There are thousands of articles I have read over the years. The first case I remember reading about was about 15 years ago in San Diego. One of the primary players (Chris Petti) died recently and it is mentioned in the coverage of his death:
As the Chicago mob's reputed boss in Southern California, Chris George Petti [aka George Poulos]...Mr. Petti, a resident of Chula Vista, Calif., died Dec. 31, according to a death notice in the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was 78.
The FBI, meanwhile, knew the Cicero native as a close friend and protege of the late Anthony Spilotro, who oversaw the Las Vegas empire of the Chicago mob...
Mr. Petti's extensive criminal record included convictions on assaults, thefts, bookmaking and money laundering.
Most notably, he was convicted in 1993 for helping orchestrate the Chicago organized crime family's attempts to skim profits from an Indian tribe's casino in San Diego. Mr. Petti was one of five people charged in that probe after he was recorded discussing ways to raise money for the illegal venture, Walker said.
Though people tended to write him off as a low-level crook, Mr. Petti was extremely well-connected in the Chicago Outfit, Walker said.
Fortune Magazine, for one, named Mr. Petti No. 47 on its list of the nation's "50 Biggest Mobsters" in 1986. The magazine compiled the list based on information from FBI agents, federal prosecutors and local law enforcement officials.
"This guy had friends at the very top of the Chicago mob, and they were willing to proceed with the [casino] conspiracy at his recommendation, which is huge," Walker said.
[ Source: Chicago Sun-Times, Jan 20, 2006 via findarticles.com ]