Operation Family Secrets
Encyclopedia
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 Calabrese family. The son, Frank Calabrese, Jr., and brother, Nick Calabrese, of a Chicago Outfit
mob hit man, Frank Calabrese, Sr.
provided testimony that was instrumental to the success of Operation Family Secrets. The investigation led to indictments of 14 defendants affiliated with the Chicago Outfit, which has been one of the most prolific organized crime enterprises in the United States. The most heinous of their crimes investigated were the 18 murders and one attempted murder that took place over the span between the years 1970 and 1986. All of the murders and other crimes being charged to the defendants were allegedly committed to further the Outfit's illegal activities such as loansharking, bookmaking and protecting the enterprise from law enforcement. Operation Family Secrets was a milestone in the FBI's battle against organized crime in the city of Chicago that will have a significant effect on the operations of the Chicago Outfit, but it did not end the Outfit's reign in Chicago. The FBI and local law enforcement agencies will continue their efforts to eradicate organized crime in Chicago.
street crews, and the murder of John Fecorotta. Frank Jr.'s letter read, "This is no game. I feel I have to help keep this sick man locked up forever." Frank, Jr. and his father had rough patches in their relationship over the years. Frank, Jr. had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from his father which he blew away on a cocaine addiction and a bad business decision. In the wake of his son's disloyalty, Frank Sr. allegedly forced a gun to his son's head and threatened to kill him. This and many other instances of Frank, Sr.'s abuse and poor fathering of his sons contributed to Frank, Jr.'s desire to help the FBI bring him down for hard time. Frank Calabrese, Jr. volunteered to record conversations he had with his father while they were imprisoned. Frank Jr. wore a pair of headphones around his neck that the FBI fitted with hidden a microphone to record conversation between the father and son. It was not difficult for Frank Jr. to direct his conversations in the prison courtyard and recreational facilities with his father towards information that would benefit the FBI's quickly assembling investigation. Frank Sr. would tell his son in a bragging manner about criminal activities of his past.
were assigned to the investigation. They began to put together pieces of information on the Fecarotta murder. Frank Sr. spoke nervously to his son about a pair of gloves that were mistakenly left on the scene of the Fecorotta murder by his brother Nick Calabrese. Frank Sr. knew the gloves were enough evidence to convict his brother for murder and he feared that his brother would turn on the Outfit in order to receive a lighter sentencing. The FBI took this information and reopened the unsolved Fecoratta case. Agents Bourgeois and Hartnett went to visit Nick Calabrese who they had put in jail a few years earlier to pursue him as the suspect in the Fecarotta murder case. When the investigation team had a sample of DNA
taken from Nick, Nick's vulnerability became apparent.
With his DNA matching that of the gloves used in the Fecarotta murder Nick Calabrese knew he was going down and was willing to betray the criminal organization he belonged to along with his brother. Nick cooperated with the FBI for months by giving depositions about the murders that he witnessed, took part in, and was told about. He also gave the government key information about how the Chicago Outfit operated.
that was created by the Family Secrets investigation in April 2005. Operation Family Secrets was unprecedented for the fact that it named the entire Chicago Outfit
as a criminal enterprise. Assistant United States Attorneys T. Markus Funk
, Mitchell Mars and John Scully
would represent the United States in the case. After more than two years, in June 2007 the Family Secrets trial began. Judge James Zagel
would hear the case. The evidence was presented between June 28, 2007 and August 8, 2007. The trial included testimony from more than 125 witnesses and over 200 pieces of evidence. For Calabrese Sr., James Marcello, Joseph “The Clown” Lombardo, Paul “The Indian” Schiro, and Anthony “Twan” Doyle who the five main defendants the trial ended on August 30. The five men were found guilty on all counts for conspiracy
and criminal acts of racketeering. Of the other nine defendants six plead guilty, two died before trial (Frank Saladino and Michael Ricci), and lastly Frank "The German" Schweihs was too ill to stand trial.
, 71; and James Marcello
, 66, were all sentenced the maximum penalty of life in prison for their convictions which included murder. After admitting his contribution in 14 murders, Nick Calabrese was sentenced to only 12 years in prison, a light punishment rewarded because of unprecedented cooperation. Anthony Doyle, 64, and Paul Schiro, 71, were the only defendants who were not convicted of murder. The Family Secrets trial was a spectacle that added to the reputation for mob history that the city of Chicago has held for a long time.
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...
mob hit man, Frank Calabrese, Sr.
Frank Calabrese, Sr.
Frank Calabrese, Sr. , also known as "Frankie Breeze," is a made man and a caporegime who ran major loansharking and illegal gambling operations for the Chicago Outfit. He is best known as a central figure in Operation Family Secrets and the subsequent Federal trial.-Early life:Frank Calabrese, Sr...
provided testimony that was instrumental to the success of Operation Family Secrets. The investigation led to indictments of 14 defendants affiliated with the Chicago Outfit, which has been one of the most prolific organized crime enterprises in the United States. The most heinous of their crimes investigated were the 18 murders and one attempted murder that took place over the span between the years 1970 and 1986. All of the murders and other crimes being charged to the defendants were allegedly committed to further the Outfit's illegal activities such as loansharking, bookmaking and protecting the enterprise from law enforcement. Operation Family Secrets was a milestone in the FBI's battle against organized crime in the city of Chicago that will have a significant effect on the operations of the Chicago Outfit, but it did not end the Outfit's reign in Chicago. The FBI and local law enforcement agencies will continue their efforts to eradicate organized crime in Chicago.
Murder Table
| Date of Murder | Killer(s) | Victim(s) | Location of Murder |
|---|---|---|---|
| August, 1970 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. Frank Calabrese, Sr. Frank Calabrese, Sr. , also known as "Frankie Breeze," is a made man and a caporegime who ran major loansharking and illegal gambling operations for the Chicago Outfit. He is best known as a central figure in Operation Family Secrets and the subsequent Federal trial.-Early life:Frank Calabrese, Sr... |
Michael "Hambone" Albergo | Chicago, Illinois |
| September 27, 1974 | Joseph 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... and Frank Schweihs Frank Schweihs Francis John Schweihs, aka "Frank the German" 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... |
Daniel Siefert | Bensenville, Illinois |
| June 24, 1976 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. | Paul Haggerty | Chicago, Illinois |
| March 15, 1977 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. | Henry Cosentino | Chicago, Illinois |
| January 16, 1978 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. | John Mendell | Chicago, Illinois |
| January 31, 1978 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. | Donald Renno and Vincent Moretti | Cicero, Illinois |
| July 2, 1980 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. | William Dauber William Dauber William "Billy" E. Dauber was a Chicago mobster, hitman and associate in the Chicago Outfit's South Side chop shop ring.... and Charlette Dauber |
Will County, Illinois |
| December 30, 1980 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. | William Petrocelli | Cicero, Illinois |
| June 24, 1981 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. | Michael Cagnoni | DuPage County, Illinois |
| September 13, 1981 | James Marcello James Marcello James J. “Little Jimmy, Jimmy Light” Marcello , also known as Jimmy "the Man" Marcello, is an imprisoned crime boss who was a front boss for the Chicago Outfit criminal organization in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s... |
Nicholas D'Andrea | Chicago Heights, Illinois |
| April 24, 1982 | James Marcello and Frank Calabrese, Sr. | Individual A | Lake County, Illinois |
| July 23, 1983 | Frank Calabrese, Sr. | Richard D. Ortiz and Arthur Morawski | Cicero, Illinois |
| June 6, 1986 | Frank Schweihs and Paul Schiro | Emil Vaci | Phoenix, Arizona |
| June 14, 1986 | James Marcello | Anthony Spilotro Anthony Spilotro Anthony "The Ant" Spilotro was an Italian-American mobster and enforcer for the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas during the 1970s and 1980s. His job was to protect and oversee the Outfit's illegal casino profits... 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:... |
DuPage County, Illinois |
| September 14, 1986 | Nicholas Calabrese Nicholas Calabrese Nicholas W. Calabrese is the first made man ever to testify against the Chicago Outfit. His testimony and cooperation with federal prosecutors helped result in the 2007 murder convictions of mobsters Joseph Lombardo, James Marcello and Frank Calabrese, Sr.- Early life and work outside of the... and Frank Calabrese, Sr. |
John Fecarotta | Chicago, Illinois |
Frank, Jr.'s Letter to the FBI
The investigation began on July 27, 1998 when Frank Calabrese, Jr. wrote a letter to the FBI saying he wanted help put his father in jail. The letter was sent without warning from the federal correctional facility in Milan, Michigan where both Frank Jr. and Sr, were incarcerated since 1995 when four members of the Calabrese family had been sentenced for collecting juice loans and racketeering an auto repair business. In his letter Frank Jr. requested a face-to-face meeting in which he planned to give the FBI information about his father's crimes, business of the Chicago OutfitChicago 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...
street crews, and the murder of John Fecorotta. Frank Jr.'s letter read, "This is no game. I feel I have to help keep this sick man locked up forever." Frank, Jr. and his father had rough patches in their relationship over the years. Frank, Jr. had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from his father which he blew away on a cocaine addiction and a bad business decision. In the wake of his son's disloyalty, Frank Sr. allegedly forced a gun to his son's head and threatened to kill him. This and many other instances of Frank, Sr.'s abuse and poor fathering of his sons contributed to Frank, Jr.'s desire to help the FBI bring him down for hard time. Frank Calabrese, Jr. volunteered to record conversations he had with his father while they were imprisoned. Frank Jr. wore a pair of headphones around his neck that the FBI fitted with hidden a microphone to record conversation between the father and son. It was not difficult for Frank Jr. to direct his conversations in the prison courtyard and recreational facilities with his father towards information that would benefit the FBI's quickly assembling investigation. Frank Sr. would tell his son in a bragging manner about criminal activities of his past.
Nick Calabrese's Cooperation with Federal Agents
Federal agents Michael Maseth, Tom Bourgeois, and Michael HartnettMichael Hartnett
Michael Hartnett was an Irish poet who wrote in both English and Irish. He was one of the most significant voices in late 20th century Irish writing and has been called "Munster's de facto poet laureate"....
were assigned to the investigation. They began to put together pieces of information on the Fecarotta murder. Frank Sr. spoke nervously to his son about a pair of gloves that were mistakenly left on the scene of the Fecorotta murder by his brother Nick Calabrese. Frank Sr. knew the gloves were enough evidence to convict his brother for murder and he feared that his brother would turn on the Outfit in order to receive a lighter sentencing. The FBI took this information and reopened the unsolved Fecoratta case. Agents Bourgeois and Hartnett went to visit Nick Calabrese who they had put in jail a few years earlier to pursue him as the suspect in the Fecarotta murder case. When the investigation team had a sample of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
taken from Nick, Nick's vulnerability became apparent.
With his DNA matching that of the gloves used in the Fecarotta murder Nick Calabrese knew he was going down and was willing to betray the criminal organization he belonged to along with his brother. Nick cooperated with the FBI for months by giving depositions about the murders that he witnessed, took part in, and was told about. He also gave the government key information about how the Chicago Outfit operated.
The Trial
The FBI turned in a 43-page indictmentIndictment
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...
that was created by the Family Secrets investigation in April 2005. Operation Family Secrets was unprecedented for the fact that it named the entire Chicago 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...
as a criminal enterprise. Assistant United States Attorneys 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....
, Mitchell Mars and John Scully
John Scully
John Scully may refer to:*John Scully , American Roman Catholic priest and President of Fordham University*John Scully *John Scully *Iceman John Scully, American boxer*John Sculley, former Apple CEO...
would represent the United States in the case. After more than two years, in June 2007 the Family Secrets trial began. Judge James Zagel
James Zagel
James Block Zagel is a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and a novelist.- Early life and education :...
would hear the case. The evidence was presented between June 28, 2007 and August 8, 2007. The trial included testimony from more than 125 witnesses and over 200 pieces of evidence. For Calabrese Sr., James Marcello, Joseph “The Clown” Lombardo, Paul “The Indian” Schiro, and Anthony “Twan” Doyle who the five main defendants the trial ended on August 30. The five men were found guilty on all counts for conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
and criminal acts of racketeering. Of the other nine defendants six plead guilty, two died before trial (Frank Saladino and Michael Ricci), and lastly Frank "The German" Schweihs was too ill to stand trial.
Sentencing
"Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 80; Frank Calabrese, Sr.Frank Calabrese, Sr.
Frank Calabrese, Sr. , also known as "Frankie Breeze," is a made man and a caporegime who ran major loansharking and illegal gambling operations for the Chicago Outfit. He is best known as a central figure in Operation Family Secrets and the subsequent Federal trial.-Early life:Frank Calabrese, Sr...
, 71; and James Marcello
James Marcello
James J. “Little Jimmy, Jimmy Light” Marcello , also known as Jimmy "the Man" Marcello, is an imprisoned crime boss who was a front boss for the Chicago Outfit criminal organization in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s...
, 66, were all sentenced the maximum penalty of life in prison for their convictions which included murder. After admitting his contribution in 14 murders, Nick Calabrese was sentenced to only 12 years in prison, a light punishment rewarded because of unprecedented cooperation. Anthony Doyle, 64, and Paul Schiro, 71, were the only defendants who were not convicted of murder. The Family Secrets trial was a spectacle that added to the reputation for mob history that the city of Chicago has held for a long time.