Joe Esposito (politician)

Joseph Esposito (born Giuseppe Esposito, Italian pronunciation: [dʒuˈzɛppe eˈspɔːzito], October 6, 1871[1] – March 21, 1928) was an American politician best known for his involvement in bootlegging, extortion, prostitution, and labor racketeering in Chicago, Illinois, during the Prohibition era.

He immigrated to Illinois and joined one of the street gangs terrorizing Chicago's Little Italy during the early 1900s.

When the Volstead Act was enacted and Prohibition in the United States began, Esposito's organization, the 42 Gang, which included Sam "Momo" Giancana and Paul "The Waiter" Ricca, entered into bootlegging.

Esposito's early success with the Genna Brothers may have been a factor in the 1920 murder of rival James "Big Jim" Colosimo, a long time racketeer who had been hesitant to begin his own bootlegging operations.

Several years later, Esposito also attended the funeral of another criminal ally, Angelo Genna murdered on May 25, 1925.