Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

No-Name Jury Awaits Chicago Mob Trial

'Family Secrets' case will go before anonymous panel

By M. Morris,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 19, 2007 5:07 PM CDT

(Newser) – Five elderly men accused of running the Chicago mob go on trial this week before a jury of their peers—but the defendants and their lawyers won't know the names of those peers. The Chicago Tribune explores the issue of juror anonymity as a federal court begins assembling a panel of people who will be known only by numbers.

The "Family Secrets" case, which involves an incident that inspired the plot of the movie "Casino," will be presented to the first anonymous federal jury in Chicago since 1992. Defense attorneys strenuously objected to the tactic, saying it suggests that their clients are "pretty nefarious people," but the judge gave the go-ahead anyway.

Joseph Lopez attorney for Frank Calabrese Sr. an alleged member of Chicago's  organized crime family , The Chicago Outfit, talks to reporters before he heads into federal court as jury selection begins in the government's Family Secrets mob conspiracy trial Tuesday, June 19, 2007 in Chicago. Calabrese Sr. is charged with...
Joseph Lopez attorney for Frank Calabrese Sr. an alleged member of Chicago's organized crime family , The Chicago Outfit, talks to reporters before he heads into federal court as jury selection begins...   (Associated Press)
Alleged mobsters Joseph Joey the Clown Lombardo, left; Frank Calabrese Sr., center, and James Marcello, right, sit in federal court Tuesday, June 19, 2007, in Chicago in this courtroom artist's drawing as jury selection gets under way in the city's biggest organized crime trial in years. The three men and...
Alleged mobsters Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, left; Frank Calabrese Sr., center, and James Marcello, right, sit in federal court Tuesday, June 19, 2007, in Chicago in this courtroom artist's drawing...   (Associated Press)
Alleged mobsters Joseph Joey the Clown Lombardo, left; Frank Calabrese Sr., center, and James Marcello, right, sit in federal court Tuesday, June 19, 2007, in Chicago in this courtroom artist's drawing as jury selection gets under way in the city's biggest organized crime trial in years. U.S. District Judge...
Alleged mobsters Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, left; Frank Calabrese Sr., center, and James Marcello, right, sit in federal court Tuesday, June 19, 2007, in Chicago in this courtroom artist's drawing...   (Associated Press)
Rick Halprin attorney for Joseph Joey the Clown Lombardo an alleged member of Chicago's  organized crime family, The Chicago Outfit, talks to reporters before he heads into federal court as jury selection begins in the government's 'Family Secrets' mob conspiracy trial Tuesday, June 19, 2007 in Chicago. Lombardo is charged...
Rick Halprin attorney for Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo an alleged member of Chicago's organized crime family, The Chicago Outfit, talks to reporters before he heads into federal court as jury selection...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Chicago Mob Snitch Gets 12 Years for 14 Murders

Jury Convicts 5 in 'Family' Affair

Blago Lawyer Walks Off the Job

Mistrials Rise as Phone-Wielding Jurors Hit Web

MySpace Bully Not Guilty on Key Felony Charge


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne