Francis John Schweihs

Background

Francis John Schweihs was born on February 7, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois. Federal records identified him by the aliases Frank Schweihs and “the German” and described him as a white male from Chicago.

Career

Schweihs was associated with the Chicago Outfit, a Chicago-based organized-crime enterprise, and was described in federal charging documents as an enforcer who imposed and collected “street tax” through extortionate means. The Outfit's activities included illegal gambling, loansharking, labor influence, extortion, and violence; Schweihs's documented role was connected particularly with collections and enforcement.

In 1988, Schweihs was indicted in the Northern District of Illinois with Anthony Daddino on conspiracy, attempted-extortion, and solicitation charges. A federal jury found him guilty in September 1989 on conspiracy and several substantive counts. The sentencing court treated his organized-crime connections and leadership role as aggravating circumstances and imposed a sentence of 13 years and one month, together with fines and restitution totaling $42,900.

Schweihs later operated among several Chicago crews, including the Chinatown or 26th Street Crew, and was reported to have collected payments from businesses operating in Chinatown. Federal prosecutors also alleged that he extorted a street tax from an adult-entertainment club and collected a debt through threats of violence in 2001.

In 2005, Schweihs was indicted in Operation Family Secrets, a federal investigation into the Chicago Outfit's alleged racketeering activities and numerous murders. He became a fugitive after the indictment and was arrested in Berea, Kentucky, on December 16, 2005. His trial was separated from that of the other defendants because of his cancer and deteriorating health; after a period in federal custody, he died at Thorek Memorial Hospital in Chicago on July 23, 2008, before the case against him could be tried.

Achievements

• During the 1980s, Schweihs was associated with Angelo J. “The Hook” LaPietra and a club-building operation in Chicago connected with the Chinatown or 26th Street Crew.

Personality

Physical Characteristics: Federal records described Schweihs as approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and 180 pounds, with black-to-gray hair, brown eyes, a ruddy complexion, and a pronounced limp.

Connections

Schweihs was married to Sophie Schweihs. His daughter Nora Schweihs later appeared as a cast member of the reality television series Mob Wives Chicago and sought to establish the identity and location of her father's remains after his death.

Wife:

Sophie Schweihs

Daughter:

Nora Schweihs

She became a cast member of Mob Wives Chicago and sought to verify the identity and location of her father's remains after his death.

References

• Family Secrets Mob Case An FBI account of Operation Family Secrets, including Schweihs's indictment, illness, and inability to stand trial with the other defendants.
  2007
• 14 Defendants Indicted for Alleged Organized Crime Activities The U.S. Attorney's Office indictment summary describing allegations that Schweihs acted as an enforcer for the Chicago Outfit and participated in extortionate collections.
  2005
• United States v. Schweihs The federal district court's opinion concerning Schweihs's 1989 convictions for conspiracy, attempted extortion, and solicitation to commit a crime of violence, as well as sentencing issues involving organized crime.
  1990
• Reputed Chicago mob enforcer An obituary describing Schweihs's association with the Chicago Outfit, the allegations surrounding Operation Family Secrets, his cancer, and his death while awaiting trial.
  2008
• Feds drop case against dead mob hitman A contemporaneous report documenting Schweihs's death at Thorek Memorial Hospital in Chicago on July 23, 2008, and the dismissal of the federal indictment after his death.
  2008