Fake Bomb Found Outside Defendant's Home as Chicago Mob Trial of Frank Calabrese Starts

According to the Chicago Tribune, just after the jury selection in the Family Secrets trial began, a fake bomb was found outside the home of the son of one of the defendants, Frank Calabrese Sr.

Frank Calabrese Sr. is thought to have been a mob boss and is on trial for racketeering and conspiracy as well as connections to unsolved mob murders. The device was not a working explosive, and it is too early to know if it was a hoax or perhaps was a message sent at the beginning of this mob trial.

A neighbor of Frank Calabrese Jr. said that she was reading a book in her backyard in the early afternoon when a policeman told her that she had to evacuate. She told the Chicago Tribune that she and her neighbors were forced to wait about a block away for about 2 hours before they were allowed to return to their homes.

Frank Calabrese Jr, and his uncle Nicholas Calabrese are expected to testify during the trial, Nicholas is reported to be a star witness, in which he is expected to testify that his brother was behind many of the murders. Kurt Calabrese, a son of Frank Calabrese Sr. was sentenced in 1997 for helping to hide hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection to his father's loan-sharking activities.

Jury selection appeared to move effortlessly as U.S. District Judge Jaime's B. Zagel handled interviewed the potential jurors. Zagel referred to the jurors only by number and asked them about their jobs and asked them if they thought they could be fair when determining the fate of the five men on trial, Joey " the Clown" Lombardo, James Marcello, Paul Schiro , Anthony Doyle and Frank Calabrese Sr., all which have been charged with crimes related to the underground " Chicago Outfit", being cautioned that the evidence would include graphic testimony including pornography and gambling