Anthony Calabrese
About six years ago, federal investigators sat reputed mob hitman Anthony Calabrese down and told him he could either cooperate or spend the rest of his life in prison, Calabrese says.
On Friday, the feds held true to that promise.
Calabrese, 47, the main suspect in the last known mob hit in Chicago, was sentenced to 62 years in prison in federal court for other crimes -- namely, his lead role in three armed robberies in the Chicago suburbs. Since all the crimes involved guns, under strict federal sentencing law, Calabrese faced an automatic minimum of 57 years behind bars.
Federal authorities believe Calabrese was the gunman in the 2001 mob slaying of Anthony "The Hatch" Chiaramonti in south suburban Lyons. Calabrese is also a suspect in the 1997 attempted murder of a Naperville woman. He has not been charged in either case and is no relation to the two Calabrese brothers who were Outfit hitmen and part of the Family Secrets mob case last year.
Calabrese asked for a sliver of hope from U.S. District Court Judge Amy St. Eve and requested not to be sentenced to anything more than the 57 years, so he at least would have a shot at getting out before he died, but the judge declined.
Calabrese plans to appeal. If his sentence stands, he will have to live to be about 100 before he can get out, given time off for good behavior, under federal sentencing rules.
More than 35 friends and family showed up in federal court to support Calabrese. They praised his generosity, loyalty and love of his family.
"If you know Tony as I do, you know he has a loving and caring side," a friend since childhood, Robert Cozza, told the judge.
Prosecutors Joel Hammerman and Markus Funk, though, have depicted Calabrese as a cold, violent and ruthless man. One of the robberies involved a Lockport tattoo shop, targeted because the underage daughter of a mob boss had received a tattoo there. Calabrese ordered his thugs to break the shop owner's hands, according to court testimony.
Prosecutors also noted the secret tape recording played at trial in which Calabrese and a colleague were heard savagely beating a man they suspected might be wearing a wire.
In court Friday, Calabrese admitted he made mistakes and that he once battled a drug problem, but he suggested he knew nothing of the murder and attempted murder the government wants to interview him about. Calabrese said he refused to lie and feels punished because of it.
"I don't think that's right," he said.
"You're gonna die in jail, is what they told me," Calabrese said.
"The lesson everyone will get from this is if you don't tell the government what they want to hear, they will annihilate you," said Calabrese's attorney, Steven Hunter.
My sister and I were lucky enough to be present as Judge Amy St. Eve handed out his sentence. We are elated. Although the chances are slim that we will never be 100% vindicated for our Father's murder, knowing that he is taken away from his family just as he took our father away from us, gives us a little satisfaction. May he rot as the community and the world are much safer without him.
Amen!!!!
Congrats Chiaramonti!!!
It seems to me That the Feds Couldn`t Pin the Murder Raps on Tough
Tony, So They Nailed him for some robberies, and Beating some People
UP.Now I`m Not saying this man is an angel,But 62 years in prison
seems a bit harsh.Just another case if you don`t play ball with the Feds,Your Screwed!
The Feds wanted Calabrese to turn on whoever the person was who ordered the hit. Looking at 57 years mandatory wasn't too good of an incentive to talk. I have my ideas, but no one will ever really know....
re: Mob expert
Here's the deal - if you commit crimes with a gun, force people to commit those crimes with you, and commit several of them in a row where you hurt people (i.e. smash someone’s hand with a hammer or hog tie them with zip ties and duct tape) when you already have prior felony record ......
you get a crap load of time.
It's not about playing hard ball with the feds. If he would have rolled on someone else, he would have probably gotten less time. But since he already had crimes under his belt there was extra time tacked on as well as the org. crime charge and the second offenses. Stupidly he decided not to say anything or pin a crime on someone else, possibly working out a deal with the feds for himself. Maybe he knows if he opens his mouth, they will get him for my father's murder - I think it's probably the only smart thing that man ever did was not say anything.
Don't worry - he's getting 3 squares and a whack of certificates in things like anger management and under water basket weaving. He will, unworthy as he is, have a safe and cared for existence for a very long time in the federal pen.
Karma is a beautiful thing. I really feel like the balance has been restored. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing that will rectify the pain and suffering that this whole situation has caused everyone who has been even minutely involved. But little victories........I say woot and raise some stoli.