wFrom staff reports
A convicted mob boss, who reportedly once controlled parts of Illinois and Indiana, died Friday in the Federal Medical Center in Rochester.
Dominick "Tootsie" Palermo was 88. He was scheduled to be released Aug. 10, the end of his 32-year prison term. The Medical Center did not release a cause of death.
The Chicago Tribune reported today that he was convicted in August 1991 of extorting protection from bookmakers and gamblers there.
The Tribune also reported that Palermo was suspected of having a role in the 1986 murders of crime syndicate figure Anthony Spilotro and his brother, Michael.
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Federal authorities said Palermo, who worked as a Laborers International Union field representative, became the reputed head of the south suburban mob after former rackets boss Albert Tocco, a one-time Chicago Heights sausage-maker, was convicted in 1989 of ruling a crime family through acts of murder and extortion.
