Monday, September 03, 2007
Origin of the term "The Outfit"
Virtually every story about the Family Secrets trial now winding down in Federal Court refers to the local organized crime network as "The Outfit."
At some point recently the name started sounding odd to me -- how did a term normally associated with clothing come to refer to a vicious conglomerate of thugs and killers? Is it a media creation, or something mob guys use in referring to their enterprise?
I put the question to John J. Binder, a professor of finance at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of "The Chicago Outfit" (Arcadia Publishing, 2003). It was a topic he had researched, he said:
"`Outfit' shows up frequently in the literature of the old west to describe groups of men on a ranch or on a cattle drive," he said.
The idea being that, ideally, such a group works together in a coordinated way, much like a full outfit of clothing works together when one is well dressed, Binder said.
The word was used in a similar way in the military at least as early as World War I, Binder said: "Your squad, your unit, your outfit...same difference," he said. And the same idea: "Not a disorganized gaggle of people, but a coordinated outfit," Binder said.
Early bootleggers ran in what the media commonly referred to as "gangs," Binder said. But in Chicago after the end of prohibition, these gangs consolidated and began referring informally to their enterprise as "`our outfit,' lower case o," Binder said.
This evolved into "`The Outfit,' upper-case o," Binder said, and became as something of a code word. It was and remains a distinctly Chicago term for what elsewhere goes by "the mob," "the syndicate," "the arm" (in Buffalo) and various Italianate names.
Yet Binder said his research leads him to suspect that Outfit guys stopped saying "Outfit" in around the early 1960s when the media started using it so much it lost any value it might have had as a code word.
"I you ever hear someone claim to be `in the Outfit' or `close to the Outfit,' he's a wanna-be," Binder said.
Try that on for size.
Thanks to Eric Zorn
At some point recently the name started sounding odd to me -- how did a term normally associated with clothing come to refer to a vicious conglomerate of thugs and killers? Is it a media creation, or something mob guys use in referring to their enterprise?
I put the question to John J. Binder, a professor of finance at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of "The Chicago Outfit" (Arcadia Publishing, 2003). It was a topic he had researched, he said:
"`Outfit' shows up frequently in the literature of the old west to describe groups of men on a ranch or on a cattle drive," he said.
The idea being that, ideally, such a group works together in a coordinated way, much like a full outfit of clothing works together when one is well dressed, Binder said.
The word was used in a similar way in the military at least as early as World War I, Binder said: "Your squad, your unit, your outfit...same difference," he said. And the same idea: "Not a disorganized gaggle of people, but a coordinated outfit," Binder said.
Early bootleggers ran in what the media commonly referred to as "gangs," Binder said. But in Chicago after the end of prohibition, these gangs consolidated and began referring informally to their enterprise as "`our outfit,' lower case o," Binder said.
This evolved into "`The Outfit,' upper-case o," Binder said, and became as something of a code word. It was and remains a distinctly Chicago term for what elsewhere goes by "the mob," "the syndicate," "the arm" (in Buffalo) and various Italianate names.
Yet Binder said his research leads him to suspect that Outfit guys stopped saying "Outfit" in around the early 1960s when the media started using it so much it lost any value it might have had as a code word.
"I you ever hear someone claim to be `in the Outfit' or `close to the Outfit,' he's a wanna-be," Binder said.
Try that on for size.
Thanks to Eric Zorn
Do you believe "The Clown" or an admitted hit man?
Jurors will have to decide when they begin deliberations Tuesday in Chicago's biggest mob trial in years. They got the case Thursday night after prosecutors made a last pitch to sway them to believe the testimony of their star witness, admitted hit man Nicholas Calabrese.
Defense lawyers have pegged Calabrese as "a walking piece of deception" whose testimony shouldn't be believed, even suggesting that if Calabrese says it's raining, someone ought to go outside to check. But prosecutors say it's the five men on trial who can't be believed, including reputed mobster Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, whose lawyers have claimed he turned his back on the mob long ago and therefore isn't part of the illegal activity prosecutors allege.
"Lombardo's word is no good," prosecutor Mitchell Mars told jurors. Mars tossed off Lombardo's so-called withdrawal defense saying, "he withdrew from nothing."
Lombardo, 78, and the others are accused in a racketeering conspiracy that allegedly includes 18 long-unsolved murders, illegal gambling, loan sharking and extortion tied to the Outfit, as Chicago's organized crime family is known.
The other defendants are reputed mob boss James Marcello, 65; convicted jewel thief Paul Schiro, 70; retired Chicago policeman Anthony Doyle, 62; and convicted loan shark Frank Calabrese Sr., 70, who is Nicholas Calabrese's brother.
The trial started in June and prosecutors wrapped up the final two hours of the rebuttal portion of their closing arguments on Thursday.
Prosecutors have used Nicholas Calabrese's testimony to link all but Doyle to the scene of at least one murder. Save up to 60% in the Geek Outlet Today!
Calabrese agreed to blab mob secrets to avoid the death penalty after his DNA was matched to blood on a glove at a 1986 murder scene, defense attorneys say. During the trial, he has admitted to taking part in about a dozen of the killings laid out in the indictment.
Marcello's attorney Marc Martin has accused Calabrese of inventing a tale about the most high-profile homicide in the case "because he felt he had to solve the crime to get his deal to save his life."
That's the killing of Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, who was beaten to death along with his brother, Michael, in 1986 and buried in an Indiana cornfield. Tony Spilotro, known as the mob's man in Las Vegas, was the inspiration for the Joe Pesci character in the 1995 movie "Casino." In the film, Pesci's character was beaten with bats and buried alive.
Calabrese testified that Michael Spilotro was strangled and died quickly, leaving behind only a spot of blood.
Mars told jurors Calabrese doesn't have to account for any lack of blood at the scene, but he explained that the fatal injuries were internal and didn't break the skin.
Mars also told jurors Calabrese didn't immediately give up Marcello when he began cooperating with federal officials because Marcello was paying him $4,000 a month to keep his mouth shut. "That's what he was paid to do," Mars said.
Thanks to Deanna Bellandi
Defense lawyers have pegged Calabrese as "a walking piece of deception" whose testimony shouldn't be believed, even suggesting that if Calabrese says it's raining, someone ought to go outside to check. But prosecutors say it's the five men on trial who can't be believed, including reputed mobster Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, whose lawyers have claimed he turned his back on the mob long ago and therefore isn't part of the illegal activity prosecutors allege.
"Lombardo's word is no good," prosecutor Mitchell Mars told jurors. Mars tossed off Lombardo's so-called withdrawal defense saying, "he withdrew from nothing."
Lombardo, 78, and the others are accused in a racketeering conspiracy that allegedly includes 18 long-unsolved murders, illegal gambling, loan sharking and extortion tied to the Outfit, as Chicago's organized crime family is known.
The other defendants are reputed mob boss James Marcello, 65; convicted jewel thief Paul Schiro, 70; retired Chicago policeman Anthony Doyle, 62; and convicted loan shark Frank Calabrese Sr., 70, who is Nicholas Calabrese's brother.
The trial started in June and prosecutors wrapped up the final two hours of the rebuttal portion of their closing arguments on Thursday.
Prosecutors have used Nicholas Calabrese's testimony to link all but Doyle to the scene of at least one murder. Save up to 60% in the Geek Outlet Today!
Calabrese agreed to blab mob secrets to avoid the death penalty after his DNA was matched to blood on a glove at a 1986 murder scene, defense attorneys say. During the trial, he has admitted to taking part in about a dozen of the killings laid out in the indictment.
Marcello's attorney Marc Martin has accused Calabrese of inventing a tale about the most high-profile homicide in the case "because he felt he had to solve the crime to get his deal to save his life."
That's the killing of Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, who was beaten to death along with his brother, Michael, in 1986 and buried in an Indiana cornfield. Tony Spilotro, known as the mob's man in Las Vegas, was the inspiration for the Joe Pesci character in the 1995 movie "Casino." In the film, Pesci's character was beaten with bats and buried alive.
Calabrese testified that Michael Spilotro was strangled and died quickly, leaving behind only a spot of blood.
Mars told jurors Calabrese doesn't have to account for any lack of blood at the scene, but he explained that the fatal injuries were internal and didn't break the skin.
Mars also told jurors Calabrese didn't immediately give up Marcello when he began cooperating with federal officials because Marcello was paying him $4,000 a month to keep his mouth shut. "That's what he was paid to do," Mars said.
Thanks to Deanna Bellandi
"We're Here to Kill the Spilotros" T-Shirts
Alleged top mobster Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo is still part of the Chicago Outfit because he lied from the witness stand to protect the organization, a federal prosecutor said Thursday in the government's final argument in the Family Secrets trial.
Lombardo, at 78, is arguing he has long retired from any mob activities and should not be convicted of taking part in any recent mob conspiracy. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Mars said Lombardo "dummied up" on the witness stand when asked about the Outfit.
Lombardo, at 78, is arguing he has long retired from any mob activities and should not be convicted of taking part in any recent mob conspiracy. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Mars said Lombardo "dummied up" on the witness stand when asked about the Outfit.
"Outfit? Doesn't know anything about that," Mars said.
After Mars finished his rebuttal argument, the jury got the case and will begin deliberations on Tuesday, taking the holiday weekend off.
"I submit to you it's now time to hold accountable four defendants, Lombardo, Marcello, Calabrese and Schiro, who've gotten away with murder for far too long," Mars told the jury, referring to alleged mob bosses Lombardo and James Marcello, alleged mob killer Frank Calabrese Sr. and the Outfit's reputed man in Phoenix, Paul Schiro. In all, the government alleges 18 mob murders in the indictment.
Mars also asked the jury to convict retired Chicago police officer Anthony "Twan" Doyle of trying to help his friend Calabrese Sr. learn the identity of a mob snitch. Doyle is not accused of any of the murders.
In his argument, Mars focused on Lombardo and his alleged participation in the murder of Daniel Seifert in 1974. Seifert was a businessman who was to testify against Lombardo in a Teamster pension fund fraud case. But when Seifert was executed, the case against Lombardo was dropped.
Mars presented 17 reasons why Lombardo should be convicted in Seifert's murder, from Lombardo's fingerprint being found on a title application for a car used in the murder, to trial testimony from Seifert's brother, who said Lombardo warned him to straighten out his brother in the weeks before the murder.
Mars also attacked a defense argument involving the murders of mobsters Anthony and Michael Spilotro in 1986.
The government's star witness, confessed mob hitman Nicholas Calabrese, the brother of Frank Calabrese Sr., said he was one of about a dozen mob killers who pounced on the Spilotro brothers as they descended into the basement of a Bensenville area home.
Nicholas Calabrese said all the killers were wearing gloves. Defense attorneys pounced on that detail to bolster their argument Calabrese was never there. They argued the killers wouldn't have worn gloves because it would have been a dead giveaway to the Spilotros that they were about to be killed. But Mars said the Spilotros had no time to react when they were jumped and beaten to death when they entered the basement.
"Everybody could have worn T-shirts saying, 'We're here to kill the Spilotros.' They weren't getting out of the house alive," Mars said.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
Lombardo, at 78, is arguing he has long retired from any mob activities and should not be convicted of taking part in any recent mob conspiracy. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Mars said Lombardo "dummied up" on the witness stand when asked about the Outfit.
Lombardo, at 78, is arguing he has long retired from any mob activities and should not be convicted of taking part in any recent mob conspiracy. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Mars said Lombardo "dummied up" on the witness stand when asked about the Outfit.
"Outfit? Doesn't know anything about that," Mars said.
After Mars finished his rebuttal argument, the jury got the case and will begin deliberations on Tuesday, taking the holiday weekend off.
"I submit to you it's now time to hold accountable four defendants, Lombardo, Marcello, Calabrese and Schiro, who've gotten away with murder for far too long," Mars told the jury, referring to alleged mob bosses Lombardo and James Marcello, alleged mob killer Frank Calabrese Sr. and the Outfit's reputed man in Phoenix, Paul Schiro. In all, the government alleges 18 mob murders in the indictment.
Mars also asked the jury to convict retired Chicago police officer Anthony "Twan" Doyle of trying to help his friend Calabrese Sr. learn the identity of a mob snitch. Doyle is not accused of any of the murders.
In his argument, Mars focused on Lombardo and his alleged participation in the murder of Daniel Seifert in 1974. Seifert was a businessman who was to testify against Lombardo in a Teamster pension fund fraud case. But when Seifert was executed, the case against Lombardo was dropped.
Mars presented 17 reasons why Lombardo should be convicted in Seifert's murder, from Lombardo's fingerprint being found on a title application for a car used in the murder, to trial testimony from Seifert's brother, who said Lombardo warned him to straighten out his brother in the weeks before the murder.
Mars also attacked a defense argument involving the murders of mobsters Anthony and Michael Spilotro in 1986.
The government's star witness, confessed mob hitman Nicholas Calabrese, the brother of Frank Calabrese Sr., said he was one of about a dozen mob killers who pounced on the Spilotro brothers as they descended into the basement of a Bensenville area home.
Nicholas Calabrese said all the killers were wearing gloves. Defense attorneys pounced on that detail to bolster their argument Calabrese was never there. They argued the killers wouldn't have worn gloves because it would have been a dead giveaway to the Spilotros that they were about to be killed. But Mars said the Spilotros had no time to react when they were jumped and beaten to death when they entered the basement.
"Everybody could have worn T-shirts saying, 'We're here to kill the Spilotros.' They weren't getting out of the house alive," Mars said.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
Juror Communication Subject of Secret Hearing
There was a secret court hearing in the Family Secrets case that was closed to the public. The contents are under seal. But the Chicago Sun-Times learned it involved a juror in the case. The hearing caused the trial to start late Thursday, just before 3 p.m. Court is supposed to start at 9:30 a.m.
So what was the issue?
It did not involve someone trying to tamper with the juror, according to people familiar with the situation. It apparently involved some communication the juror made.
U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel, who by all accounts did an excellent job presiding over the trial, said he would unseal the matter after the trial is over.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
So what was the issue?
It did not involve someone trying to tamper with the juror, according to people familiar with the situation. It apparently involved some communication the juror made.
U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel, who by all accounts did an excellent job presiding over the trial, said he would unseal the matter after the trial is over.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
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