Ernesto Rossi (gangster) Ernesto Rossi (gangster) Ernest "Hoppy" Rossi (May 27, 1903 – April 17, 1931) was a follower of Frankie Yale and friend and associate of Al Capone before he moved from Brooklyn to Chicago. Ernest was born on May 27, 1903 to Pasquale Rossi and Anna Costa at 250 Mott Street. Immigration ship manifests show that his parents were recent immigrants to New York City from Naples, Italy. According to police, Rossi had a long police record and was described as a "gangster and racketeer". He was a known follower of Frankie Yale and was a friend and associate of Al
Al Capone as having an appreciable effect in bringing about the victories of Republican William Hale Thompson, especially in the 1927 mayoral race when Thompson campaigned for a wide open town, at one time hinting that he'd reopen illegal saloons. Such a proclamation helped his campaign gain the support of Capone, and he allegedly accepted a contribution of $250,000 from the gangster. In the 1927 mayoral race, Thompson beat William Emmett Dever by a relatively slim margin. Thompson's powerful Cook County political machine had drawn on the often-parochial Italian community, but this was in tension with his highly successful courting of African