Humble mob prosecutor dies at 55
Put Family Secrets figures in prison, but he shunned publicity
He won some of the biggest mob cases in Chicago history. But most people probably won't recognize the name Mitchell Mars. As a prosecutor, he would captivate a courtroom, but he shunned the limelight.
On Tuesday night, Mars died of cancer. He was 55.
(Keith Hale/Sun-Times file)
Mr. Mars was the lead prosecutor in the historic Family Secrets mob trial, which won convictions of notorious Chicago mobsters including Joey "The Clown" Lombardo. When the verdict came in last September, Mars ran from the cameras.
"I literally had to drag him to the press conference to talk about it," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro said Wednesday.
"I next-to-never say to people: 'This is an order.' I pretty much had so say that to him," Shapiro said.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent John Mallul, who knew Mars since 1986, said of him: "His gratification was doing his job. He wasn't looking to see what he was going to get out of it."
Just two weeks after the Family Secrets verdict, Mars saw a doctor for a persistent cough. To his shock, Mars, who was not a smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer. He took a leave of absence but kept his reasons quiet.
Close friends say Mars believed he would beat it and return to work. But the sickness progressed swiftly.
"He took it in the normal Mitch Mars style: He never complained once," said FBI Special Agent Michael Maseth, who worked alongside Mars during the Family Secrets trial.
Widely considered one of the sharpest minds in the U.S. attorney's office, Mars notched some significant wins during his long tenure in public service besides the Family Secrets trial.
Among these were convictions of Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese and of mob boss Rocky Infelice. Mars joined the Organized Crime Strike Force in Chicago in 1980. Eventually, it merged with the U.S. attorney's office. He was chief for 15 years.
"He was not in it for glory. He was not in it to get his name in the paper," Maseth said. "He was in it to do the right thing."
Of all the lawyers U.S. District Judge James Zagel has seen, Mars, he said, was a standout.
He had a "tremendous presence" despite his ordinary looks and demeanor.
"It was a little like he had an aura," said Zagel, who presided over the Family Secrets trial. "He just radiated truth every time he spoke."
Defense attorney Rick Halprin, a frequent courtroom opponent, including during the Family Secrets trial, said of Mars: "He was the brains and the driving force behind that case. He was brilliant. And a straight shooter. You could take his word for anything."
Defense lawyer Joe Lopez, who also took part in the Family Secrets trial, likened Mars to Eliot Ness.
Mars is survived by his wife, Jennifer.
Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at Damar-Kaminski Funeral Home & Crematorium, 7861 S. 88th Ave., Justice. A funeral is planned for 9 a.m. Saturday at Damar, and a mass is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Cletus Church in La Grange.
Contributing: Steve Warmbir