In 2002, the Chicago Sun-Times called Fratto a "reputed Elmwood Park street lieutenant." His name had come up during a sentencing hearing for a former Chicago police Chief of Detectives, in which Fratto was shown on FBI surveillance tapes to have held meetings with the former Chief of Detectives. Fratto subsequently was convicted for evading federal income tax payments for seven years. On January 27, 2010, he was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison. He was released in July 2011.