Background: The Mob on trial

March 22, 2009

Calabrese asks judge for leniency in sentence

A lawyer for Outfit hit man Nicholas Calabrese has asked a judge for mercy, noting Calabrese's decision to cooperate in the landmark Family Secrets investigation almost certainly saved lives.

March 13, 2009

Ex-cop gets 12 years for sending secrets to Outfit

Deciding Anthony Doyle's punishment didn't really come down to whether he was a good cop or an Outfit handyman, a federal judge said Thursday.

February 6, 2009

Mobster gets life term

In the long history of the Chicago Outfit, few murders have captured national attention like the killings of Anthony and Michael Spilotro, two brothers found battered and buried in an Indiana cornfield in 1986.

February 3, 2009

Another mob boss imprisoned for life

As he stood addressing a crowded federal courtroom Monday, Joseph Seifert recalled how confused he was almost 35 years ago as he stared out the window of a squad car at his father's lifeless body.

January 29, 2009

Mob hit man gets life term

To the bitter end Wednesday, Frank Calabrese Sr. denied he was a feared mob hit man responsible for more than a dozen gangland slayings.

January 27, 2009

Mob case's 1st sentence: 20 years for racketeering

Convicted mob thief Paul "the Indian" Schiro was like a sleeper agent, a federal judge said Monday, an Outfit associate who did little but lie in wait for years before suddenly getting an order to do something horrible.

September 10, 2008

Son of late reputed mob boss sentenced in Family Secrets

What Nicholas Ferriola offered the Chicago Outfit was trustworthiness, a federal judge said Tuesday as he sentenced Ferriola to 3 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy case known as Family Secrets.

August 15, 2008

Low-level member of Outfit gets 40 months

A bit player in the Family Secrets mob conspiracy case was sentenced to more than 3 years in prison Thursday by a federal judge who noted it takes a lot of low-level associates of the Chicago Outfit to make the organization work.

July 25, 2008

Cancer closes case on vicious mob thug

In the Chicago Outfit's long, sordid history, few mobsters talked tougher than Frank "the German" Schweihs, and even fewer carried out their threats with his cruel enthusiasm.

July 23, 2008

Report: Mob made $20 million since '60s

Federal authorities in the landmark Family Secrets mob case estimate the Chicago Outfit has raked in more than $20 million from illicit activities since the 1960s.

July 9, 2008

Man gets 6 months in Family Secrets case

A peripheral player in the Family Secrets mob prosecution was sentenced to 6 months in prison in federal court Tuesday for taking part in an illegal gambling operation.

June 11, 2008

Suspect in Mob trial gets testy in court

Reputed Chicago Outfit enforcer Frank "the German" Schweihs apparently woke up on the wrong side of the jail bunk Tuesday.

June 3, 2008

Do-not-resuscitate order casts cloud over mob case

A reputed mob hit man who missed last year's landmark Family Secrets trial because he was too sick to face a jury has signed a do-not-resuscitate order, a judge said Monday, complicating his jail arrangements.

April 11, 2008

New trial is denied in 'Family Secrets'

A federal judge Thursday denied a new trial in the Family Secrets mob case, saying he didn't find that an alleged threat by one defendant against a prosecutor tainted jurors.

March 21, 2008

Juror in mob trial tells judge of threat

At a closed-door hearing, a federal judge questioned a juror from last summer's Family Secrets mob trial who alleged that a reputed mobster mouthed a threat to a prosecutor during closing arguments, an attorney who was present said Thursday.

March 12, 2008

Family Secrets figure to serve 8 1/2 years

Saying he was swayed by a family's plea for mercy, a federal judge sentenced a mob figure to 8 1/2 years in prison Tuesday for passing information to his imprisoned half-brother, a reputed Outfit boss.

12:01 AM CDT, September 28, 2007

10 murders laid at feet of 3 in mob

Jurors assigned blame in some of the most infamous gangland killings in the city's history Thursday, agreeing with prosecutors that the Chicago Outfit used fists, ropes, knives, guns and a bomb to conduct its dark business.

September 11, 2007

5 guilty in Outfit trial

As the jury's sweeping guilty verdict came crashing down Monday on the Chicago Outfit, the five defendants in the Family Secrets conspiracy trial sat still, their faces fixed in emotionless stares.

August 15, 2007

Joey 'the Clown' takes center stage

After stopping momentarily to flirt with the blond court reporter and swearing to tell the truth with a raspy "I do," Joey "the Clown" Lombardo lowered himself onto the witness stand with the help of a cane.

July 20, 2007

Mobster: Fear led me to kill, then 'rat'

The lawyer started with "Good afternoon, Mr. Calabrese," but things didn't stay cordial for long.

June 17, 2007

Mob secrets go on trial

With the sweeping "Family Secrets" conspiracy trial just days from starting, reputed mobster Joey "the Clown" Lombardo was looking pretty relaxed.

May 21, 2005

Spotlight dim for Outfit turncoat

In a hush-hush proceeding, Nicholas W. Calabrese, the government's star witness in its prosecution of top Outfit bosses in 18 mob murders, was arraigned Friday in federal court in connection with the murders.

May 4, 2005

Judge to Lombardo: No deal

A letter purportedly penned by Joey "the Clown" Lombardo says the reputed mob boss would turn himself in if certain conditions were met--an offer swiftly rejected by a federal judge.

April 30, 2005

Agent recounts Spilotro murders tale

The mob told Anthony Spilotro he was going to be promoted to a "capo," a street boss running a huge territory. His brother Michael was to become a "made" member, a trusted insider.

2:22 PM CDT, April 25, 2005

Prosecutors boast of 'a hit on the mob'

In one of the biggest strikes in Chicago's history against the mob, federal authorities today began rounding up alleged organized crime figures—including outfit boss Joseph "The Clown" Lombardo—in connection with a string of 18 unsolved murders and one attempted murder dating back to 1970.