‘Joey the Clown’ Lombardo, in a Letter, Makes Judge an Offer
Fugitive reputed Chicago mob boss Joseph “Joey the Clown” Lombardo will surrender if he gets a separate trial on charges that he and other alleged organized crime figures plotted at least 18 murders, according to a letter made public by his attorney.
The letter was sent to attorney Rick Halprin and addressed to U.S. District Judge James Zagel. Halprin said the handwritten, four-page note appeared to be signed by his client.
He called federal authorities after an aide in his office opened the letter, which was postmarked in Chicago on Monday. “I recognize the signature,” Halprin said, adding he didn’t know his client’s whereabouts.
During a court hearing about the letter, Zagel said he could not guarantee the conditions asked for in the letter and issued a warrant for the 76-year-old Lombardo’s arrest.
The letter professed Lombardo’s innocence: “I am no part of a enterprise or racketering [sic].
“About the 18 murders in the indictment, I want you to know that I was not privy before the murders, during the murders, and after the murders.” It also included an apology for the bad grammar and spelling.
An April indictment charged 12 reputed mobsters in connection with the murders.
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