'Mafia' trial starts in Chicago

ury selection has begun in Chicago in what is being billed as the biggest US organised crime trial in years.
 
Joey "the Clown" Lombardo, who faces charges of racketeering, is alleged to have been the boss of a gang called the Chicago Outfit in the 1970s and 80s.

Nicholas [Calabrese], who says he was a member of the Outfit for years, has pleaded guilty to several charges and has told prosecutors he has information on many killings allegedly carried out by the gang.

 
Among them is that of gangster Tony Spilotro, who, with his brother Michael, was beaten to death and buried in a cornfield in Indiana.

 
The murders were featured in the 1995 Martin Scorsese film Casino.

District Judge James Zagel decided to order an anonymous jury after the prosecution cited safety concerns.

 
Defence lawyers have objected on the grounds it will predispose the jurors to think the defendants must be dangerous.