Attanasio earned the nickname "HaHa" because he laughed whenever he killed a man. He reportedly ran his loansharking operation in the 1980s, while in federal prison on his tax evasion conviction.

On May 29, 1984, the crime boss of the Milwaukee crime family from 1961 to 1993, Frank "Frankie Bal" Balistrieri was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment after being convicted of extortion under the Hobbs Act based on the testimony of an FBI undercover agent.