Case is about power, jury told
By Jeff Coen | Tribune staff reporter
11:57 PM CDT, August 27, 2007
There are five defendants, 18 murders, a 43-page indictment, dozens of witnesses and decades of events involved in the Family Secrets mob conspiracy trial, but jurors should have no problem sorting it all out, a prosecutor told them Monday.
"It's actually a fairly easy job," Assistant U.S. Atty. Markus Funk said as closing arguments got under way. "The evidence makes it very clear that these defendants are guilty many times over," he said.
Funk said prosecutors have proven the role of each defendant in the sweeping conspiracy laid out in the trial now in its 10th week. Witnesses led by Outfit turncoat Nicholas Calabrese have given the jury a firsthand look inside the mob, he said, and the testimony of three defendants who took the stand in their own defense was so ludicrous it backfired against them.
"These men are about making money," Funk said. "They are about accruing power for themselves and about accruing power for the Chicago Outfit."
Closing arguments began after testimony ended in the landmark trial earlier Monday. Once Funk concludes his remarks on Tuesday, lawyers for the five defendants go next before a government rebuttal. Deliberations by the jury could begin late this week.
On Monday Funk spoke for about three hours, outlining the evidence against each defendant and in 14 of the murders. At one point Funk abruptly stopped talking as he apparently spotted a smirk on the face of defendant Frank Calabrese Sr. "There's nothing to smile about in this case," he announced.
Funk identified Calabrese as a "made" Outfit member who was involved in juice loans, street taxes, gambling and violence.
"This man right there was involved in the murders of 13 human beings," said Funk, pointing at Calabrese, who sat back in his chair and chuckled.
James Marcello is another made member of the mob who profited from illegal gambling, paid hush money when he feared Calabrese's brother, Nicholas, might cooperate and personally took part in murders, including those of mob figures Anthony and Michael Spilotro, Funk said.
Joey "the Clown" Lombardo is a made member who extorted victims and businesses for the Outfit and participated in the killing of federal witness Daniel Seifert, he said.
Paul "the Indian" Schiro was the mob's man in Phoenix who helped kill his friend, witness Emil Vaci, the prosecutor said.
And the final defendant, Anthony "Twan" Doyle, was a corrupt Chicago police officer who passed investigative data from the Family Secrets case to imprisoned mob leaders, Funk told the jury.
Nicholas Calabrese told the truth when he testified about being a part of Outfit hit squads that carried out many of the murders, Funk said, and four of the five defendants were captured on audio and video tapes that pointed to their guilt.
Funk dismissed the testimony of Lombardo and his portrayal as being a "sort of an affable, funny guy who liked to play act." In his testimony earlier this month, Lombardo had said he was just acting like a mobster in a recorded conversation in which he can be heard threatening the life of a lawyer who owed money to the Outfit.
Frank Calabrese Sr.'s testimony was also unbelievable, the prosecutor said. Calabrese had testified that he was just trying to impress his son when he was heard on tape bragging about being involved in some of the killings.
"He's another play actor, just like Lombardo, who unfortunately got caught on tape," Funk said.
Doyle testified as well, claiming he passed no messages to Calabrese while he was imprisoned and couldn't even understand the code captured on tape in conversations between the men.
"He was indicted for buying a ham sandwich for Frank Calabrese Sr.," Funk said dismissively.
What the jury should take from the evidence was the underlying thread that connected all the alleged activities in the case, Funk said. He urged jurors to ask themselves who the defendants are and what gave them the right to do things like walk into legitimate businesses and demand street tax payments.
The answer, he said, was fear.
The Outfit is an organization that thrived on its ability to instill fear, and the men on trial were a big part of it, Funk contended.
As the day ended Monday, Funk began to walk witnesses through most of the 18 murders at the center of the case.
As he did, Funk apologized for some of the witnesses the government called to the stand. Many were career criminals, bookies, thugs and porn-peddlers, and one, Nicholas Calabrese, admitted he killed 14 people for the mob.
"It's pretty hard to come up with someone who's more cold-hearted than that," Funk said of Calabrese. "We didn't hold a casting call for witnesses."
jcoen@tribune.com
