Aug 16, 2007 9:07 pm US/Central
Calabrese Sr., Takes Stand In His Own Defense
By CBS 2's John Drummond
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Frank Calabrese Sr. (File)
CBS
Related Stories
-
Lombardo Provides Alibi For Time Of Murder (Aug. 15, 2007)
(8/16/2007)
-
Feds Rest Their Case At Chicago Mob Trial (Aug. 13, 2007)
(8/14/2007)
-
Lombardo To Take Stand In Mob Trial (Aug. 8, 2007)
(8/9/2007)
-
Brother Of Slain Spilotro Brothers Testifies (Aug. 7, 2007)
(8/8/2007)
-
Mob Trial Witness Says Police Brass Took Payoffs (Aug. 6, 2007)
(8/6/2007)
-
Murdered Mobster's Wife Testifies At Trial (Aug. 3, 2007)
(8/3/2007)
-
Widow Talks About Husband's Murder At Hands Of Mob (July 27, 2007)
(7/28/2007)
-
1970 Mob Who's Who Book Used As Evidence In Trial (July 26, 2007)
(7/27/2007)
-
Mobster Tells All About Past Chicago Corruption (July 25, 2007)
(7/26/2007)
-
Defense Scoffs Testimony By Mob Trial Witness (July 23, 2007)
(7/24/2007)
-
Nick Calabrese Wraps Up Mob Trial Testimony (July 19, 2007)
(7/20/2007)
-
Mobster Spills Details Of Hits That Inspired Movie (July 18, 2007)
(7/19/2007)
-
Grisly Details Of 9 Mob Murders Revealed (July 17, 2007)
(7/18/2007)
-
Turncoat Takes Stand In Family Secrets Mob Trial (July 16, 2007)
(7/17/2007)
-
Mobster Son Calls Father 'Sick' (July 12, 2007)
(7/12/2007)
-
Mob Trial Reveals Details Of Cold-Blooded Crime (July 10, 2007)
(7/11/2007)
-
Calabrese Jr. Testifies On Mob Do's And Don'ts (July 9, 2007)
(7/10/2007)
-
Bookie Mum At Mob Trial, Jailed For Contempt (July 2, 2007)
(7/2/2007)
-
Adult Bookstore Operator: Lombardo Made Me Pay (June 26, 2007)
(6/27/2007)
-
Mob Trial Opening Statements Underway (June 21, 2007)
(6/21/2007)
-
Jury Selection Continues In Historic Mob Trial (June 20, 2007)
(6/20/2007)
-
Suspicious Package Found At Calabrese Home (June 19, 2007)
(6/20/2007)
-
Family Secrets Case Built On Son Against Father (June 19, 2007)
(6/20/2007)
-
Historic Mob Trial Gets Underway (June 19, 2007)
(6/20/2007)
-
2 Plead Guilty To Charges On Eve Of Mob Trial (June 18, 2007)
(6/18/2007)
-
Reputed Mobster May Go Away For 7 To 9 Years (June 15, 2007)
(6/15/2007)
-
Appeals Court: Reputed Mobsters Must Stand Trial (June 13, 2007)
(6/13/2007)
-
Reputed Mobster Admits To 14 Murders (May 18, 2007)
(5/18/2007)
-
Government Releases List Of Witnesses Against Mob (April 19, 2007)
(4/20/2007)
-
Reputed Mobster Lombardo Denies He Was Fugitive (March 20, 2007)
(3/20/2007)
-
Mob Informant Talks About Life In Chicago Gangland (March 13, 2007)
(3/14/2007)
-
Reputed Mob Boss Charged With Obstruction (March 9, 2007)
(3/10/2007)
-
Feds Want Anonymous Jury In Mob Murder Case (Feb. 19, 2007)
(2/20/2007)
-
Deputy U.S. Marshal Pleads Not Guilty In Mob Leak (Jan. 31, 2007)
(1/31/2007)
-
Marshal Accused Of Leaking Info On Mob Witness (Jan. 11, 2007)
(1/12/2007)
-
Alleged Mob Boss Asks To Be Moved From Jail (Dec. 6, 2006)
(12/6/2006)
-
Aging Mob Trial Defendants Complain Of Bad Health (Nov. 16, 2006)
(11/17/2006)
-
Judge Orders Alleged Mobster To Stay Behind Bars (June 19, 2006)
(6/20/2006)
-
Prosecutors: Keep Alleged Mob Figure Behind Bars (June 12, 2006)
(6/13/2006)
-
Conversations Of Reputed Mobsters Caught On Tape (July 18, 2005)
(7/19/2005)
-
Feds Name Names in Chicago Mob Hits (Jun. 2, 2005)
(6/2/2005)
-
Mobster Pleads Innocent To Murder Conspiracy Charges (May 6, 2005)
(5/6/2005)
-
14 Indicted In Old Mob Murders (April 25, 2005)
(4/25/2005)
In an historic move in the Mob Family Secrets trial for the second time this week a reputed mobster testified to defend himself.
Prosecutors say Frank Calabrese Sr., was involved in the more than a dozen murders, a charge he denied on the stand Thursday.
As CBS 2's John "Bulldog" Drummond reports, Calabrese Sr. told the tale of his tough childhood, saying he dropped out of the fourth grade to go to work on a coal truck; then he sold newspapers and joined the Army as an underage teenager.
He was questioned Thursday by his lawyer, Joe Lopez, the epitome of sartorial splendor, in a yellow tie and pink shirt.
The government has portrayed Calabrese Sr., as no milquetoast-type. Among the murders Calabrese was allegedly involved in were the 1980 deaths of mob enforcer William Dauber and his wife, Charlotte, who were gunned down on a Will County road.
The government contends that the killing of mob hit man William "Butch" Petrocelli was another slaying that Calabrese had a hand in.
Frank Calabrese told tales out of school in the late 1990s, when he was secretly recorded by his son Frank Calabrese Jr., when the two men were incarcerated together in Milan Michigan Federal Prison.
Then Nick Calabrese, Frank Calabrese Sr.'s younger brother, began playing ball with federal investigators and has been a key witness against his brother.
Frank Calabrese Sr., told the court Thursday he went off the straight and narrow in the 1960s.
"I was lending money out," he said in court.
Lopez asked, "Were you stealing?"
"Whatever I could get my hands on," Calabrese answered.
Soon Calabrese met Chinatown mob boss Angelo "The Hook" La Pietra. Calabrese said "The Hook" gave him $60,000 to put on the street. That meant loan sharking in a big way, and Calabrese became involved in the juice loan racket.
"Did you ever cause physical injury to a borrower?" Lopez asked?
"Never," Calabrese answered.
About the murders, Lopez asked, "Did you kill Michael Albergo?"
"I definitely did not," Calabrese said. "Why would I want to kill him?"
Calabrese also denied involvement in the 12 other murders.
When asked what his M.O. is, he said, "Earning money."
Court will resume Monday morning when the government will have a chance to cross-examine Calabrese.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)