U.S. deputy marshal John T. Ambrose was "once known as a tireless bloodhound who tracked down fugitive gang leaders" and was seen on a CNN special report kicking down doors as the deputy commander of the Great Lakes Fugitive Force.
Today he goes on trial for allegedly passing information to the Outfit about the movements of mob turncoat Nicholas Calabrese while working the night shift on his security detail. Calabrese was in the witness protection program at the time.
Wiretaps captured the now-convicted Michael Marcello describing an inside source in a way that only fit Ambrose, according to the indictment handed down against him. Marcello called Ambrose "The Babysitter."
In Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled The Mob, Tribune reporter Jeff Coen writes that Ambrose's father, Thomas, was one of the Chicago police officers convicted of bribing drug dealers in the infamous Marquette 10 case. Thomas died in prison in 1986; his convicted colleague, William Guide, became a father figure to John Ambrose.
Ambrose allegedly passed information about Calabrese to Guide, who allegedly passed it on to Outfit leaders.
Once confronted by the FBI, Ambrose eventually agreed to wear a wire against Guide.
Now Michael Marcello has agreed to testify against Ambrose.
