Robert Cooley reacts to the Family Secrets verdict
Robert Cooley, one of the most important federal witnesses against the mob in Chicago, praised the jury's verdict on Monday in the Family Secrets case.
"It’s a good thing," Cooley said. "Just as well to get those guys off the street. These guys hadn’t been the main guys for 20 years. These guys in their days were bad guys."
Cooley was instrumental in helping the feds shred the mob's political in the 1st Ward.
"You’ll always have mobsters but hopefully they’ll never have that kind of power again. Their power really ended when they got rid of the 1st Ward. That was their power base."
And Cooley, an attorney himself, was puzzled why three defendants took the stand, Joseph Lombardo, Frank Calabrese Sr. and Anthony "Twan" Doyle.
"These guys were their own worst enemy when they got up on the stand," Cooley said.
"Joey (Lombardo) could have walked if he got up there and said, ‘I was a gangster 15 years ago but I gave that all up,'" Cooley suggested.
--Thanks to ace Sun-Times reporter Abdon Pallasch for the contribution
Comments
I read Cooley's book and he wasen't a saint when he ran with the outfit, but he's so much more deserving to not be in prison ?
That's the problem I have with Cooley and Nick Calabrese , how they can turn all their outfit buddies in and get a break from the government. No way should Cooley have gotten all the fame he has received.
Posted by: Joe C. | September 11, 2007 11:12 AM
Cooley is famous precisely because he turned in his outfit buddies. As for Nick Calabrese, there has never been any mystery to why he gave up his father. How else can we learn about these monsters, except from somebody who was one of them?
STEVE WARMBIR RESPONDS: Small point of clarification. Nick Calabrese gave up his brother, Frank Calabrese Sr.
Posted by: Don | September 12, 2007 03:24 PM
That is a funny thing for Cooley to be puzzled why the defendents took the stand since in his book he states that as a defense lawyer he always put clients with serious charges against them on the stand since in his words "not taking the stand was almost an admission of guilt in a jury trial".
Also would'nt Lombardo admitting he was a gangster 15 years ago further solidify the whole Seifert murder charge. Interesting advice from Mr. Cooley.
Posted by: Andy | September 12, 2007 09:00 PM