Frank Schweihs
Encyclopedia
Francis John Schweihs, aka "Frank the German" (February 7, 1932 - July 23, 2008) was an alleged hitman
who had been known to work for The Outfit
, the organized crime
family in Chicago
. He was under indictment
in the Operation Family Secrets
case for the crimes of racketeering and extortion
. It is believed he had participated in, or had knowledge of, many murders going back decades, including brothers Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and Michael Spilotro
, Allen Dorfman
of the Teamsters Union, a disgraced Chicago cop
, Outfit associate and informant
Dick Cain
, Outfit boss Salvatore "Sam," "Mooney" Giancana
, loanshark Sam "Mad Sam" DeStefano
, Outfit hitman Charles "Chuckie" Nicoletti
and others.
Journalist Thomas Burdick, from his own investigation of the case, concluded that Schweihs, not the man who was actually convicted, was the likely killer of Cigarette Boat
designer Donald Aronow
, in 1987.
Schweihs has been convict
ed of extortion
in 1989 and was sentenced to 13-years-and-one-month in prison and was ordered to pay $42,900 in fines and restitution.
In April 2005, he was a fugitive
along with Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo
; however, Schweihs was eventually caught in Berea, Kentucky
, on December 16, 2005, and less than a month later Lombardo was caught on January 13, 2006, in the Greater Chicago area. Schweihs' trial was separated from the other defendants due to his poor health due to cancer. His co-defendants were convicted in the original trial in 2007. Schweihs remained in jail pending his trial. After his health had been judged to have improved, he was finally scheduled to go on trial in October 2008. Indeed, Schweihs' health had improved so much that he was able to try to stare down and verbally challenge lead federal prosecutor T. Markus Funk
and prosecutor Amarjeet S. Bhachu.
Schweihs died on July 23, 2008, from complications related to his cancer.
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
who had been known to work for The Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
, the organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
family in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He was under indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
in the Operation Family Secrets
Operation Family Secrets
Operation Family Secrets was an FBI investigation of mob related crimes in Chicago. According to the FBI it was one of the most successful investigations of organized crime done by the FBI ever. The investigation and trial was accurately dubbed "Family Secrets" because of the betrayal within the...
case for the crimes of racketeering and extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
. It is believed he had participated in, or had knowledge of, many murders going back decades, including brothers Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and Michael Spilotro
Michael Spilotro
Michael Peter "Micky" Spilotro was the brother of Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and was an associate of the Chicago La Cosa Nostra organized crime organization referred to as "The Outfit".-Family background:...
, Allen Dorfman
Allen Dorfman
Allen Dorfman was an American attorney, and a leading official of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters . He was a close associate of longtime IBT President Jimmy Hoffa...
of the Teamsters Union, a disgraced Chicago cop
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, Outfit associate and informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
Dick Cain
Richard Cain
Richard Cain was a notoriously corrupt Chicago police officer, made man in the Chicago Outfit and a close associate of Mafia boss Sam Giancana. Several conspiracy theorists have claimed that Cain was directly involved in the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F...
, Outfit boss Salvatore "Sam," "Mooney" Giancana
Sam Giancana
Salvatore Giancana , better known as Sam Giancana, was a Sicilian-American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957-1966...
, loanshark Sam "Mad Sam" DeStefano
Sam DeStefano
Sam "Mad Sam" DeStefano was an Italian-American gangster who became one of the Chicago Outfit's most notorious loan sharks and sociopathic killers. Chicago-based Federal Bureau of Investigation agents such as William F. Roemer, Jr., considered DeStefano to be the worst torture-murderer in the...
, Outfit hitman Charles "Chuckie" Nicoletti
Charles Nicoletti
Charles "Chuckie" Nicoletti, also known as "The Typewriter" "Chuckie Typewriter" , was a top Chicago Outfit hitman under Outfit boss Sam "Mooney" Giancana before and after Giancana's rise and fall.-Early years:...
and others.
Journalist Thomas Burdick, from his own investigation of the case, concluded that Schweihs, not the man who was actually convicted, was the likely killer of Cigarette Boat
Go-fast boat
A go-fast boat, or cigarette boat, is a small, fast boat designed with a long narrow platform and a planing hull to enable it to reach high speeds....
designer Donald Aronow
Donald Aronow
Donald Joel Aronow was an American designer, builder and racer of the famous Magnum Marine, Cigarette, Donzi, and Formula speed boats. He built speedboats for the His Imperial Majesty Shah of Iran, Charles Keating, Robert Vesco, Malcolm Forbes, and George H. W. Bush. President Lyndon Johnson - in...
, in 1987.
Schweihs has been convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
ed of extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
in 1989 and was sentenced to 13-years-and-one-month in prison and was ordered to pay $42,900 in fines and restitution.
In April 2005, he was a fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
along with Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo
Joseph Lombardo
Joseph Patrick “Joey the Clown” Lombardo Sr. , also known as "Joe Padula," "Lumbo," and "Lumpy", is an imprisoned American mafioso and a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization...
; however, Schweihs was eventually caught in Berea, Kentucky
Berea, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,851 people, 3,693 households, and 2,426 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,055.4 people per square mile . There were 4,115 housing units at an average density of 440.9 per square mile...
, on December 16, 2005, and less than a month later Lombardo was caught on January 13, 2006, in the Greater Chicago area. Schweihs' trial was separated from the other defendants due to his poor health due to cancer. His co-defendants were convicted in the original trial in 2007. Schweihs remained in jail pending his trial. After his health had been judged to have improved, he was finally scheduled to go on trial in October 2008. Indeed, Schweihs' health had improved so much that he was able to try to stare down and verbally challenge lead federal prosecutor T. Markus Funk
T. Markus Funk
T. Markus Funk is an American lawyer, author, and academic.- Before working for Justice :Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Funk taught law at Oxford University, and was a law clerk to Judge Morris S. Arnold, U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eighth Circuit, and Catherine D. Perry, U.S....
and prosecutor Amarjeet S. Bhachu.
Schweihs died on July 23, 2008, from complications related to his cancer.
External links
- DOJ Operation Family Secrets press release
- New Criminologist: Alleged Mafia hitman Frank "The German" Schweihs arrested in Kentucky by Nick Morris
- Frank Schweihs: Flood Testimony Recalls Breakup Of Mob Hit Attempt, Illinois Police and Sheriff's News
- FBI says hit man, 75, kills for mob by Roberto Santiago