August Palmisano

August Palmisano (Augie) was born in 1928 to Sicilian immigrants Giovanni and Angeline Palmisano. He grew up in Milwaukee's Third Ward and attended Lincoln High School. After graduating, he went to work assisting in the management of his father's produce business, John Palmisano & Sons Wholesale Produce. ==Career==

In 1962, Palmisano and two others were arrested on bookmaking charges for taking bets on basketball games by US Marshals, the IRS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the office of the United States Attorney. Bail was set at US$5,000 () for each defendant; prosecutors argued for a high bail on the grounds that the defendants had a history of engaging in strong-arm tactics. Palmisano paid the bail and was released. In 1963, Palmisano was convicted at trial. When Palmisano's father died in 1964, Palmisano renamed the business "Palmisano Produce". He continued working as a wholesaler while taking an additional job at the American Motors Corporation. He began operating a tavern in what was colloquially known as Commission Row in Milwaukee. An artist painted a picture of Palmisano with a bottle of Early Times whiskey and he intended the image to portray "the King of Commission Row". In 1978, Palmisano was notified that he was one of nine Milwaukee residents subject to a police order to have their phones wiretapped as part of a federal investigation into Mafia-controlled gambling operations; Palmisano was suspected of violating his probation by continuing to run games. Palmisano used his income to open a tavern called Ritchie's (later renamed Palmy's), using the backrooms to run illegal games of chance. FBI agents raided it in 1974, seizing US$16,339.76 () in cash, US$87,380 () in promise-to-pay slips, 93 sticks of dynamite, and several firearms. In 1975, he was again convicted, for "conducting a gambling business" and put on probation for two years. He was also fined $500 (). The charge of illegally storing 93 sticks of dynamite was dismissed as prosecutors could not prove that he had any knowledge of them. Palmisano was known to frequent Pitch's Lounge and Restaurant in Milwaukee. On January 18, 1978, he was involved in an altercation at Pitch's with another restaurant owner named Robert Bruns, who was tackled and beaten by Palmisano and three others: Bruns was hospitalized after the attack. Two women who were shoved by Palmisano during the scuffle were also recorded as assault victims. All charges were dropped after the two women refused to testify by stating their intentions to leave town; Bruns received a cash settlement from Palmisano's lawyers. == Death ==

On the morning of June 30, 1978, Palmisano went to the underground parking of the Juneau Garden Village Apartments where he lived. When he turned the key in the ignition of his 1977 Mercury sedan, it exploded. At least 20 other vehicles were damaged and a resident said the blast was strong enough to knock pictures off the walls. Palmisano was killed; losing his right foot and face, he was identified by his fingerprints. Undercover FBI agent Gail Cobb reported that Balistrieri said, "He [Palmisano] was arrogant. He called me a name to my face. Now he has no skin". Balistrieri also reportedly told the agent that nobody ever survived to be a witness against him. The Capital Times newspaper published an article with the headline "Blast Kills Convicted Milwaukee Gambler". The Milwaukee Sentinel reported that, less than a day after Palmisano's death, burglars forced their way into the warehouse section of the tavern and then made a hole in an internal wall. A safe in the tavern was "peeled" open and documents scattered about. ==Notes==