James Marcello - Carlisi Trial

Carlisi Trial

On December 15, 1992, federal authorities charged Marcello and reputed mob boss Sam "Wings" Carlisi with racketeering. Marcello was accused of being the underboss for Carlisi, whose street crew worked its rackets in Chicago's western suburbs. On December 16, 1993, Marcello, Carlisi and five other crew members were convicted on racketeering charges, with Marcello in particular being found to have run bookmaking, street-tax and juice-loan operations in western Cook County and in DuPage County. Marcello and Carlisi also were convicted of plotting the never-carried-out murder of gangland associate Anthony Daddino because of fears that Daddino would cooperate with law enforcement after a 1989 extortion conviction, and Marcello also was convicted of financing long-time mobster Lenny Patrick's juice-loan operation. In addition, Marcello was found to have ordered Patrick to firebomb the Lake Theater in Oak Park, Illinois during a union dispute.

On April 5, 1995, Marcello was sentenced to 12½ years in prison. During his sentencing, he told U.S. District Judge Paul Plunkett, "If my name wasn't James Marcello, I wouldn't be standing in front of you. That's all I have to say," according to an April 6, 1995, Chicago Tribune article. In November 2003, Marcello was released from a federal prison camp in Milan, Michigan and returned to his home in Lombard, Illinois. During the Family Secrets trial, it came out that Marcello began working at some point after his 2003 release from prison for DVD Management, an Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois-based operator of nursing homes.