Frank Calabrese, jailed for life after a long career of murder and extortion in the Chicago mob, has died in prison at the age of 75.
Frank Calabrese was a hit man who strangled victims and then slashed their throats to be sure they were dead. He was an inmate at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in the US state of North Carolina.
His son, Frank Jnr, said he died on Christmas Day, which was "one of the few days out of the year he was a good person".
Calabrese Jnr added: "I've never been comfortable he was locked up the way he was - but he needed to be. I am comfortable with the fact he's not suffering in there anymore and that no one else has to suffer on the street."
In 2007, Calabrese was found responsible for seven gangland slayings, racketeering, extortion and illegal gambling. In the early 1970's, Calabrese was a growing force in the Outfit's 26th Street Chinatown Crew, running juice loans, bookmaking and becoming the go-to guy for outfit-sanctioned hits, according to MyFoxChicago.
It was when the two were spending time in federal prison in Milan, Michigan that Calabrese, Jr. turned on his dad. He went to the prison library and typed out a secret letter to the FBI. That launched the investigation that led to the Operation Family Secrets trial, where Calabrese, Jr. testified against his dad, putting Calabrese, Sr. in prison for life.
Calabrese's lawyer, Joseph Lopez, said he had been in poor health. "He was a sick man," he said. "He was on about 17 different medications, but was always a strong-willed individual."
