‘Do You Paint Houses?’ Chicago-Area Gambling Ring Used Famous Mob Code, Feds Say

• Collecting gambling debts allegedly involved euphemistic murder language
• FBI raids exposed major Chicago Outfit-linked gambling and extortion network
• Prosecutors cite “paint houses” texts as evidence of dangerous intimidation

One of the defendants in a sprawling Chicago-area illegal gambling case told the operation’s alleged ringleader he was prepared to “paint houses” – a euphemism used to mean murder, according to prosecutors.

Alexander “Alex Gyros” Gagianas is accused of being a bookie and enforcer for what prosecutors are calling “the Gerodemos gambling organization,” a Chicago Outfit-linked gambling ring based out of restaurants in Northwest Indiana and suburban Chicago.

He was one of 22 people arrested in coordinated raids by the FBI on April 29, the culmination of an investigation dubbed “Operation Porterhouse Parlay.”

According to a motion to detain filed by federal prosecutors this week, on October 17, 2024, Gagianas texted alleged ringleader James “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos about a gambling debt that needed to be settled.

“Your buddy never called me yesterday so I can give him the bid to paint his house,” Gagianas wrote, according to the filing.

“Do u do carpentry work too?” Gerodemos replied.

“I focus on just painting, but I am quite the handy man,” returned Gagianas.

Scorsese Fans

According to prosecutors, in the Martin Scorsese movie, The Irishman, “painting houses” refers to killing people, while “carpentry work” is code for disposing of a body.

Shortly after the exchange, Gerodemos sent Gagianas a text with a YouTube link to the relevant scene from the film, according to court documents.

They also argued that he represents a flight risk because of his dual Greek citizenship. They are asking the judge to impose a $500,000 bond.

Threats of Violence

Gagianas is facing charges that include operating an illegal gambling business and extortion. The Gerodemos gambling organization is accused of conducting a campaign of intimidation and harassment with threats of violence against Victim 2 and others.

According to prosecutors, Gagianas later attempted to collect the debt in Florida, searching for Victim 2 at a casino where he was known to gamble, but he failed to locate him. Chillingly, he also took a screen capture of a picture of the victim’s wife from her Facebook page.