The Nation - News from Aug. 24, 1988

The nation’s longest federal criminal trial edged closer toward its conclusion in Newark, N.J., with the government’s final plea for a guilty verdict against 20 accused members of the Luchese organized crime family. A federal prosecutor’s final summation of the evidence capped 21 months of jury selection, testimony, numerous delays and six weeks of closing arguments. The jury was scheduled to begin deliberations after receiving its instructions today. The defendants, alleged to compose virtually the entire New Jersey faction of the Luchese mob family, are charged with operating a criminal organization involved in drug dealing, illegal gambling, credit card fraud and loan sharking.