A former federal prison chaplain was charged Wednesday with allegedly passing messages to a convicted killer for the mob.
Eugene Klein was charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one court of attempting to transfer an inmate's personal property to prevent government seizure after he allegedly passed messages to Frank Calabrese Sr.
Calabrese is being held responsible for 13 murders and is sentenced to life in prison as well as paying over $4.4 million dollars in restitution to victims and victim's families.
Klein, 62, was one of the few people allowed to meet with Calabrese after Calabrese was restricted in contacting others to prevent him from engaging in illegal activities while incarcerated.
Through a series of messages, Klein allegedly helped Calabrese obtain a Stradivarius violin Calabrese claimed was worth millions hidden in his residence in Wisconsin, the report said. Calabrese told Klein he didn't want the government to seize the violin and use it towards the over $4.4 million he owes in restitution for victims and victim's families.
On March 6, 2010, Klein allegedly spoke with an unnamed person authorities are calling "Individual A" over the phone and asked about Calabrese's residence along with three questions Calabrese had given Klein.
Klein allegedly continued to ask questions and disclose information on the violin for Calabrese from handwritten notes passed to Klein through the food slot, reports said.
The indictment alleges that Klein traveled from Missouri to Illinois to meet with Individual A and formulate a plan to remove the violin from the Wisconsin residence.
On April 3, Klein drove to Illinois and met with Individual A in a restaurant in Barrington where Individual A told Klein the government had seized the residence and was attempting to sell it. On April 5 and 6, Klein met with Individual A and another unnamed person and planned to enter the home as potential buyers to distract the realtor while Klein and Individual A searched for the violin.
Authorities have since searched the home and not found the violin but discovered a certificate for a 1764 Giuseppe Antonio Artalli violin in Calabrese's Oak Brook residence.
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Klein faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each indictment. He will be ordered to appear in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
