The federal trial for reputed Cicero mob street boss Michael "Big Guy" Sarno, Outlaw treasurer Mark Polchan, alleged video poker king Casey Szaflarski and two other men is scheduled to start this coming Monday, Oct. 18, with jury selection.
The trial is expected to last three to four weeks in courtroom 1219 of U.S. District Court Judge Ronald A. Guzman. Prosecutors have said they will call between 80 to 100 witnesses in their case.
Watch for defense attorneys in the case to try to shred the credibility of some of the government's key witnesses, given their criminal backgrounds.
For those unfamiliar with the case, federal prosecutors have charged that Polchan, who ran Goldberg Jewelers in Cicero, oversaw a crew of burglars who hit jewelry stores and homes, and then kicked back some of the proceeds from those robberies to mob boss, Sarno. Sarno oversaw video poker in the area and allegedly ordered the bombing of a Berwyn business that was competing with the mob-sanctioned video poker company run by Szaflarski.
It promises to be a fascinating trial, and the Outfit on Trial blog will provide routine updates throughout the proceedings.
Is there any word yet or rumors on who some of the "80 to 100 witness" will or might be?
STEVE WARMBIR REPLIES: The prosecution has not publicly released a witness list, but it's clear one key government witness will be Mark Hay, who will testify he participated in several burglaries with the crew allegedly overseen by Outlaw motorcycle member Mark Polchan. Hay should be an interesting witness since he will likely have many inside details of the crew's operations, but he will also likely undergo a blistering cross-examination by defense attorneys.
Hey Sonny..."Throw him in the bathroom along with Frankie "Coffee Cake", Eddie "Mush" and "Joe Joe the Whale"!!!!
Maybe they ought to hold his trial at that restaurant where the JUDGE LET HIM AND HIS FAMILY and friends GO to celebrate "Al Capone Catching Syphillis Day"..... WHILE HE WAS ALREADY IN THE CAN!! Remember that??
Who was that judge anyway?? We ought all get that judges name AND REMEMBER IT AT ELECTION TIME!!
Remember what Big Mikey says......"Leave the gun....take the cannolies"!!!
Hey Steve, looking forward to your coverage of this trial. I really enjoyed reading your coverage and updates of the "Family Secrets" Trial.
Do you know if Rudy Fratto has reported to jail yet? I remember reading somewhere about it being delayed.
Thanks
STEVE WARMBIR REPLIES: Rudy Fratto has reported to federal prison in Ashland, Ky. His projected release date is July 21 next year, according to the Bureau of Prisons website, but don't forget he has another criminal case pending in federal court. If convicted, that could add to his prison time.
do you know who the defense attorneys are?
The defense attorneys are:
For Michael Sarno: Terry and Michael Gillespie
For Mark Polchan: Damon Cheronis and Marc Martin
For Sam Volpendesto: Michael Mann
For Anthony Volpendesto: Cythnia Giacchetti, although he has asked to represent himself
For Casey Szaflarski: Catharine O'Daniel
Hey Steve, thanks for the response. I forgot that Rudy Fratto has another trial coming up. He had a pretty good run with not getting caught up in any of the major investigations.
I came across this link on another website. It's a pretty decent chart of the current members of the Outfit. I don't think this is official by any means but it's still pretty good.
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7967/outfitt.gif
That chart is interesting but it's hard to believe that the Outfit has anywhere near that number of "soldiers" given the federal estimates of what they're pulling in these days--everyone would be making $10 a year.
Also, there hasn't been a mob hit in a decade. So there's just no need for that many soldiers.
Guess the feds could be wrong though.
STEVE WARMBIR NOTES: The chart you're talking about isn't one produced by the feds, as far as I can tell. And just to clarify two points, there have been two mob within the last 10 years. Anthony "The Hatch" Chiaramonti was gunned down in 2001 in a mob hit, and Anthony Zizzo is presumed murdered, and was last seen in 2006.