Tony Spilotro fought for his life, mob trial witness says

Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, and his brother, Michael, had been lured to a basement on the pretext that Michael would be initiated as a "made guy" into the mob, Frank Calabrese Jr. said.

"He came into the basement and there were a whole bunch of guys who grabbed him and strangled him and beat him to death," Calabrese said at Chicago’s biggest mob trial in years.

"Tony put up a fight. He kept saying, ‘You guys are going to get in trouble, you guys are going to get in trouble,’ " the prosecution witness said.

Five defendants, including Calabrese’s father, reputed mob boss Frank Calabrese Sr., are charged with taking part in a racketeering conspiracy that included 18 killings, gambling, loan sharking and extortion.

The slayings of the Spilotro brothers — Michael was killed the same night — were among the murder charges.

Despite his graphic narrative, the younger Calabrese was not a witness to the June 1986 death of Tony Spilotro, known as the Chicago Outfit’s man in Las Vegas and inspiration for the Joe Pesci character in "Casino."

Calabrese testified that he heard what happened from his uncle, Nicholas Calabrese, who has pleaded guilty and also is expected to testify at the trial.

Calabrese Sr., 69, is on trial along with James Marcello, 65; Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 78; convicted jewel thief Paul Schiro, 70; and former police officer Anthony Doyle, 62.

Prosecutors on Monday began playing tapes made secretly by Calabrese Jr. in talks with his father when they both were imprisoned for loan sharking.

Calabrese Jr. said he wrote to an FBI agent volunteering to make the tapes because he wanted to change his life and get away from his father, whom he described as manipulative and unwilling to give up crime.

The father sat expressionless as his son said he wanted to "expose my father for what he was."