Dec 18, 2007 1:49 pm US/Central
Deputy U.S. Marshal In Court On Mob Leak Charges
John Ambrose Accused Of Squealing To Prosecutor In Family Secrets Mob Trial
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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U.S. Marshal John Ambrose is accused of leaking information on mob witness Nicholas Calabrese, who was in the Witness Security Program.
Courtesy Chicago Sun-Times
A U.S. marshal accused of leaking information about a key mob trial witness says he felt he'd been "thrown into a vat of quicksand" when he realized he faced possible criminal charges.
A sometimes tearful John Ambrose testified Tuesday at a hearing to determine whether statements he made before being formally charged will be admissible in court.
Ambrose says he was intimidated into making the 2006 statements to prosecutors.
Defense attorneys say Ambrose was effectively under arrest and should've been read his rights. Since he wasn't, they say his statements shouldn't be admissible.
But prosecutors say Ambrose wasn't under arrest and made the statements freely.
Ambrose was assigned to guard Nicholas Calabrese -- the government's star witness in the Operation Family Secrets investigation of 18 old mob murders.
The case resulted in the conviction of four reputed mobsters -- Nicholas Calabrese's brother Frank Calabrese Sr., Joey "The Clown" Lombardo, James Marcello and Paul Schiro, who were sentenced to life in prison. A fifth defendant, former Chicago Police Officer Anthony Doyle, was also convicted of charges stemming from the investigation.
As a deputy marshal, Ambrose was assigned to protect Calabrese. But prosecutors contend he instead leaked information about the witness.
Attorneys gave no indication what Ambrose told prosecutors.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.cbs2chicago.com's Most Popular Pages 
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