The racketeering case against reputed Philly mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and his 13 co-defendants is slated for October, and federal prosecutors are seeking an anonymous jury as reported by William Bender for the Daily News:
David Fritchey, chief of the feds' Organized Crime Strike Force in Philadelphia, said prosecutors are concerned not only about the jurors' safety, but the possibility that someone could attempt to intimidate or influence them, particularly because Internet databases make it easier than ever to gather personal information.
The racketeering case against Ligambi and his co-defendants primarily involves gambling and loansharking allegations although "the threat of violence has long been the calling card of La Cosa Nostra."
On Friday U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno denied a defense motion to dimiss the racketeering conspiracy charge as reported by George Anastasia for The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Robreno . . . reject[ed] the defense argument that the case was built around a series of cobbled-together but unrelated criminal acts."
