Michael J. Corbitt
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Michael Jerome Corbitt (b. March 17, 1944- August 24, 2004) is a former police chief of Willow Springs, Illinois, and an associate of Chicago Outfit mobsters such as Sal Bastone and Antonino "Tony," "Joe Batters" Accardo. He became a cooperating witness after being convicted of aiding in the murder of Chicagoan Diane Masters. Corbitt has authored a book about his experiences entitled, "The Cop Who Was a Mobster".
Michael Corbitt was born to an Irish American family in Chicago, Illinois. After a several years in a Roman Catholic parochial school, he was transferred to public school at the age of nine. He would later recall that, without a Catholic school uniform to hide behind, it was obvious just how poor his family was. Humiliated by the poverty of his parents and tired of hand-me-down toys and clothing, he turned to shoplifting and later graduated to running with an Italian-American street gang.
In always hanging aroung where Corbitt could be seen by Mob members, he soon drew the attention of the Chicago Outfit, who recruited him into running errands around one of its' social clubs. After several years of owning a and running a Sunoco gas station set up by the Mob, which also doubled a mobster hang out, Outfit boss Sam Giancana then offered Corbitt a position as a police officer in Willow Springs, Illinois. According to Corbitt's memoirs, Giancana told him after he accepted the position, "But just remember kid...don't forget who your friends are." Shortly thereafter, Corbitt was sworn into the Willow Springs police department by notorious political boss Doc Rust. He died at age 60 of lung cancer.
[edit] Further reading
- Drell, Adrienne. "Bribery charge hits suburb's ex-police chief". Chicago Sun-Times. 22 May 1987.
- Stebbins, John. "Neighbors surprised". Chicago Sun-Times. 14 Jun 1988.
- "Judge won't take self off Masters case". Chicago Sun-Times. 26 Jul 1988.
- Petacque, Art. "Did `hero' cop in Masters case inspire killing?". Chicago Sun-Times. 10 Sept 1989.
- Schaaf, Barbara C. Shattered Hopes: A True Story of Marriage, the Mob, and Murder. New York: HarperCollins Publishing, 1996. ISBN 0061008486
- Blog of death: http://www.blogofdeath.com/archives/001136.html
[edit] References
- Cooley, Robert and Hillel Levin. When Corruption Was King: How I Helped the Mob Rule Chicago, Then Brought the Outfit Down. New York: Caroll & graf Publishers, 2004. ISBN 0-7867-1583-9
- Corbitt, Michael and Sam Giancana. Double Deal: The Inside Story of Murder, Unbridled Corruption, and the Cop Who Was a Mobster. New York: HarperCollins Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-06-103048-1
