Ambrose hearing update
John Ambrose
Deputy U.S. Marshal John Ambrose has lost his bid to get his admissions to investigators kept out of his upcoming trial on charges he leaked secrets about a star federal witness to the Chicago Outfit.
Ambrose was arguing that any statements he made during a September 2006 interview with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Grant were coerced and shouldn't be used against him.
Ambrose is accused of leaking details of the witness statement of a man he was supposed to be guarding as part of the witness protection program - mob killer Nicholas Calabrese. Calabrese was the star witness in the Family Secrets trial last year.
U.S. District Judge John Grady found that Ambrose's attorney, Francis Lipuma, raised several good points but rule that prosecutors Markus Funk and Diane MacArthur offered rational explanations for each of Ambrose's complaints.
The interview took place in Grant's large conference room at FBI headquarters. One of Ambrose's bosses lured him there on a ruse. Investigators wanted to talk to Ambrose in a location where he wouldn't be armed, and all visitors to the FBI offices had to leave their weapons at a guard shack.
During the interview with Grant and Fitzgerald, Ambrose asked to go to the bathroom a few times. He was allowed to go, but was accompanied by several agents. The agents even came into the bathroom with him, but not into the stall.
Ambrose pointed to this as an example of over-the-top intimidation tactics. Law enforcement witnesses said they were worried Ambrose could harm himself after just being confronted with evidence of his alleged wrongdoing. And they argued that no visitor to the FBI office goes anywhere unaccompanied, even to the bathroom.
The judge suggested the FBI might have gone a little overboard but found the government's explanation plausible.
Despite losing his motion, Ambrose is still going to trial, his attorney said.
The government has three key pieces of evidence against Ambrose.
They have secret tape recordings of mob boss James Marcello talking with his half-brother, Michael, about "The Babysitter," a secret source the mobsters had inside the Family Secrets investigation. The Marcellos don't mention Ambrose by name, but reveal enough details about Ambrose to identify him, according to the feds.
The feds also have Ambrose's thumb print inside the witness protection folder for Nicholas Calabrese, showing Ambrose looked inside. There was information in the file discussing what Calabrese told investigators about who was involved in various mob hits.
And after winning the court hearing last week, the feds still have Ambrose's statements to them, in which he allegedly admits to many of the allegations.
