Reputed mob hitman barks at prosecutor: 'You making eyes at me?'

'THE GERMAN' | Schweihs retains his hard edge

Reputed mob hitman Frank "The German" Schweihs -- said to have once been among the most feared men in the Chicago Outfit -- wasted little time Tuesday showing that the cancer that ravaged his body hasn't softened his attitude.

"You making eyes at me?" Schweihs, 78, told federal prosecutor T. Markus Funk from his wheelchair during a hearing in his criminal case.

"Yeah, you -- you making eyes at me?" Schweihs said as he glared at Funk.

It's the second time Funk has rubbed a mobster the wrong way. Last year, Outfit killer Frank Calabrese Sr. allegedly told Funk he was a "f------ dead man" during the prosecutor's closing argument in the historic "Family Secrets" mob prosecution.

Another federal prosecutor, Amarjeet Bhachu, also drew Schweihs' scorn. Schweihs, looking pale and gaunt, noticed that Bhachu, who is Sikh, was wearing a turban. Schweihs then asked his attorneys if they were in a foreign country.

Prosecutors ignored Schweihs' remarks and continued to handle the routine business of his trial, scheduled to start in October. Schweihs was to be tried along with five other defendants in the Family Secrets case. But cancer made him too sick then to face trial with mobsters including Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, James "Little Jimmy" Marcello and Calabrese Sr., all who were convicted.

Later in the brief hearing, Schweihs called Funk "another a--hole." U.S. District Judge James Zagel did not reprimand Schweihs but ended the hearing quickly after his last remark.

As Schweihs was wheeled out, Funk bade Schweihs farewell in German. "Auf wiedersehen," said Funk, who grew up in Germany.

Outside court, one of Schweihs' attorneys, Ellen Domph, said Schweihs is usually "very polite."