Juror Dismissed As Defense Rests In Philadelphia Mob Case

 

 

 

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia is covering the federal organized crime trial in Philadelphia for BigTrial.net.

 

A juror who apparently was leaning toward a guilty verdict was dismissed Wednesday shortly before the defense rested in the racketeering trial of mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and six co-defendants.

Following a closed-door session before U.S. District Court Judge Eduardo Robreno, defense attorneys and prosecutors returned to the 15th floor courtroom where Robreno told the other members of the jury panel that "juror number five will not longer be sitting with us."

Robreno offered no other explanation, but told the jury it had nothing to do with an impropriety and that the trial would continue.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2012/12/juror-dismissed-as-defense-rests-in-mob.html#more

Look At Deeds, Not Talk, Says Accused Philadelphia Mobster's Lawyer

 

George Anastasia, the Philadelphia Inquirer's veteran organized crime reporter, offers a piece on Edward Jabobs Jr (seen in the above photo), the lawyer who is defending seven of the accused Philadelphia organized crime figures on trial in Philadelphia.

The case against reputed mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and six codefendants should not be decided based on who the government says they are, Ligambi's lawyer argued Thursday, but rather on what they've done.

And, Edwin Jacobs Jr. told a federal jury, neither Ligambi nor any of the other defendants actually did anything.

"It's not a crime to be associated with or to be a member of the Mafia," Jacobs said in his opening statement as the long-awaited mob racketeering conspiracy trial got under way in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.

"In America, you can be a member of almost anything," he said. "It's not about being a member. It's about what you do."

The "real charges" in the case "wouldn't support an episode of The Sopranos," Jacobs said.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20121019_Accused_mobster_s_lawyer__Look_at_deeds__not_talk.html?viewAll=y

Philadelphia Organized Crime Trial Set To Start This Week

 

George Anastasia, the Philadelphia Inquirer's veteran organized crime reporter, offers a piece about the upcoming Philadelphia organized crime trial.

They call him "Uncle Joe," which is both a reference to his age - 73 - and his laid-back style.

Mob boss Joe Ligambi is old school, a make-money-not-headlines crime boss who has had a surprisingly long and relatively peaceful run as Philadelphia's Mafia don.
But that run may be over.

In jail for the last 17 months, Ligambi and six codefendants begin a legal fight for their lives this week when opening arguments are expected in the city's latest organized-crime trial.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20121014_Organized-crime_trial_set_to_start_this_week.html?viewAll=y