A career burglar with ties to the mob testified today in the Family Secrets case that he indirectly bribed police through Chicago attorneys, including Sam Banks, the brother of 36th Ward Ald. William Banks.
Sal Romano, who worked under Anthony Spilotro, said he paid hired Sam Banks on the advice of Chicago police after Romano was arrested and believed they were bribed through money Romano paid his attorney. But Romano acknowledged he never saw Banks hand any money to police.
Romano said his case involving stolen property was thrown out.
Banks could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.
Romano said another lawyer he hired for another case, Dean Wolfson, was more direct about the bribery. Wolfson was later convicted of bribing judges as part of Operation Greylord. Romano said after he gave Wolfson $10,000, the attorney instructed an assistant that a certain portion of the money was for the judge in the case, while the remainder was for the police.
Romano described working out in Las Vegas with a variety of career criminals, including Spilotro, who was slain in 1986, and Paul "The Indian" Schiro, who is a defendant on trial in the Family Secrets case.
Romano said Schiro set up a burglary of a home owned by people Schiro knew. Schiro said the people were going to be at a wedding and gave Romano the key to their front door. Inside the home was a closet safe supposedly containing $50,000, Romano said.
Romano and another burglar went into the home, but a little dog came out yapping like crazy. The dog made it out to the backyard and continued barking. "Let's go, I'm gone," Romano recalled saying. When he got grief from Schiro for not disposing of the dog, Romano said "I don't do dogs."
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Protected Witness, Sal Romano, Testifies at Mob Trial
Sal Romano has been in and out of the Witness Protection Program since the early 1980s, working for a time as an apartment manager. But Romano's real talent was as a lock picker. It was a talent he says he exploited for himself and the Chicago Outfit.
Romano, an admitted burglar, knew his way around the Outfit in Chicago and Las Vegas. His testimony in the mid-1980s helped jail the Hole in the Wall gang that reported to Vegas mob boss Tony Spilotro.
Romano testified that police payoffs helped grease the way for the mob. He said that often, those payments were channeled through attorneys.
Romano said his first exposure to the Outfit was breaking into some laundry machines for mob boss Joseph Ferriola. "He's not the kind of guy you say, 'No, I don't want to talk to you,'" Romano said.
Romano also recounted an alleged botched burglary attempt in Vegas with defendant Paul Schiro. They were looking for $50,000 kept in a closet safe, but when a small dog surprised them and started barking, Romano said he called the job off. When asked later why he didn't just take care of the dog, Romano responded, "I don't do dogs."
It is alleged that Schiro was a mob hit man who could often be volatile. Romano said he was told to be careful with Schiro because he could be a dangerous man.
Other testimony on Monday focused on the gambling machine business run by Mike Marcello, called M & M Amusements. A Cook County Sheriff's lieutenant testified about the raids that saw Marcello and Thomas Johnson arrested in 2003.
Still to take the stand is one of the prosecution's other big witnesses -- the brother of Anthony and Michael Spilotro. A dentist by trade, Pat Spilotro often worked on other mobsters. He also wore a wire for federal investigators, Charlie Wojciechowski reported.
Pat Spilotro is also thought to have helped the feds track down Joey "The Clown" Lombardo when he was on the run in 2005. Lombardo reportedly went to Pat Spilatro for secret dental work.
Pat Spilotro was also the dentist for Nick Calabrese, the mob hit man involved in Spilotro's brother's murder, Charlie Wojciechowski reported. Pat Spilotro is expected to take the stand on Tuesday.
Thanks to Charlie Wojciechowski
Romano, an admitted burglar, knew his way around the Outfit in Chicago and Las Vegas. His testimony in the mid-1980s helped jail the Hole in the Wall gang that reported to Vegas mob boss Tony Spilotro.
Romano testified that police payoffs helped grease the way for the mob. He said that often, those payments were channeled through attorneys.
Romano said his first exposure to the Outfit was breaking into some laundry machines for mob boss Joseph Ferriola. "He's not the kind of guy you say, 'No, I don't want to talk to you,'" Romano said.
Romano also recounted an alleged botched burglary attempt in Vegas with defendant Paul Schiro. They were looking for $50,000 kept in a closet safe, but when a small dog surprised them and started barking, Romano said he called the job off. When asked later why he didn't just take care of the dog, Romano responded, "I don't do dogs."
It is alleged that Schiro was a mob hit man who could often be volatile. Romano said he was told to be careful with Schiro because he could be a dangerous man.
Other testimony on Monday focused on the gambling machine business run by Mike Marcello, called M & M Amusements. A Cook County Sheriff's lieutenant testified about the raids that saw Marcello and Thomas Johnson arrested in 2003.
Still to take the stand is one of the prosecution's other big witnesses -- the brother of Anthony and Michael Spilotro. A dentist by trade, Pat Spilotro often worked on other mobsters. He also wore a wire for federal investigators, Charlie Wojciechowski reported.
Pat Spilotro is also thought to have helped the feds track down Joey "The Clown" Lombardo when he was on the run in 2005. Lombardo reportedly went to Pat Spilatro for secret dental work.
Pat Spilotro was also the dentist for Nick Calabrese, the mob hit man involved in Spilotro's brother's murder, Charlie Wojciechowski reported. Pat Spilotro is expected to take the stand on Tuesday.
Thanks to Charlie Wojciechowski
Monday, August 06, 2007
Chicago 1930
Deliver2Mac has released Chicago 1930, a strategy game for Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. It’s Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It’s a real time. tactical game set in the time of prohibition and ongoing battles between police and the mob.
Here’s how the game is described: “Chicago 1930 impresses with very detailed and varying backdrops offering dark courtyards and dubious brothels as well as monumental buildings of large towns. Embedded in the atmosphere of mafia-like activity as well as the style of the thirties, you have to succeed in procuring the leadership of the city to ‘your’ side, always being conscious about possible ambushes.
“Besides you have the choice between mafia and police. This decision influences the game play crucially: With the police it is your job to clear up crimes at the scene of their happening, as well as protecting important persons from crooks or busting mafia-gangs. You have to track down and interrogate witnesses and collect information in order to finally get onto the mafia as a result from your razor-sharp considerations. It often comes down to a spectacular showdown, when the criminals are hunted down at last and defend themselves with baseball bats, shotguns as well as Tommy-guns.
“You have to respond to a totally different challenge in the mafia campaign: Compelling arguments as well as hard words are required, not only to assert yourself against the police, but also against competing gangs.
“However, acting circumspectly is necessary as well: you have to silence passer-bys as they have become witnesses of your abominations. You also have to think about tactics and ambushes for superior gangs and by doing so you always need to have your sympathy in the population in your eye. Strategy is what is asked for!
“Every district offers you new opportunities and resources like arms stores and practice establishments. The consistent story instantly transfers you into the role of the person pulling the strings. The characters being commanded by you are capable of improving their abilities as they game goes on. Ensure they become a team of specialists so you can keep up your chances as the battle about Chicago becomes harder consistently. Therefore smart planning and tactics are an assumption for the choice, assignments and the equipment of the up to five characters per mission.”
Thanks to Dennis Sellers
Here’s how the game is described: “Chicago 1930 impresses with very detailed and varying backdrops offering dark courtyards and dubious brothels as well as monumental buildings of large towns. Embedded in the atmosphere of mafia-like activity as well as the style of the thirties, you have to succeed in procuring the leadership of the city to ‘your’ side, always being conscious about possible ambushes.
“Besides you have the choice between mafia and police. This decision influences the game play crucially: With the police it is your job to clear up crimes at the scene of their happening, as well as protecting important persons from crooks or busting mafia-gangs. You have to track down and interrogate witnesses and collect information in order to finally get onto the mafia as a result from your razor-sharp considerations. It often comes down to a spectacular showdown, when the criminals are hunted down at last and defend themselves with baseball bats, shotguns as well as Tommy-guns.
“You have to respond to a totally different challenge in the mafia campaign: Compelling arguments as well as hard words are required, not only to assert yourself against the police, but also against competing gangs.
“However, acting circumspectly is necessary as well: you have to silence passer-bys as they have become witnesses of your abominations. You also have to think about tactics and ambushes for superior gangs and by doing so you always need to have your sympathy in the population in your eye. Strategy is what is asked for!
“Every district offers you new opportunities and resources like arms stores and practice establishments. The consistent story instantly transfers you into the role of the person pulling the strings. The characters being commanded by you are capable of improving their abilities as they game goes on. Ensure they become a team of specialists so you can keep up your chances as the battle about Chicago becomes harder consistently. Therefore smart planning and tactics are an assumption for the choice, assignments and the equipment of the up to five characters per mission.”
Thanks to Dennis Sellers
Mobsters of the Midway
Is Tinsel Town headed to Chi-town?
Again?
The ongoing "Family Secrets" trial at the Dirksen Federal Building is a modern day mob soap opera with a son, a mistress and a brother taking the stand against reputed mobsters.
The trial has all the guns and gore associated with Hollywood blockbusters:
• Murders
• Bribes
• Extortion ("street tax")
• Police protection
• Turncoats
• Mafia mistresses
Top-notch producers and directors are sitting in on the trail this week in an effort to quench their desire to morph the mob into a star-studded script, according to radio reports buzzing through Chicago.
Think Casino, The Godfather, GoodFellas. Think of the proscecutor who reminded us all that this trial is real life - and not the movies. But, before these poaching producers descended on Dearborn Steet at the Dirksen Building, mob movie casting was already underway on Clark Street at the Medill News Service.
Endless casting meetings, headshot reviews and late night brainstorming led to the creation of the elite eight—the seasoned stars that will bring “Mobsters of the Midway” [our working title] to the big screen.
Cast suggestions:
Danny DeVito as flamboyant criminal defense attorney Joe Lopez. DeVito needs to ditch his dull duds and shop at Lopez's colorful clothing store! Oh and Danny, think about a tan.
Woody Harrelson as the 47-year old Frank Calabrse Jr., the "rat" son of alleged mafia hitman Frank Calabrese Sr. Harrelson should transfrom himself into this khaki wearing prince by only shopping for dockers and donning a walking cane. Note to Woody: Get a thick Chi-town accent ASAP!
Daniel Craig as Nick Calabrese, the brother of alleged hitman FRank Calabrese Sr. Craig has just enough tough skin to pull playing the part of Nick testifying against his own brother. Remember Casino Royale.
Donald Sutherland as Joey "the Clown" Lombardo. Seeing that Sutherland is no newcomer to playing brutish characters, he will need little pre-production preparation. Oh and Don, don't shave, go shabby!
J.E. Freeman to portray mobster and alleged killer James Marcello. Freeman should just keep up his scary look and look to his previous roles as killers and lunatics for guidance.
Paul Sorvino as reputed mobster Frank Calabrese Sr. Sorvino, a mob movie veteran who is Italian, will know how to play a reputed killer.
Jennifer Garner as fiesty rookie reporter Jacqueline A. Ingles. Garner will have to retrieve her sassy attitude from Alias to portray this firecracker.
George Hamilton as the overly tan and pompous ABC 7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie.
Thanks to Jacqueline A. Ingles
Again?
The ongoing "Family Secrets" trial at the Dirksen Federal Building is a modern day mob soap opera with a son, a mistress and a brother taking the stand against reputed mobsters.
The trial has all the guns and gore associated with Hollywood blockbusters:
• Murders
• Bribes
• Extortion ("street tax")
• Police protection
• Turncoats
• Mafia mistresses
Top-notch producers and directors are sitting in on the trail this week in an effort to quench their desire to morph the mob into a star-studded script, according to radio reports buzzing through Chicago.
Think Casino, The Godfather, GoodFellas. Think of the proscecutor who reminded us all that this trial is real life - and not the movies. But, before these poaching producers descended on Dearborn Steet at the Dirksen Building, mob movie casting was already underway on Clark Street at the Medill News Service.
Endless casting meetings, headshot reviews and late night brainstorming led to the creation of the elite eight—the seasoned stars that will bring “Mobsters of the Midway” [our working title] to the big screen.
Cast suggestions:
Danny DeVito as flamboyant criminal defense attorney Joe Lopez. DeVito needs to ditch his dull duds and shop at Lopez's colorful clothing store! Oh and Danny, think about a tan.
Woody Harrelson as the 47-year old Frank Calabrse Jr., the "rat" son of alleged mafia hitman Frank Calabrese Sr. Harrelson should transfrom himself into this khaki wearing prince by only shopping for dockers and donning a walking cane. Note to Woody: Get a thick Chi-town accent ASAP!
Daniel Craig as Nick Calabrese, the brother of alleged hitman FRank Calabrese Sr. Craig has just enough tough skin to pull playing the part of Nick testifying against his own brother. Remember Casino Royale.
Donald Sutherland as Joey "the Clown" Lombardo. Seeing that Sutherland is no newcomer to playing brutish characters, he will need little pre-production preparation. Oh and Don, don't shave, go shabby!
J.E. Freeman to portray mobster and alleged killer James Marcello. Freeman should just keep up his scary look and look to his previous roles as killers and lunatics for guidance.
Paul Sorvino as reputed mobster Frank Calabrese Sr. Sorvino, a mob movie veteran who is Italian, will know how to play a reputed killer.
Jennifer Garner as fiesty rookie reporter Jacqueline A. Ingles. Garner will have to retrieve her sassy attitude from Alias to portray this firecracker.
George Hamilton as the overly tan and pompous ABC 7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie.
Thanks to Jacqueline A. Ingles
Mistress Faces Reputed Mobster
Friends of ours: James Marcello, Tony Spilotro, Joey "the Clown" Lombardo
Friends of mine: Michael Spilotro
The reputed mob boss did his best to keep a poker face Thursday.
First, the daughter of one of the Spilotro brothers tried not to cry as she indirectly blamed James Marcello for luring her father to his violent death.
Then a second witness, a slim, woman with shoulder-length brown hair testified against him in a quiet voice he knows well.
Connie Marcello, 53, who changed her name after becoming Marcello's mistress, said she met him while she was tending bar in Cook County strip clubs such as Michael's Magic Touch and The Hollywood. James Marcello, who was married to another woman, gave her thousands a month in cash for more than 20 years, she told jurors at the Family Secrets mob conspiracy trial in the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
The gifts are important because prosecutors allege Marcello ran an illegal, cash-based gambling empire that saw video poker machines placed in bars around the Chicago area. If she was ever asked where her money came from, Connie Marcello testified, she was supposed to say her mother gave it to her.
Her testimony came during the continuing trial of five men—including Marcello—for a conspiracy that allegedly included 18 previously unsolved murders, including the killings of brothers Anthony and Michael Spilotro.
Connie Marcello calmly said she lied to Marcello in 2005 after she appeared before a grand jury, telling him the subject of the money never came up. "I just said it was things about the '80s," she said she told him.
She was still getting money from him as late as June, she said. His brother or a friend would hand her an envelope or a coffee cup stuffed with $100 bills, she said.
Marcello paid for her lawyers, she said, and when she ran up $15,000 in gambling debt, Marcello's cash made it go away. If she was forced to testify at the Family Secrets trial under a grant of immunity, as she did Thursday, she was expected to say nothing and go to jail, she said.
On cross-examination, she was asked if Marcello was being kind to her and her two children, one of whom was adopted and has special needs. That, she said before leaving the courtroom, was true too.
Connie Marcello's testimony followed an earlier session where Michelle Spilotro, the daughter of mob figure Michael Spilotro, talked about working as a hostess at her father's restaurant in the 1980s. She watched him whisper with mobsters in the back room, she said, and told jurors she watched in her house as her dad and alleged mob leader Joey "the Clown" Lombardo wrote each other notes on a child's toy instead of talking out loud.
It was a board that could be written on and then erased by pulling a plastic sheet away from its backing. "You'd see scribbling and they'd lift it up," she said. And she received directions from her father about taking phone calls, especially when a man she knew as "Jim" rang the house.
"Jim," who authorities allege is James Marcello, had a distinct voice with a thick Chicago accent.
Spilotro, 38, now a homemaker, fought tears on the witness stand as she thought about the day in June 1986 when her father disappeared. Her father and uncle were waiting for "Jim" to call, and she answered the phone. After that, she said, the Spilotro brothers got dressed to leave the house.
She said her father left his jewelry in a Ziploc bag on the kitchen counter, and told her to tell her mother to bring it to a graduation party they were attending that night.
Years later, an FBI agent sat her in a car and played her a "voice lineup" of five investigators and Marcello reading a couple of paragraphs from an item in a Chicago newspaper.
When Marcello's voice came on, Spilotro told agents she didn't need to hear anymore, she was sure it was the caller.
On cross-examination, Spilotro acknowledged she hadn't heard "Jim's" voice for three years before listening to the tape. Spilotro's testimony followed that of her mother, Ann Spilotro, who told jurors her husband had once told her that he and his brother "were going to be No. 1" in the hierarchy of the Outfit. The men eventually were targeted for death because Anthony Spilotro, the mob's Las Vegas boss, was attempting unauthorized hits.
Thanks to Jeff Coen
Friends of mine: Michael Spilotro
The reputed mob boss did his best to keep a poker face Thursday.
First, the daughter of one of the Spilotro brothers tried not to cry as she indirectly blamed James Marcello for luring her father to his violent death.
Then a second witness, a slim, woman with shoulder-length brown hair testified against him in a quiet voice he knows well.
Connie Marcello, 53, who changed her name after becoming Marcello's mistress, said she met him while she was tending bar in Cook County strip clubs such as Michael's Magic Touch and The Hollywood. James Marcello, who was married to another woman, gave her thousands a month in cash for more than 20 years, she told jurors at the Family Secrets mob conspiracy trial in the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
The gifts are important because prosecutors allege Marcello ran an illegal, cash-based gambling empire that saw video poker machines placed in bars around the Chicago area. If she was ever asked where her money came from, Connie Marcello testified, she was supposed to say her mother gave it to her.
Her testimony came during the continuing trial of five men—including Marcello—for a conspiracy that allegedly included 18 previously unsolved murders, including the killings of brothers Anthony and Michael Spilotro.
Connie Marcello calmly said she lied to Marcello in 2005 after she appeared before a grand jury, telling him the subject of the money never came up. "I just said it was things about the '80s," she said she told him.
She was still getting money from him as late as June, she said. His brother or a friend would hand her an envelope or a coffee cup stuffed with $100 bills, she said.
Marcello paid for her lawyers, she said, and when she ran up $15,000 in gambling debt, Marcello's cash made it go away. If she was forced to testify at the Family Secrets trial under a grant of immunity, as she did Thursday, she was expected to say nothing and go to jail, she said.
On cross-examination, she was asked if Marcello was being kind to her and her two children, one of whom was adopted and has special needs. That, she said before leaving the courtroom, was true too.
Connie Marcello's testimony followed an earlier session where Michelle Spilotro, the daughter of mob figure Michael Spilotro, talked about working as a hostess at her father's restaurant in the 1980s. She watched him whisper with mobsters in the back room, she said, and told jurors she watched in her house as her dad and alleged mob leader Joey "the Clown" Lombardo wrote each other notes on a child's toy instead of talking out loud.
It was a board that could be written on and then erased by pulling a plastic sheet away from its backing. "You'd see scribbling and they'd lift it up," she said. And she received directions from her father about taking phone calls, especially when a man she knew as "Jim" rang the house.
"Jim," who authorities allege is James Marcello, had a distinct voice with a thick Chicago accent.
Spilotro, 38, now a homemaker, fought tears on the witness stand as she thought about the day in June 1986 when her father disappeared. Her father and uncle were waiting for "Jim" to call, and she answered the phone. After that, she said, the Spilotro brothers got dressed to leave the house.
She said her father left his jewelry in a Ziploc bag on the kitchen counter, and told her to tell her mother to bring it to a graduation party they were attending that night.
Years later, an FBI agent sat her in a car and played her a "voice lineup" of five investigators and Marcello reading a couple of paragraphs from an item in a Chicago newspaper.
When Marcello's voice came on, Spilotro told agents she didn't need to hear anymore, she was sure it was the caller.
On cross-examination, Spilotro acknowledged she hadn't heard "Jim's" voice for three years before listening to the tape. Spilotro's testimony followed that of her mother, Ann Spilotro, who told jurors her husband had once told her that he and his brother "were going to be No. 1" in the hierarchy of the Outfit. The men eventually were targeted for death because Anthony Spilotro, the mob's Las Vegas boss, was attempting unauthorized hits.
Thanks to Jeff Coen
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