Reputed Chicago Mafia soldier Charles “Chuckie” Russell has passed away according to recent federal court filings.
According to reports the 70-year-old mobster was suffering from prostate cancer and had recently been moved to a hospice facility. Russell was schooled in the ways of the mafia by his longtime mentor and former Chicago mob enforcer Frank (Frankie The German) Schweihs. In his prime, Chuckie was a feared figure within the cities Cosa Nostra family known for being one of the cities most prolific thieves and a reputed hitman. He was a member of the infamous Grand Avenue crew serving under his brother-n-law and alleged Outfit street boss Albert Vena.
“Charles (Chuckie) Russell”
Russell was arrested back in 2016 after buying a bundle of eight weapons from an undercover ATF agent. The agent with the help of an undercover federal informant was able to get close to Russell. He enlisted their help in a plot to rob hundreds of thousands of dollars from a former attorney. During the investigation, secretly recorded conversations captured Russell bragging about pulling off thousands of robberies and even killing a man. According to Russell his method of choice to convince his victims to open their safes was to was a butane torch to the bottom of their feet.
He also said during a conversation “Nothing gets my juices flowing like putting a gun to someone’s head, taking their stuff and making it mine.” He was immediately arrested in December of 2016 after he purchased either guns including an AK-47 and a submachine gun from the undercover agent. He would eventually plead guilty to a single gun possession charge and was awarded bond due to his medical condition. He was ordered to home confinement at his longtime girlfriends home in suburban Chicago. She is a niece of former Chicago Outfit enforcer Tony (The Ant) Spilotro.
Charles “Chuckie” Russell passed away before he could be sentenced for his remaining crime. Because of his previous convictions which included murder and rape he would have been facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years behind bars.
