Racketeer Schiro gets 20 years in prison

Paul "the Indian" Schiro, 71, convicted of racketeering in the Family Secrets trial of September 2007, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison, according to reports by CBS2Chicago and by Jeff Coen of the Chicago Tribune.

Though the Family Secrets jury did not convict Schiro (right) on a racketeering murder charge, U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel said he considered the 1986 murder of Emil Vaci when calculating Schiro's sentence. Vaci was killed in Phoenix, Arizona, after Chicago mob bosses felt he was cooperating in a federal investigation.

Schiro was indignant at his sentencing and denied that he was involved with Chicago's underworld. "There's no evidence of racketeering I can see at all," he said. "I went to trial with codefendants I never met in my whole life."

Federal officials say Schiro has been a career criminal and was once a close friend to Anthony Spilotro. The Chicago Outfit sent Spilotro to Las Vegas in the early 1970s to watch over its casino investments there. Spilotro was killed in 1986.

Secrets: Nick Calabrese concludes testimony

After five days of testimony in Chicago's Family Secrets trial, Nicholas Calabrese was excused from the witness stand yesterday, according to a story by Jeff Coen of the Chicago Tribune.

Calabrese, 64, a mob turncoat and brother of defendant Frank Calabrese Sr., was cross-examined all day Monday. He stuck by his earlier testimony tying defendant James Marcello to violent gang crimes in the 1980s.

During direct examination last week, Calabrese described the murder of Nicholas D'Andrea in 1981 and the 1986 killings of Emil Vaci and brothers Anthony and Michael Spilotro. He claimed that Marcello drove him and other gangsters to a Bensenville home, where the Spilotros were beaten to death.

Anthony "the Ant" Spilotro had served as a monitor for Outfit investments in Las Vegas, but he violated underworld directives. When cornered by angry Outfit associates, Anthony Spilotro's final words were "Can I say a prayer?" according to Calabrese. At that moment, the brothers were rushed, beaten and strangled.

Under cross-examination, he was unable to specifically name Anthony Spilotro's killer. Calabrese said he and the late Louie "the Mooch" Eboli tackled Michael Spilotro, and he had his back to Anthony Spilotro at the critical moment.