T. Markus Funk
Encyclopedia
T. Markus Funk is an American lawyer, author, and academic.
, U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eighth Circuit, and Catherine D. Perry, U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Funk also taught law at the University of Chicago Law School
, Northwestern University School of Law
, and the USDOJ National Advocacy Centerhttp://law.du.edu/index.php/profile/t.-markus-funk
as a criminal prosecutor who from 2000–2010 worked in Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald
's Office. During this time, Funk investigated and prosecuted numerous white collar fraud cases, including those against various top executives at Gas Technology Institute for procurement fraud and false billing, Dr. Kwan Bo Jin for healthcare fraud, Tuthill Corporation CFO Richard Schilling for corporate embezzlement, US Department of Veterans Affairs Business Administrator Paul J. Romito for procurement fraud and theft of government property, Anriana Furs owner Sohrab Tebyanian for money laundering, Charles L. Killian for bank fraud, and George Apostolopoulos for payroll fraud.
Funk also was part of the three-man trial team prosecuting the landmark Operation Family Secrets
case, the most extensive mob-murder racketeering case in U.S. history. Funk and the team tried and convicted twelve high-ranking mobsters and police officers, including the only "made" members of the Chicago Outfit
to ever be convicted for mob-related murder, namely, Joey "The Clown" Lombardo
, James "Little Jimmie" Marcello
, and Frank "The Breeze" Calabrese. Calabrese was later to be held to account for issuing a death threat to Funk during Funk's closing argument.
The murders of the Spilotro brothers
, charged as part of the Family Secrets case, received international prominence when they were featured in the movie "Casino"
. The Family Secrets
prosecution, and the work of the trial team, has been the subject of two books, numerous articles, and National Geographic and History Channel specials.
Following the Family Secrets trial, Funk led the successful prosecution of the first Deputy U.S. Marshal to be prosecuted for leaking Witness Security information to the mob John Thomas Ambrose
. Funk also led the investigations and prosecutions of reputed Chicago Outfit
boss Michael Sarno
, ranking Outlaws motorcycle gang member Mark Polchan, and their racketeering co-conspirators; convicted mobsters Joseph "Jerry" Scalise and his burglary and bank robbery crew (notorious for their involvement in the London Graff diamond robbery
); paedophile priest Vincent McCaffrey; conman Joseph Kalady; University of Chicago
pediatrician Dr. Marc Watzman; Chicago furrier and money launderer Sohrab Tebyanian; Russian organized crime boss Israel Vengerin; and reputed Elmwood Park Capo
Rudy Fratto
.
In 2005 the U.S. Department of Justice published his book on trial skills. The U.S. Department of Justice and the State Department (for whom Funk worked for two years in post-conflict Kosovo) awarded Funk their highest respective service awards—the Attorney General's Award and the Superior Honor Award—making Funk the only person known to enjoy this distinction.
, has held various leadership positions within the American Bar Association
, including as the National Chair of the Human Trafficking and Organized Crime Committee, Kosovo Task Force, and Global Anti-Corruption Initiatives Task Force, and as a member of the Darfur and Haiti Task Forces.http://law.du.edu/index.php/profile/t.-markus-funk He is on the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA)
Criminal Law Reporter Advisory Board, is on the board of the American Bar Association's Litigation Magazine, is the national co-chair of the ABA's Global Anti-Corruption Initiatives Task Force, was recently interviewed on Chicago's ABC 7 concerning the Family Secrets case, and has authored dozens of popular and academic articles and book chapters on a wide variety of legal and non-legal subjects, including on white collar crime, native American remains, child exploitation, juvenile crime, constitutional law, gun control and economic discrimination, comparative law, and international law.http://law.du.edu/index.php/profile/t.-markus-funk Funk's work has been featured in popular outlets such as The Atlantic Monthly
, the Cato Journal, CNN
, The Economist
, Investors Business Daily
, the Los Angeles Times
, the New York Times, USA Today
, the Wall Street Journal, and MSNBC
, as well as in academic journals such as the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy
, Howard Law Review, University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, and the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. Funk also was a contributing editor to Might Magazine
(co-founded by writer Dave Eggers
).
In 2010, Funk authored an Oxford University Press book on victims' rights and advocacy at the International Criminal Court.
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. ArnoldMorris S. Arnold
Morris Sheppard "Buzz" Arnold is a senior-status jurist of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. A Republican, he was appointed to the appeals court by U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush. His tenure began on June 1, 1992. For his first twelve years, until 2004, he...
, U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eighth Circuit, and Catherine D. Perry, U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Funk also taught law at the University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School was founded in 1902 as the graduate school of law at the University of Chicago and is among the most prestigious and selective law schools in the world. The U.S. News & World Report currently ranks it fifth among U.S...
, Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. The law school was founded in 1859 as the Union College of Law of the Old University of Chicago. The first law school established in Chicago, it became jointly controlled by Northwestern University in...
, and the USDOJ National Advocacy Centerhttp://law.du.edu/index.php/profile/t.-markus-funk
U.S. DOJ
Funk worked for the United States Department of JusticeUnited States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
as a criminal prosecutor who from 2000–2010 worked in Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick J. Fitzgerald is the current United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel...
's Office. During this time, Funk investigated and prosecuted numerous white collar fraud cases, including those against various top executives at Gas Technology Institute for procurement fraud and false billing, Dr. Kwan Bo Jin for healthcare fraud, Tuthill Corporation CFO Richard Schilling for corporate embezzlement, US Department of Veterans Affairs Business Administrator Paul J. Romito for procurement fraud and theft of government property, Anriana Furs owner Sohrab Tebyanian for money laundering, Charles L. Killian for bank fraud, and George Apostolopoulos for payroll fraud.
Funk also was part of the three-man trial team prosecuting the landmark 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, the most extensive mob-murder racketeering case in U.S. history. Funk and the team tried and convicted twelve high-ranking mobsters and police officers, including the only "made" members of the 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...
to ever be convicted for mob-related murder, namely, 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...
, James "Little Jimmie" 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...
, and Frank "The Breeze" Calabrese. Calabrese was later to be held to account for issuing a death threat to Funk during Funk's closing argument.
The murders of the Spilotro brothers
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...
, charged as part of the Family Secrets case, received international prominence when they were featured in the movie "Casino"
Casino (film)
Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese...
. The 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...
prosecution, and the work of the trial team, has been the subject of two books, numerous articles, and National Geographic and History Channel specials.
Following the Family Secrets trial, Funk led the successful prosecution of the first Deputy U.S. Marshal to be prosecuted for leaking Witness Security information to the mob John Thomas Ambrose
John Thomas Ambrose
Former Deputy U.S. Marshal John Thomas Ambrose was a decorated federal law enforcement officer. However, in 2009 he was convicted of leaking information about a federal witness in the Witness Protection Program to other members of Chicago organized crime. This represented the first such breach in...
. Funk also led the investigations and prosecutions of reputed 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...
boss Michael Sarno
Michael Sarno
Michael Sarno is a Chicago mobster who has been identified as the alleged, current leader of the Grand Avenue street crew, in the Chicago Outfit criminal organization.- Indictments and imprisonment :...
, ranking Outlaws motorcycle gang member Mark Polchan, and their racketeering co-conspirators; convicted mobsters Joseph "Jerry" Scalise and his burglary and bank robbery crew (notorious for their involvement in the London Graff diamond robbery
Graff Diamonds robbery
The Graff Diamonds robbery took place on 6 August 2009 when two men posing as customers entered the premises of Graff Diamonds in New Bond Street, London and stole jewellery worth nearly £40 million...
); paedophile priest Vincent McCaffrey; conman Joseph Kalady; University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
pediatrician Dr. Marc Watzman; Chicago furrier and money launderer Sohrab Tebyanian; Russian organized crime boss Israel Vengerin; and reputed Elmwood Park Capo
Capo
A capo is a device used on the neck of a stringed instrument to shorten the playable length of the strings, hence raising the pitch. It is frequently used on guitars, mandolins, and banjos. G.B...
Rudy Fratto
Rudy Fratto
Rudolph C. "Rudy" Fratto has been identified by federal authorities and several Chicago newspapers as a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization.- Chicago Outfit career :...
.
In 2005 the U.S. Department of Justice published his book on trial skills. The U.S. Department of Justice and the State Department (for whom Funk worked for two years in post-conflict Kosovo) awarded Funk their highest respective service awards—the Attorney General's Award and the Superior Honor Award—making Funk the only person known to enjoy this distinction.
After the DOJ
Funk, now in private practice at the law firm of Perkins CoiePerkins Coie
Perkins Coie is an international law firm based in Seattle, Washington. It has been listed on the Fortune Magazine "100 Best Places to Work in America" for the past nine years. It is noted for its intellectual property, Labor and Employment, and Products Liability practice groups, and for its...
, has held various leadership positions within the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, including as the National Chair of the Human Trafficking and Organized Crime Committee, Kosovo Task Force, and Global Anti-Corruption Initiatives Task Force, and as a member of the Darfur and Haiti Task Forces.http://law.du.edu/index.php/profile/t.-markus-funk He is on the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA)
Bureau of National Affairs
The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. — known as BNA — is an independent, privately owned publisher of specialized online and print news and information for professionals in business and government, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, USA...
Criminal Law Reporter Advisory Board, is on the board of the American Bar Association's Litigation Magazine, is the national co-chair of the ABA's Global Anti-Corruption Initiatives Task Force, was recently interviewed on Chicago's ABC 7 concerning the Family Secrets case, and has authored dozens of popular and academic articles and book chapters on a wide variety of legal and non-legal subjects, including on white collar crime, native American remains, child exploitation, juvenile crime, constitutional law, gun control and economic discrimination, comparative law, and international law.http://law.du.edu/index.php/profile/t.-markus-funk Funk's work has been featured in popular outlets such as The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, the Cato Journal, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, Investors Business Daily
Investor's Business Daily
Investor's Business Daily is a national newspaper in the United States, published Monday through Friday, that covers international business, finance, and the global economy...
, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, the New York Times, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, the Wall Street Journal, and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, as well as in academic journals such as the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy
Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy
The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy is a student-edited law review of conservative and libertarian legal scholarship. It was establisheded by Harvard Law School students Spencer Abraham and Stephen Eberhard in 1978, leading to the founding of the Federalist Society, for which it is the...
, Howard Law Review, University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, and the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. Funk also was a contributing editor to Might Magazine
Might magazine
Might was a San Francisco-based magazine co-founded in the early 1990s by David Moodie, Marny Requa and Dave Eggers, who went on to describe the magazine's rise and fall in his bestselling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius....
(co-founded by writer Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
).
In 2010, Funk authored an Oxford University Press book on victims' rights and advocacy at the International Criminal Court.