Feds: Mob defendants not the 'Sopranos'
By Jeff Coen
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 21, 2007, 2:35 PM CDT
Calling four of the defendants "Outfit killers," a federal prosecutor in the Family Secrets conspiracy trial told jurors this morning that the alleged crimes were real, not TV shows and movies that glorify the mob.
"This is not 'Sopranos.' This is not 'The Godfather.' This case is about real people and real victims," Assistant U.S. Atty. John Scully said during a 50-minute opening statement in the sweeping trial that is expected to last three months or more.
The government will attempt to detail the mob's grip on street gambling, juice loans, pornography and other aspects of Chicago's dark side, including 18 gangland slayings.
The four defendants are Joey "the Clown" Lombardo, a reputed capo in the Grand Avenue street crew; Frank Calabrese Sr., a made member of the Outfit's 26th Street crew and once the city's reputed top loan shark; James Marcello, described as the boss of the Chicago Outfit when the Family Secrets indictment came down in spring 2005; and Paul "the Indian" Schiro, a reputed mob enforcer.
A fifth defendant, former Chicago police officer Anthony Doyle, is also on trial but isn't accused of the slayings.
Scully said the Outfit is "corrupt, it's violent, it's without honor." He then described each of the five men charged, summarizing their alleged crimes. The prosecutor also flashed photos of the 18 murder victims in the case on an overhead screen and gave jurors background information about each.
Scully then went through each killing and gave an outline of how authorities believe the Outfit is structured and how it makes money though illegal gambling and street taxes, among other things. He described the mob hierarchy for jurors, saying it was an organization that existed to make money.
In his opening statement, Joseph Lopez, the attorney for Calabrese, asked jurors to keep an open mind as they handle the case. He urged them to ignore the media attention and their perceptions of organized crime.
Lopez said Calabrese has been out of organized crime since the 1980s, and his brother, Nicholas Calabrese, who is the prosecution's key witness, is the mob boss. "People reported to Nick Calabrese," the attorney said. "When Nick Calabrese was in prison, crew members came to see him."
No physical evidence links his client to any murder, but DNA evidence links Nick Calabrese to one, Lopez said.
In an unusual strategic move, defense lawyer Rick Halprin, who represents Lombardo, said he would withhold his opening statement until the start of the defense's case weeks from now.
Before the opening statements, U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel swore in the jury panel, whose identities are being kept secret over the objections of the defense lawyers.
