Verdict to be announced in mob trial
After about a week's deliberations, a federal jury has reached a verdict in the Family Secrets mob trial.
The verdict will be read at 2 p.m. in the Dirksen Federal Building courtroom of Judge James B. Zagel.
The case went to the jury on Friday, Aug. 31, but deliberations did not begin in earnest until the following Tuesday, when court resumed after the Labor Day weekend.
On trial are James Marcello, of Lombard; Frank Calabrese Sr., of Oak Brook; Joseph "The Clown" Lombardo, of Chicago; Paul Schiro, of Phoenix; and Anthony Doyle, of Wickenburg, Arizona.
All are accused of racketeering, focusing primarily on illegal mob-based activity such as offering juice loans or bookmaking, and all but Doyle of participating in various murders.
Calabrese faced the most accusations of murder: 13 in all. Authorities turned his brother, Nicholas Calabrese, into their star witness after he slipped up on Sept. 14, 2006, and left a glove stained with his blood at the scene of the murder of mobster John Fecarotta.
They also secured the cooperation of Frank Calabrese Jr., who wore a wire to record his father in prison. In those tapes, prosecutors alleged, Calabrese appeared to brag about seven of the 13 murders of which he was accused. Calabrese Sr. testified he was merely "play acting" in order to impress his son.
Lombardo was accused of killing Daniel Seifert on Sept. 27, 1974, because Seifert was going to testify against him in a Teamsters pension theft case. Lombardo testified that he didn't even know Seifert was planning to testify against him. He also claimed he had withdrawn from mob activities by posting a newspaper ad announcing his withdrawal.
Marcello was accused of orchestrating and participating in the June 14, 1986, murders of mobsters Anthony and Michael Spilotro in the basement of a suburban home in either Bensenville or Wood Dale. Authorities who took Nick Calabrese back years later to try to find the location never were successful in finding it.
The Spilotros were killed after the mob grew nervous that Anthony Spilotro's high-flying antics were drawing too much attention to their activities in Las Vegas, where Anthony Spilotro worked, prosecutors had alleged. Michael Spilotro, prosecutors contended, was killed solely because he was Anthony's brother and mob leaders couldn't risk him taking revenge. The two were beaten to death with hands and fists, a coroner's report said.
Defense attorneys pointed to discrepancies in Nick Calabrese's testimony about the Spilotro murders, particularly his contention that mobster Rocky Infelise may have been there as well. Defense attorneys submitted into evidence government wiretaps that placed Infelise at home that day, talking to friends and calling the Sun-Times sports line to check scores.
If the jury convicts any of the defendants, it will be sent back to fill out a special verdict form asking which, if any, murders those convicted of conspiracy committed or conspired to commit. If any defendant is found to have planned or participated in any murder, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.