Judge rejects 'Secrets' retrials
September 11, 2008
A federal judge Wednesday denied a request from four defendants in the Family Secrets case who wanted new trials after a co-defendant, mob killer Frank Calabrese Sr., allegedly threatened the life of a prosecutor during his closing arguments.
U.S. District Judge James Zagel argued that the antics did not get so out of hand that the jurors were unable to deliver fair verdicts.
The jury, for instance, found all of the defendants guilty of racketeering but did not find all of them responsible for the murders they were accused of by federal prosecutors.
Steve Warmbir