Friends of ours: James LaValley, Lenny Patrick, Frank "The German" Schweihs, Sal Romano, Frank Cullotta, Tony Spilotro
A former adult bookstore owner and an ex-juice loan enforcer who once threatened to cut off the remaining arm of an amputee are among the witnesses who could testify in the upcoming blockbuster Family Secrets mob trial in Chicago, the Sun-Times has learned.
Federal prosecutors are expected to put forward a parade of former wiseguys in the trial, beginning in May, that aims to solve 18 mob hits and puts some of the top reputed mobsters in Chicago on the hot seat.
Former enforcer James LaValley, who once belonged to the street crew of one-time top mobster Lenny Patrick, has cooperated with the government for more than 15 years after a career in which he specialized in so-called "hard-to-collect" debts.
LaValley, an intimidating, sizable man, testified in an earlier mob trial that he cut the hand of one deadbeat gambler and threatened to cut off the arm of a bookie who was an amputee.
Another potential witness in the Family Secrets case is former adult bookstore owner William "Red" Wemette, according to sources familiar with the matter. Wemette repeatedly helped record one defendant in the case, reputed mob killer Frank "The German" Schweihs, who was convicted of extorting Wemette during the 1980s.
Also on tap as potential witnesses are two former members of the burglary crew run by Anthony Spilotro, the Chicago mob's man in Las Vegas. Both Sal Romano and Frank Cullotta have testified previously at mob trials.
It's unclear exactly what the witnesses would testify about at trial, but they could provide jurors with expansive views of their slice of mob life in Chicago.
Attorney Joseph Lopez, who represents reputed mob hit man Frank Calabrese Sr. in the Family Secrets case, said he had seen LaValley testify in another case years ago and did not share the government's estimation of him. LaValley is "a real character," Lopez said. LaValley "loves himself to death. If he could look at himself in the mirror all day, that's all he'd do."
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
Thursday, March 15, 2007
A-List Could Testify about Mob Family Secrets
Reactions: |
Related Stories
Family Secrets,
Frank Cullotta,
Frank Schweihs,
James LaValley,
Lenny Patrick,
Sal Romano,
Tony Spilotro
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Best of the Month!
- Chicago Mob Infamous Locations Map
- No Goodfellas in this Sordid Crew
- The Chicago Syndicate AKA "The Outfit"
- The "Big Guy" From Spilotro's Hole in the Wall Gang Dies
- How the Mafia Dealt with J. Edgar Hoover?
- Shannen Rossmiller to Discuss Hunting Terrorists on Crime Beat Radio
- One Family's Rise, A Century of Power
- A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by Former @FBI Director James Comey
- Crazy Joey Gallo's Widow Reflects on being Married to the Mob
- Joe Serio Discusses the #Russian #Mafia on Crime Beat Radio

No comments:
Post a Comment