Can it be solved after E.Howard Hunts death?

[John Geraghty]

I think we are all in agreement that Howard Hunt is not going to give us a confession of his sins on his death bed.

I do however think that when he does pass away we may see more information released on his part in the assassination.

Victor Marchetti said that he saw a document suggesting a limited hangout involving Hunt, perhaps this may happen after Hunts death when he would be unable to release any damaging evidence in retaliation.

This would of course be highly censored and made to look as though Hunt pretty much orchestrated the assassination, but it would be a step in the right direction.

In the next few years it looks like the CIA is going to take on another form and possibly change name, this could be part of starting fresh and turning a new leaf.

In short what I am trying to suggest is that once howard hunt passes away, the CIA will release information linking hunt to the assassination which shows that he acted independently of the agency wiht cuban exiles.

I would think that this is quite plausible as it would give the CIA a more transparent and less ogreish look and also show that they have changed since those days.

John

[Greg Wagner]

I think we are all in agreement that Howard Hunt is not going to give us a confession of his sins on his death bed.

I do however think that when he does pass away we may see more information released on his part in the assassination.

Victor Marchetti said that he saw a document suggesting a limited hangout involving Hunt, perhaps this may happen after Hunts death when he would be unable to release any damaging evidence in retaliation.

This would of course be highly censored and made to look as though Hunt pretty much orchestrated the assassination, but it would be a step in the right direction.

In the next few years it looks like the CIA is going to take on another form and possibly change name, this could be part of starting fresh and turning a new leaf.

In short what I am trying to suggest is that once howard hunt passes away, the CIA will release information linking hunt to the assassination which shows that he acted independently of the agency wiht cuban exiles.

I would think that this is quite plausible as it would give the CIA a more transparent and less ogreish look and also show that they have changed since those days.

John

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi John-

It's quite a frustrating situation with Hunt. He's certainly someone who, I believe, knows a good bit about what happened in DP. He's someone we can get our hands on, and yet we can't. Intolerable really.

He's got to be one of the very few left alive that still know a significant amount about what really happened. There are others that might know pieces of the thing, but probably not many (or none?) that know as much as EHH. Among the living with first-hand knowledge, is he the current MVP?

Edited June 10, 2005 by Greg Wagner

[Tim Gratz]

Greg, Hunt may or may not have been involved.

How about the Paines?

Edited June 11, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[Greg Wagner]

Hi Tim-

I suppose you could be right about Hunt, in that there is no evidence of his involvement. However, with what we do know about his Agency activities, his ties to the Mexico City and JM/WAVE stations, and his apparent lies about his whereabouts on 11/22, I'm inclined to believe he knows quite a bit. Even if he wasn't involved, even if he was never in DP, it would shock me if he didn't know how things went down based on his associations with the exiles, and of course, within the Agency. I could be wrong, but that's always been my feeling about Hunt.

I've always felt that the Paines were involved. But I'm not sure about how much they would have known about the actual plot. My thought has always been that they were told by their contact to do X and Y with Lee and Marina. But it would seem foolish to have told them much more than that. Of course, it's possible that after the assassination they may have been able to connect some dots in their heads that could explain a few things. But Ruth maintains her claims of innocence to this day. Has Michael ever said much of interest? Anyone know where he is these days?

So among the living, who's your MVP? Who knows the most about the origins, scope, and prime movers of the plot? Hunt? Castro (I know The Big Cigar gets Tim's vote)? Lady Bird? George HW Bush? I'm sure there are other good candidates that have escaped me for the moment (escaped us all, in reality).

My LMVP (Living Most Valuable Player) is Hunt (or GHWB). I think. How's that for conviction?

Edited June 10, 2005 by Greg Wagner

[Pat Speer]

There was a young black couple having lunch by the stockade fence. They are probably still alive. If they could be located and interviewed it could be very helpful to furthering our understanding of what took place on the knoll.

As far as possible conspirators, Hunt, Barker, and Hemmings would be three people who might know a lot more than they've ever revealed. Is Gray Lynch still alive? He might know something as well. Assuming that Cubans were involved...

As far as people who might know more than they've ever let on, Nellie and Lady Bird might have heard something from their husbands. Ethel Kennedy might know a thing or two, as might Caroline. And good old Gerry Ford...

I suspect Maheu had much stronger ties to the mob than he ever let on. He and Phyllis McGuire might know a few of Giancana's secrets, which may or may not have included the Kennedy assassination..

[Greg Wagner]

There was a young black couple having lunch by the stockade fence.  They are probably still alive.  If they could be located and interviewed it could be very helpful to furthering our understanding of what took place on the knoll.

As far as possible conspirators, Hunt, Barker, and Hemmings would be three people who might know a lot more than they've ever revealed.  Is Gray Lynch still alive?  He might know something as well.  Assuming that Cubans were involved...

As far as people who might know more than they've ever let on, Nellie and Lady Bird might have heard something from their husbands.  Ethel Kennedy might know a thing or two, as might Caroline.  And good old Gerry Ford... 

I suspect Maheu had much stronger ties to the mob than he ever let on.  He and Phyllis McGuire might know a few of Giancana's secrets, which may or may not have included the Kennedy assassination..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Pat-

It's hard to imagine the demons that Caroline must face every day of her life. One wonders if she really knows. I guess it comes down to whether or not Jackie knew the real story. If she did, I would guess that she told her kids at some point.

[Ron Ecker]

It's hard to imagine the demons that Caroline must face every day of her life. One wonders if she really knows. I guess it comes down to whether or not Jackie knew the real story.

The Kennedys had to know. That's why it's amazing that Bobby and Ted both still ran for president. Bobby while running gets it in another implausible lone-nut scenario, then Ted runs after Bobby's murder plus a small-plane crash (oh no, not another one of those) in which he's almost killed, plus Chappaquiddick.

Bobby and Ted simply couldn't have been that stupid. Well, let me rephrase that. Bobby simply couldn't have been that stupid. (Lucky for Ted, of course, Ted didn't get the nomination, and he was apparently seen as having no chance at it. Ted's running was a joke that everybody got except Ted. I remember Cronkite in an interview asking Ted why he wanted to be president, and Ted could give no intelligent answer. He should have just said, "I'm stupid.")

Ron

Edited June 10, 2005 by Ron Ecker

[Norman T. Field]

There was a young black couple having lunch by the stockade fence.  They are probably still alive.  If they could be located and interviewed it could be very helpful to furthering our understanding of what took place on the knoll.

As far as possible conspirators, Hunt, Barker, and Hemmings would be three people who might know a lot more than they've ever revealed.  Is Gray Lynch still alive?  He might know something as well.  Assuming that Cubans were involved...

As far as people who might know more than they've ever let on, Nellie and Lady Bird might have heard something from their husbands.  Ethel Kennedy might know a thing or two, as might Caroline.  And good old Gerry Ford... 

I suspect Maheu had much stronger ties to the mob than he ever let on.  He and Phyllis McGuire might know a few of Giancana's secrets, which may or may not have included the Kennedy assassination..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The author of 'Mafia Kingfish', Davis I think, is a Bouvier, one of Jackie's cousins. so I suspect she knew sumthin.

Edited June 10, 2005 by Norman T. Field

[James Richards]

In my humble opinion, anyone who is still alive and who had anything to do (even periphery) with the assassination is not going to talk. The existing system of media manipulation will dictate coverage while that unspoken threat to family members hangs like a dagger poised.

Having said that, coming in via the back door to this might be an option. There are many examples of deaths post assassination that can be seen as suspicious. The reality is, someone must have ordered these murders and someone must have carried them out.

I submit that one of the ghouls involved was Florida resident Frank 'The German' Schweihs who has been connected to the killing of Tony Spilotro and his brother. Schweihs also looks good for the murders of Richard Cain, Allen Dorfman, Charles Nicoletti and an involvement with the brutal slaying of John Roselli.

Schweihs as of late April was on the run from the FBI who want to connect him to some Mob run rackets. If Schweihs can ever be questioned in relation to who ordered the hits on those Mob connected individuals linked to the Kennedy assassination and to where he himself was on the 22nd of November 1963, the thin end of the wedge may present itself. (Schweihs was 33 in 1963)

Having said that, if the FBI ever get their hands on him, I seriously doubt they will focus questions in that direction - more's the pity. I live in hope though that Schweihs (if captured alive) may offer an insight to these killings.

In my opinion of course.

James

Edited June 11, 2005 by James Richards

[Tim Gratz]

James that information re Schweihs is interesting indeed.

I agree with you that if there is anyone alive who was involved in the murder of Rosselli, should he talk, he could add one more piece to the puzzle.

Do you have any more information on Schweihs' background? Was he involved with any specific mafia organization?

Edited June 12, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[Tim Gratz]

I agree with Pat that Robert Maheu and Phyllis McGuire might very well have information. Both of course are living in the Las Vegas area.

Query whether either one of them might still fear reprisals if they told what they know.

[James Richards]

James that information re Schweis is interesting indeed. 

I agree with you that if there is anyone alive who was involved in the murder of Rosselli, should he talk, he could  add one more piece to the puzzle.

Do you have any more information on Schweis' background?  Was he involved with any specific mafia organization?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tim,

Schweihs is one of those guys who always seemed to slip through the cracks. He was considered one of the more proficient killers the Mob employed but he managed to keep in the background and to maintain a low profile - which of course added to his success.

He was of German decent and associated himself with the Chicago crime families. He didn't have an exclusive allegence to one group but acted as the classic gun for hire. He was close to Giancana at the time of the assassination.

James

[Tim Gratz]

FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE RE FRANK SCHWEIHS

U.S. drops hammer on who's who of mob

Charges range from murder to racketeering

By Matt O'Connor and Todd Lighty

Tribune staff reporters

Published April 26, 2005

Federal agents pinned decades of gangland killings on Chicago-area mobsters Monday, charging a dozen organized crime figures and two former police officers with running an outfit based on illegal gambling, loan sharking and murder.

In a city where mob hits are rarely solved, prosecutors charged La Cosa Nostra bosses and "made" members alike in connection with 18 slayings dating to 1970.

The killings were some of Chicago's most notorious, including the 1986 beating deaths of Anthony and Michael Spilotro, whose bodies were found in a shallow grave in an Indiana field.

Moving out across Chicago and two other states early Monday, agents swept up numerous career mobsters. They arrested James Marcello, 63, the reputed boss of the local mob, at his Lombard home.

Agents were still searching for two of those charged Monday night, including Joey "The Clown" Lombardo, 75, once the reputed boss of Chicago's mob.

One alleged mob hit man--Frank Saladino--was found dead in a Kane County motel room by the federal agents who came to arrest him Monday morning. He apparently died of natural causes just hours before he was to be picked up, prosecutors said.

At a hearing in federal court, Marcello, identified by Robert D. Grant, FBI special agent-in-charge in Chicago, as the city's top mob boss, and six other defendants were questioned briefly by U.S. District Judge James Zagel before each pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Dressed in light gray sweat pants and shirt, Marcello said he had some sinus allergies in response to a question about his health. He was ordered held for a bond hearing later this week.

All told, the charges amounted to an unprecedented attack on the local Outfit.

"This is the first indictment that I can recall that involves so many murders, which really gets to the heart of what the [La Cosa Nostra] is, and that is a bunch of murderous thugs," Grant said.

At a packed news conference, U.S. Atty. Patrick J. Fitzgerald identified the alleged participants in only one murder, saying Frank Calabrese Sr. and his brother, Nicholas, were charged with taking part in the slaying of John Fecarotta, a mob enforcer who reportedly was killed for botching the burial of the Spilotros.

A key break in the probe came after Nicholas Calabrese was confronted with DNA evidence that allegedly implicated him in the Fecarotta homicide. Calabrese then agreed to cooperate with law enforcement and fingered his brother and others in many of the killings, according to law enforcement sources.

It was the squabbling within the Calabrese family that led police to name the investigation "Operation Family Secrets."

Authorities said the lengthy investigation solved some brutal mob murders:

- Daniel Seifert, slain in 1974 before he could testify against Lombardo and others;

- William Dauber, a top Outfit enforcer, and his wife, who were gunned down in 1980 on a rural Will County road.

- William "Butch" Petrocelli, a reputed mob hit man who was killed in 1980 for allegedly stealing money.

In a surprise, Fitzgerald threw in a twist into the well-known story of the Spilotro brothers slayings, saying the men were killed in DuPage County. A 1986 autopsy had reportedly found dirt in the brothers' lungs, leading authorities at the time to believe the men had been buried alive in the Indiana cornfield where their bodies were later found.

Grant said the indictment delivers a significant blow to the Chicago Outfit, though not a fatal one. The FBI believes the Chicago mob has four street crews operating in the Chicago area--down from six--and estimates its members and associates at more than 100, Grant said.

In another wrinkle to the indictment, two retired Chicago police officers, Anthony Doyle and Michael Ricci, were charged with passing messages from the imprisoned Frank Calabrese Sr. to other Outfit members in a bid to find out if Nicholas Calabrese or another mob associate was cooperating with the FBI.

Doyle also allegedly tipped off Frank Calabrese Sr. that the FBI had pulled the file on the Fecarotta murder. Ricci, who was employed by the Cook County sheriff's department when he allegedly relayed messages, was also accused of lying to FBI agents.

The indictment charged six of the men with committing murder on behalf of the outfit: Marcello, Lombardo, both Calabreses, Paul Schiro and Frank Saladino. In addition, Frank "German" Schweihs, an Outfit enforcer, allegedly agreed to commit murder for the mob.

Also charged with racketeering conspiracy but not in connection with any murders were Marcello's brother, Michael; Nicholas Ferriola, son of the late reputed mob boss Joseph Ferriola; Doyle and Ricci.

The racketeering conspiracy count charged the 11 defendants also illegally collected "street tax," ran illegal sports bookmaking and video gambling businesses, made "juice loans" at extortionate rates and used extortion, threats and violence to collect the juice loans and other debts.

Authorities are seeking forfeiture of $10 million in illicit profits from those 11 defendants.

In addition, Michael Marcello, who owns Cicero-based M & M Amusement Inc., as well as his brother and three M & M employees--Joseph Venezia and Thomas and Dennis Johnson--were charged with conducting an illegal video gambling business since 1996.

Authorities said all but Lombardo, 75, of Chicago and Schweihs, 75, of Dania, Fla., were taken into custody Monday.

At an arraignment in federal court in Chicago, the Marcellos, Ricci, Ferriola, both Johnsons and Venezia all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Schiro is in federal prison for a conviction for taking part in a sophisticated jewelry theft ring headed by William Hanhardt, a former Chicago police chief of detectives.

All but the two Marcellos were released on $50,000 bails each. Prosecutors said they intend to seek the Marcellos' detention, saying they pose dangers to the community and flight risks. Zagel scheduled a bond hearing for Friday.

The FBI's Grant said he considers Lombardo and Schweihs fugitives--a claim scoffed at by Lombardo's lawyer, Rick Halprin.

"I can't imagine Joey Lombardo running from anything, and that certainly includes an indictment," Halprin said.

James Marcello's lawyer, Marc Martin, called the indictment "vague."

"I cannot discern from it what my client is alleged to have done," he said.

Attorney Joseph Lopez, who represents Frank Calabrese Sr., said his client, who is in prison on a 1997 conviction for using violence to collect several million dollars in "juice" loans, hadn't yet learned of the indictment.

"I'm sure he's like any other person who has a family member saying bad things against him," Lopez said in reference to the cooperation by brother Nicholas Calabrese.

Monday's indictment marks a milestone for law enforcement, which has long been frustrated by the secretive and violent Chicago Outfit and its ruthless effectiveness in silencing witnesses.

According to the Chicago Crime Commission, only 14 of 1,111 Chicago-area gangland killings since 1919 have ended in convictions.

The first major break came about five years ago when Frank Calabrese Sr.'s son, Frank Jr., who long had strained relations with his father, provided information to law enforcement when they were themselves being released from federal prison, according to a source familiar with the investigation. He also cooperated against his uncle, reputed mob hit man Nicholas Calabrese.

Realizing that Fecarotta's hit man had been shot in a struggle and bled, investigators sought Nicholas Calabrese's DNA and an X-ray of his arm.

Nicholas Calabrese's DNA matched blood found at the crime scene and in a Buick that was used for the hit, linking him to the murder, according to the source. And the X-ray showed that Calabrese had evidence of a long-ago injury, a through-and-through bullet wound in his forearm, the source said.

Confronted with the evidence, Nicholas Calabrese began spilling his family's secrets, according to law enforcement sources.

Authorities have also gathered additional information from court-authorized wiretaps at a federal prison in Michigan, sources said.

Lombardo, whose DNA was swabbed by investigators in early 2003, took out an ad to publicly swear off any mob ties after being released from prison in 1992.

When a reporter pointed that out to Fitzgerald, he said, "You can take an ad out in the paper; it doesn't stop an indictment if we have sufficient evidence to indicate otherwise. Otherwise, you guys would have lots of ads in about a week."

14 individuals indicted for alleged organized crime activities

James Marcello, 63 (Lombard)

Charges: Racketeering conspiracy (RICO); conducting an illegal gambling business; obstructing a criminal investigation; and tax fraud conspiracy

Joseph Lombardo, 75 (Chicago)

Charge: RICO

Michael Marcello, 55 (Schaumburg)

Charges: RICO; conducting an illegal gambling business; obstructing a criminal investigation; and tax fraud conspiracy

Nicholas Ferriola, 29 (Westchester)

Charges: RICO; extortion; and conducting an illegal gambling

Business

Joseph Venezia, 62 (Hillside)

Charges: Conducting an illegal gambling business; and tax fraud conspiracy

Thomas Johnson, 49 (Willow Springs)

Charges: Conducting an illegal gambling business; and tax fraud conspiracy

Dennis Johnson, 34 (Lombard)

Charge: Conducting an illegal gambling business

Frank Saladino, 59, deceased (Hampshire, Freeport and Rockford)

Charge: RICO

Michael Ricci, 75 (Streamwood)

Charges: RICO; false statements

Frank Schweihs, 75 (Dania, Fla., and Chicago)

Charges: RICO; extortion; and extortionate collection of credit

Anthony Doyle, 60, (Wickenburg, Ariz., and Chicago)

Charge: RICO

Nicholas W. Calabrese, 62 (Chicago)

Charges: RICO

Frank Calabrese Sr., 68 (Oak Brook)

Charges: RICO; extortion; and conducting an illegal gambling

Business

Paul Schiro, 67 (Phoenix)

Charge: RICO

Sources: U.S. Department of Justice, Chicago Tribune

Infrastructure of a Chicago mob

The 14 defendants indicted on racketeering, conspiracy, or gambling charges are part of the Chicago Outfit, which makes money for members and associates through illegal activities. The chain of command:

BOSS

James Marcello

Leader of the Chicago Outfit, known as "No. 1"

CONSIGLIERE

Provides advice to the Boss

SOTTO CAPO: Second in command, also known as "No. 2," reports to Boss

CAPO Street boss/crew leader, reports to sotto capo

- Frank Calabrese Sr., South Side/26th Street Crew capo, continued criminal activities from jail through Nicholas Ferriola and others.

- Joseph Lombardo, Grand Avenue Crew capo

FOUR CREWS: Generally given territories throughout Chicago. May include "made men" --trustworthy people--usually of Italian descent, who have murdered for the Outfit.

1. South Side/26th Street or Chinatown

- Ferriola collected money made by extortion demands from Frank Calabrese.

- Frank Saladino

- Nicholas W. Calabrese, a "made man" and brother of Frank

Calabrese Sr.

2. Grand Avenue

3. Melrose Park

- Michael Marcello kept his jailed brother James informed on activities. Michael operated an illegal video gambling business.

4. Elmwood Park

ASSOCIATES: Assist the Chicago Outfit through criminal enterprise

Employees of M&M Amusement:

Joseph Venezia, Dennis Johnson and Thomas Johnson operated video gambling machines in Cicero, Berwyn.

Retired cops:

- Michael Ricci, a retired Chicago police officer, assisted Frank Calabrese by delivering messages to crew members, collecting money generated by extortion demands and providing false information to FBI.

- Anthony Doyle, a retired Chicago police officer, who tipped off Frank Calabrese Sr. of law enforcement investigations into the murder of John Fecarotta and whether individuals cooperated with police about mob activities.

- Frank Schweihs, an enforcer, collected and imposed "street tax" for himself and other members.

- Paul Schiro, a criminal associate of Schweihs and deceased member Anthony Spilotro.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Chicago Tribune

----------

mo'connor@tribune.com; tlighty@tribune.com

Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune

[Tim Gratz]

Query to James (and anyone else who wants to comment):

Any possibility of a prosecutor making a deal with Schweihs for his co-operation in solving the Rosselli case? And who knows what else he might know if he was associated with Giancana in 1963!

[Tim Gratz]

MORE ON SCHWEIHS:

Flood Testimony Recalls

Breakup Of Mob Hit Attempt

In a criminal career that spanned more than three decades, reputed Mob hitman Frank "The German" Schweihs had encounters with dozens, if not hundreds, of law enforcement people. However, when it came time to sentence Schweihs on a Federal extortion conviction, only CCPA Presodent John J Flood took the stand to graphically describe how he had single-handedly prevented Schweihs and an accomplice from carrying out a Mob murder.

And in the process, Flood told U.S. District Court Judge Ann B. Williams, his own life was jeopardized as Schweihs' escaping partner tried to run Flood down with his speeding car.

Flood was asked to testify at the pre-sentencing hearing of Francis John Schweihs, 59, who was convicted in the extortion of an Old Town porno operator. In the case for which he was convicted, FBI agents recorded Schweihs on videotape as he accepted cash payments that were made to keep Schweihs and other Mob figures from terrorizing, bombing or otherwise closing down the porno operation. The Flood testimony was sought by the U.S. Attorney's office as a means of establishing that "The German" was a dangerous criminal with a background of violence that spanned virtually all his adult life.

In fact, Schweihs was described as "one of the most violent people ever to come before this court," by the Federal prosecutor who pressed the extortion charge before Judge Williams.

The Flood testimony dealt with an incident that took place in the western suburb of Schiller Park.. At that time Flood, a Sergeant with the Cook County Sheriff's Police, spotted Schweihs lurking in the dark outside the Cross Roads Motel on Mannheim Road near O'Hare Airport.

Flood told the crowded courtroom how, at the same time he spotted Schweihs sneaking around the corner of the building, he saw a car parked nearby with a man and a woman in the front seat. Flood testified that he sensed that the couple in the car were about to become victims of some violent act. At the same time, Flood told how he saw a second car parked a few car-lengths away - with a man in the driver's seat slouched down behind the steering wheel in an apparent attempt to hide from view.

In the couple of seconds that it took to observe this crime-about-to-happen, Sgt.Flood called for backup support, wheeled his patrol car into the motel driveway, and jumped from his car, confronting Schweihs. In the brief exchange that followed, Flood ordered Schweihs to produce some identification and, at the same time, gestured to the man in the parked car to get out and come forward.

Schweihs, instead of reaching for his ID, challenged Flood with a couple of choice epithets and took a swing at the Sheriff's Police Officer. Meanwhile, the man in the car, by then believed to be Mob figure Joey Lombardo, fired up the engine and roared the vehicle directly at Flood in an obvious attempt to run him down. In one brief, athletic move, Flood lunged at Schweihs, knocking him to the pavement while, at the same time, dodging the onrushing car that sped past, escaping out onto Mannheim Road.

The getaway car was never found and, because Schweihs would not implicate his partner, Lombardo was never directly linked to the apparent assassination attempt.

The intended victim, Richard W. Hauff, was subsequently identified as a part owner of the Cross Roads Motel and a man with longtime ties to organized crime. Although Hauff was well-known to several police agencies and was the subject of an extensive file in Chicago Crime Commission archives, he nevertheless personally thanked Flood for saving his life.

Meanwhile, Back In Federal Court...

The testimony that John Flood gave about Frank Schweihs was made directly and without embellishment. In matter-of-fact tones, Flood responded to the questions of prosecutor William Knight. He described how he first spotted Schweihs creeping toward the intended victim's car, he described the actual bust, and he told how later, at the Sheriff's Police lockup in Niles, Schweihs became violent and had to be restrained.

The audience of court personnel and courthouse buffs paid close and careful attention to details of the intriguing, highly publicized organized crime incident.

Then, Defense Attorney Alan Ackerman tried to shake Flood's testimony and the room took on the mood of a comedy club, with Ackerman coming off as the butt of the joke. Although Ackerman has been a Chicago-area Mob lawyer for more than two decades, he affects a Western-style of dress, replete with cowboy boots, blue jeans and Stetson hat.

Flood, by contrast, sat erectly in the witness chair wearing a blue business suit and tie. Ackerman, as if he were trying to corral a loose calf, ranged over the courtroom from the defense table to the jury box to within three or four feet of Flood to the rows of spectators and back again. All the while, Flood answered the Mob Lawyer's questions in a succinct and professional manner, but did not look directly at Ackerman.

After several minutes of being treated as if he wasn't there, Ackerman lost his cool and challenged Flood to look at him directly. He charged up to the witness box and put his face directly in Flood's line of sight, but Flood turned his head.

Ackerman demanded that Flood look directly at him. He challenged Flood on the grounds that he had looked at the prosecutor, so why not the defense? He pouted. He snarled. He appealed to Judge Williams, and still Flood would not look directly at the lawyer.

Meanwhile, a reporter was seen to smile. A spectator began to chuckle. A court clerk suppressed a laugh. And, the more Ackerman tried to get Flood to look directly at him - without success - the more the court began to be filled with laughter. Eventually, Judge Williams directed Ackerman to confine his line of questioning to the testimony at hand, and as the last snickers and giggles diminished, the room quieted down.

Ackerman made a few more feeble attempts to shake Flood's testimony, then began challenging the entire pre-sentencing hearing on procedural points. But quite clearly, to those court buffs and members of the press who were covering the story, Frank Schweihs and Alan Ackerman had given the matter their best shot - and had come up short.

Feds Believed Poised To Pressure Schweihs.

Two weeks later, at the actual sentencing, a solemn Judge Ann B. Williams read her order that Francis John Schweihs, convicted extortionist, was to spend 13 years and one month in the Federal Correctional Center at Rochester, Minnesota. Additionally, Schweihs was ordered to pay some $42,900 in fines and restitution.

Although Schweihs made a blustering statement at the end of his trial, full of bravado and macho posturing, he is regarded as a prime candidate for federal pressure to share some of his Mob insider's secrets. Investigators believe they have a good chance to "flip" Schweihs into the federal witness protection program, in exchange for a detailed listing of what he knows. Among the unsolved crimes "The German" is believed to either have been personally involved in or at least have close knowledge of are:

The June, 1986 murders of Anthony and Michael Spilotro, whose beaten-to-death remains were found buried in an Indiana cornfield. Tony Spilotro was a major Chicago Mob figure who oversaw gambling and skimming interests in Las Vegas.

The February, 1985 murder of Charles "Chuckie" English, who was shot in the head as he was leaving an Elmwood Park restaurant. English was once a major figure in the Mob, working as a trusted lieutenant to Sam Giancana.

The January, 1983 slaying in Lincolnwood of Allen Dorfman, the Mob financial expert who ran the Teamsters Union pension fund as if it were the Mob's personal checking account.

The December, 1973 killing of Richard Cain, a renegade cop who had at one time been a Chicago Police vice detective and then chief investigator for the Cook County Sheriff's Department - before he was discovered to have been secretly working for Mob super boss Sam Giancana.

Also, Schweihs is believed to have personal knowledge of the murders of such prominent Mob figures as Sam Giancana, Sam DeStefano and Chuck Nicoletti.

Another unsolved murder that federal investigators are expected to query Schweihs about is the death of porno operator Paul Gonsky, who was shot to death in a Wells Street parking lot owned by - you guessed it - Frank Schweihs. Also, Schweihs is thought to be a source of considerable information about the killing of Patrick "Patsy" Ricciardi, who had operated porno movie houses before his body was found stuffed in the trunk of a stolen car.

Some of the killings that Schweihs is believed to have knowledge of go back to the 1960s, including the 1967 murder of juice-loan collector Alan Rosenberg and the 1962 murder of a young manicurist named Eugenia Pappas. Her body was found in the Chicago River with a gunshot wound to the chest. Before her death, she had been known to keep company with a reputed Mob hitman - Frank "The German" Schweihs.

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