Reputed mob hitman hurls insults in courtroom
Reputed mob hitman Frank "The German" Schweihs -- once among the most feared men in the Chicago Outfit -- wasted little time Tuesday showing that the cancer that ravaged his body has not softened his attitude.
"You making eyes at me?" Schweihs said from his wheelchair to a federal prosecutor during a status hearing in his criminal case.
(AP)
"Yeah you, you making eyes at me? Do I look like a fag to you?" Schweihs asked.
Prosecutors ignored Schweihs' remarks and continued to take care of the routine business of his upcoming trial, scheduled to begin in October.
Schweihs, 78, was originally to be tried along with five other defendants in the historic Family Secrets federal prosecution against the Chicago mob.
But a battle with cancer made him too sick to go to trial with the other men, including Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, Frank Calabrese Sr. and James "Little Jimmy" Marcello, who were convicted.
Schweihs, looking pale and gaunt, first asked his attorneys if they were in a foreign country after apparently noticing that one of the prosecutors wears a turban.
Schweihs has a history of making racially insensitive remarks and has shown over the years a disdain for a wide variety of people.
Schweihs later referred to another federal prosecutor in court as "another a--hole."
U.S. District Judge James Zagel did not reprimand Schweihs but ended the hearing quickly after his last remark.
One of Schweihs' attorneys, Ellen Domph, said outside court that Schweihs is usually "very polite."