(from the Chicago Sun-Times)
February 28, 2005

BY STEVE WARMBIR AND ROBERT HERGUTH Staff

In a remarkable development, the son of top mobster and loan shark Frank Calabrese Sr. is cooperating with federal agents -- cooperation that has included putting his life on the line by wearing a listening device on his father while both men were in prison, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

Frank Calabrese Jr. secretly used the device on his father, Frank Calabrese Sr., several years ago while both men were in prison in Milan, Mich., on racketeering charges. The son got out of prison in February 2000, while the father, once Chicago's top loan shark, is to be released in May 2006.

Details on what is contained on the hours of tapes could not be determined, but the elder Calabrese is believed to have talked about mob murders, among other topics.

The cooperation by the son -- virtually unheard of in mob prosecutions -- is only the latest help the FBI has received from a Calabrese relative. Frank Calabrese Sr.'s brother Nick Calabrese has been telling investigators for years what he knows about many Outfit hits, part of an investigation of up to 18 such murders. Nick Calabrese allegedly participated in some of those murders. The FBI probe, called Family Secrets, aims at solving those murders and taking out upper-echelon Chicago mobsters.

Could violate code of silence


Nick Calabrese began cooperating after the FBI linked him to a mob hit and provided other unsettling information to him about his brother, sources told the Sun-Times. But there were no crimes hanging over the head of Frank Calabrese Jr. that federal agents used to prompt his cooperation, sources said. Once out of prison, Frank Calabrese Jr., a former city worker, restaurateur and Golden Gloves boxing champ, is believed to have moved from the area to start life fresh with his family.

It's unclear how federal agents put the listening device on Frank Calabrese Jr. in the prison, apparently without anyone knowing.

If his father was caught on tape talking about anyone's involvement in mob murders, his talkativeness could create serious problems for him with his fellow mobsters.

Not only could Frank Calabrese Sr.'s words provide key evidence to prosecutors, but his conversations would also violate an Outfit code that prohibits mobsters from discussing murders after they or others have taken part in them.

Frank Calabrese Sr. is believed to be aware that his conversations were caught on tape and is downplaying to associates what he told his son, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office had no comment.

Jeff Steinback, once an attorney for Frank Calabrese Jr., said Friday he no longer represents him and did not know how to reach him. Steinback had no comment, other than to note Frank Calabrese Jr. grew up under tough conditions and that the Calabrese family was "in turmoil."

Joseph Lopez, an attorney for Frank Calabrese Sr., said his client stands ready to fight any charges.

The true scope and value of the tapes, of course, will come out in court when prosecutors are expected to play them as part of their case against mob leaders. Charges in the case could come within months, law enforcement sources said.

Split may be result of abuse


The deep split in the Calabrese family apparently came after years of alleged abuse by Frank Calabrese Sr. The controlling mob boss allegedly dominated his own family with the same brutality and ruthlessness he used on the streets.

Calabrese Sr. wouldn't hesitate to hit his son repeatedly or threaten to kill him over a perceived slight or pull a gun on him, according to court records and other sources. Frank Calabrese Jr.'s cooperation could put his father behind bars for the rest of his life.

Calabrese Sr. also was known on the street for changing the terms of his criminal deals, to his advantage. His brother Nick would expect a cut of some deal down the road, only to find later he had been cut out.

The FBI was able to flip Nick Calabrese by tying him to the 1986 killing of "Big John" Fecarotta. During the mob hit, Fecarotta struggled with Nick Calabrese, and Nick Calabrese was shot in the arm. Fecarotta ran off but was eventually gunned down. Nick Calabrese left behind a bloody glove that years later investigators tied to him through DNA testing.

Another factor that caused Nick Calabrese to flip involved his brother. Frank Calabrese Sr. allegedly engaged in a deep, personal betrayal of Nick Calabrese, sources said, without elaborating.


Shaky family ties: In N.Y., dads rat out sons
BY ROBERT HERGUTH AND STEVE WARMBIR Staff Reporters

While it's common in Chicago and elsewhere for sons to follow dads into the mob, it's rare for one to turn on the other.

Crime watchers were hard-pressed to think of another instance in which a son flipped on his mobster father. But just last year, the opposite happened in New York.

As part of a federal prosecution of the Bonanno crime family, mob captain Frank Lino fingered his own son in reputed organized-crime activities.

Frank Lino was testifying against Bonanno crime boss Joseph Massino. Lino not only identified his son as a "soldier" in Massino's organization, he said the son, who has not been charged with a crime, dug a hole to bury a murdered hood who unwittingly brought an undercover FBI agent into the mob's lair.

That undercover investigation was dramatized in the movie "Donnie Brasco," with Al Pacino portraying the slain gangster.

At least two other Bonanno heavies also implicated their sons in court as being reputed mobsters.

"It's an unusual thing when a relative turns against their relatives," said David Breitbart.

'I would have walked away'


The veteran New York defense attorney represented Massino during the trial, which also included Massino's brother-in-law testifying against him. Massino reportedly has flipped now, too, so "nothing really surprises me anymore," Breitbart said.

Some organized-crime groups besieged with informants and turncoats have made concerted efforts in recent years to recruit only blood relatives, believing they are less likely to turn government witness, experts said.

Lino flipped after being hit with a racketeering indictment that included at least one murder.

But Frank Calabrese Jr., who is cooperating with the feds against Frank Calabrese Sr., apparently has no criminal charges hanging over his head, suggesting more complicated personal motives are in play.

The 2002 autobiography For the Sins of My Father -- written by Albert DeMeo, son of a reputed Gambino crime family hit man -- details the complexities of growing up in such a life. In DeMeo's case, that meant coming to grips with his father's profession and, ultimately, his murder.

More recent soul-searching came from the namesake of late Gambino chieftain John Gotti. Gotti's son, known as "Junior," was heard on recently revealed prison tapes saying he wanted out of the mob but couldn't confront his father.

"If it wasn't for my father, I would have walked away many, many years ago," the son said.

Good story, thanks for posting!

There is no honor in the mafia these days. Everybody turns on everyone. Even bosses are turning in there families now. What ever happened to honor?

Wow, great story. Thanks for posting.

I saw that article in my copy of The Bright One this morning! The story gets more bizarre with each new piece of information. The greater implication is how high this investigation and this information will reach and who it will affect. As each guy realizes the depth of his problems, will that guy be willing to roll over on his boss? It's pretty high already...the Calabrese's weren't exactly the Mickey Mouse Club. Will this ultimately go beyond the capos all the way to the bosses in Chicago?

tony b.

what honor it was never honor in the mafia

it is and all way going to be "fuck you pay me"

what honor it was never honor in the mafia

it is and all way going to be "fuck you pay me" [/b][/quote]It's been that way in the last 40-50 years but it always wasn't f*** you pay me. The Sicilian mafia is all about honor, even the civilians.