A Gun in My Gucci: Two Outsiders Take Down the Chicago Mob

A Gun in My Gucci is a true story of two "outsiders" who helped bring down the Chicago Mob - the middle-aged mobster Ken "Tokyo Joe" Eto, and a determined young woman, Elaine Corbitt Smith. In the early 1980s, Joe Eto was the highest-ranking Asian-American mobster in the country. His nemesis, rookie Elaine Smith was one of only a few female Special Agents in the FBI at that time. Her relentless pursuit of Eto resulted in his detention by the Bureau on interstate gambling charges. Afraid that he would "spill his guts," Eto's Mob bosses decided not to gamble on Joe's ability to remain silent. He had to be eliminated and a "hit" was ordered. Joe Eto never talked, nevertheless the Mob still tried to kill him. But the "hit" was botched and Tokyo Joe walked away with three bullets in his head. Alive, with his honor intact, he sought revenge. He was ready to talk, but only to Special Agent Elaine Smith. Over time, Eto's testimony released a waterfall of evidential information which led to arrests, convictions, and longer sentences for many of Chicago's top mobsters. A Gun in My Gucci reveals the special relationship between Joe Eto and his FBI handler Elaine Smith, who went from school teacher to crime-buster. Smith's story exposes her tough climb up the ladder of acceptance and ultimate success as she broke into the macho, male-dominated criminal justice system, and helped take down the Chicago Outfit.

Elaine Corbitt was born in Chicago, Illinois and is a Chicago woman to her core. Educated in the public school system, she met her husband Tom at Schurz High School and upon graduation they both decided to attend the University of Illinois. After college, they were married and she became Elaine Corbitt Smith. They both entered the teaching profession: Elaine taught 4th grade in the ghetto on the West side and Tom worked at a high school in the suburbs. In 1970 Tom became an FBI Agent and they relocated to Jackson, Mississippi, where Elaine taught junior high school in the first year of forced integration. Next move was to Washington, DC, where she gave birth to their daughter Kimberly. She taught reading at Langley High School to the children of politicians and diplomats. She closed out her teaching career at Francis Parker School in Chicago. After getting into good physical condition, she took Tom's advice and applied to be an FBI Agent. In the fall of 1979, Elaine began work at the Chicago office of the FBI. After being assigned to the Organized Crime squad, she took on the Eto case and began her odyssey with the mob and Ken (Joe) Eto. In 1985 Elaine was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent and thereafter managed applicant investigations, and various squads including drug intelligence, public corruption, and bank fraud. She retired in 2002, as the FBI has a mandatory retirement age of 57. She moved to the Indianapolis area to be close to Kim and her grandchildren. In retirement she has worked as an independent contractor doing bank audits involving money laundering. Presently Elaine volunteers in local reading programs for adults and enjoys her family.