings.

Crown hired Gov. Jim Edgar's fund-raiser, Robert Hickman, to help relocate a poorly performing riverboat casino from Galena to one of three towns -- Danville, Decatur or Shelbyville. Crown paid Hickman more than $80,000 but fired him when he was charged in a land-deal scheme while running the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

Hickman got six months in jail.

And Crown never got a casino in Illinois and left the casino business altogether. The Galena casino owners decided to move the boat to Rosemont, a deal that's been tied up in court for years.