'No victory' for families in jury's guilty verdict
VICTIMS' RELATIVES | Some encouraged, others can only cry
Frank Calabrese Sr. was convicted in federal court Monday and may spend the rest of his life in prison, but it gave one of his victims no relief.
His own son, Kurt Calabrese.
Kurt Calabrese had nothing to do with the Family Secrets case but for decades was a focus of his father's beatings and vicious temper, according to the son and others familiar with the matter.
"There's no victory for me here today," Kurt Calabrese said. "I hope that some people can have closure."
Kurt Calabrese, who no longer has anything to do with his father's way of life, noted that over several years he's received threats at his home -- from letters to a fake bomb -- all while his father was in prison from another case. Kurt Calabrese believes his father was behind the threats but has no evidence.
While his father may wind up behind bars forever from the Family Secrets case, the thought gave his son no relief.
Since past threats came while his father was already in prison, "this verdict is not going to stop anybody," Kurt Calabrese said.
He wishes his own extended family could have closure from the case, as well as the families of the murder victims, and the other families of the defendants on trial.
Some families of the murder victims were encouraged that some justice had been delivered after decades of waiting.
Ron Seifert, the brother of Daniel Seifert, slain in 1974, praised the jury's decision in convicting five men of racketeering charges. The jury is expected to consider today whether Joseph Lombardo was responsible in Seifert's death. Seifert was going to be the key federal witness against Lombardo in a pension fund fraud case.
Ron Seifert testified against Lombardo at trial, noting that Lombardo warned him to straighten his brother out before Daniel Seifert was murdered.
Ron Seifert kept his eye on Lombardo as the verdicts were read.
Lombardo "didn't show no emotions," said Seifert, 62. "He was the typical Joey -- like, 'when is it going to be over?' "
One woman, whose husband was among the 18 mob murder victims listed in the indictment, found little gratification in the verdicts.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, sobbed outside the courtroom afterward, recalling how she was pregnant with her daughter when her husband was murdered.
"I think they got off very lightly," she said.