The Holohan Murder Case - A Committee Investigates

A Committee Investigates

The U.S. Congress then entered the story after Joseph Holahan joined the staff of the House Armed Services Committee. On March 26, 1953, a two-man subcommittee including Chairman W. Sterling Cole, traveled to Pittsburgh and interviewed Icardi, who denied the murder charges. On August 29, 1955, Icardi was indicted by a federal grand jury for eight counts of perjury.

The trial began on April 17, 1956 and the prosecution had 18 Italian witnesses ready. Icardi's defense attorney, Edward Bennett Williams, argued that Holohan was killed on the orders of Communist partisan leader Moscatelli because of Holohan's opposition to the Communists. The attack that killed Holohan was actually staged by the Moscatelli’s men. Williams got Congressman Cole to admit that he had discussed getting a perjury charge against Icardi before the interview. After Cole stepped down from the witness stand, Williams moved that the case be dismissed because there was no valid legislative purpose in the interrogations of Icardi.

On April 19, 1956, Judge Richmond B. Keech handed down a directed verdict of acquittal on the perjury charges, citing the defense argument that there was no valid legislative purpose to Icardi's testimony before the subcommittee and the perjury charge could not stand. Keech had strong words for Congressman Cole's conduct. Icardi wept.