Selection of anonymous jury begins in mob trial
CHICAGO — Jury selection got under way Tuesday in the city’s biggest organized crime trial in years, a racketeering conspiracy case that includes at least 18 murders, among them the killing of Tony ”the Ant” Spilotro, once the Chicago mob’s man in Las Vegas. Spilatro inspired a character in the movie “Casino.”
Alleged mobster Joseph “Joey the Clown” Lombardo and four other men face charges stemming from the FBI’s “Operation Family Secrets” investigation of long-unsolved mob murders allegedly tied to the Outfit, Chicago’s organized crime family.
“This will hurt the mob,” says Gus Russo, author of “The Outfit,” and other books about organized crime. “But it won’t end it.”
“They always find a way to redefine themselves and bounce back,” Russo said.
Over the objections of some defense attorneys, U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel has ordered an anonymous jury with lawyers having only limited information about its members.
Questioning of more than 40 jury prospects got under way at late morning. The trial is expected to take four months and could cause considerable strain on jurors.
Prospective jurors were asked about family members, their previous knowledge of the case, whether they worked in law enforcement or had been arrested for crimes, and if they thought they could be fair.
They also were asked whether the fact that most of the defendants are of Italian descent and that they would have to listen to profanity on tape recordings would influence how they considered the case.
Defendants along with Lombardo, 78, are James Marcello, 65; Frank Calabrese Sr., 70; Paul Schiro, 69; and Anthony Doyle, 62.
Lombardo, Marcello and Calabrese are alleged to be members of the Outfit’s hierarchy and are being held in federal custody. Schiro was convicted five years ago of taking part in a jewel theft ring run by the Chicago police department’s former chief of detectives, William Hanhardt. Doyle is a former Chicago police officer.
All five men have pleaded not guilty.
Throughout the day, the defendants appeared relaxed. Lombardo read much of the time and often didn’t seem to be paying attention to the proceedings. He used a wheelchair to move in and out of court, and also often held a cane.
The star witness is expected to be Calabrese’s brother, Nicholas Calabrese, who has pleaded guilty to the charges and is being closely guarded by federal lawmen to prevent mobsters from getting anywhere near him.
Nicholas Calabrese says he has been a “made guy” in the Outfit for decades and knows who is responsible for many of the mob murders.
Spilotro and his brother Michael were beaten to death and buried in an Indiana cornfield in 1986, victims of a deadly feud inside the mob.
The case was an inspiration for the plot to the 1995 Martin Scorsese film “Casino,” with Joe Pesci playing the Spilotro character.
The number of defendants, 14 when the indictment was unsealed in April 2005, has dwindled steadily as the trial drew closer. One was found dead when FBI agents went to arrest him, and another has since died.
One defendant was dropped for health reasons. The others have pleaded guilty, including two men who entered pleas Monday on the eve of the trial, which is expected to last four months.