Public Eye Archives

Informers

ROBERT COOLEY

WHO:

Chicago lawyer Robert Cooley spent years doing the bidding of local mafia figures before offering his services to the FBI.

Cooley entered the police force at age 20. In the evenings, he went to school, earning a law degree eight years later. He also used the time to cultivate mob ties, and began a bookmaking service. He eventually came into contact with mob chief Marco D'Amico, garnered a small fortune betting with him. When Cooley graduated from law school in 1970, he began fixing cases for the mob, often carrying bribes to judges himself.

The tide turned in 1986 when Cooley defended Michael Colella, a weightlifter accused of brutally beating a Chicago policewoman. Cooley claimed he could win the case on his own, but later discovered it had been fixed behind his back. Disgusted with the web of corruption he had so long been a part off, Cooley contacted the Justice Department's Strike Force Against Organized Crime and offered to work undercover.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER:

In 1994, Cooley entered the Federal Witness Protection Program. His testimony in seven trials lead to the conviction of twenty-six individuals, including police officers, judges, politicians, lawyers and mobsters. Among those to fall were State Senator John D'Arco Jr., Circuit Judge Thomas Maloney, Judge David Shields, and mob boss Marco D'Amico.

WHERE IS HE NOW:

Cooley returned to the spotlight earlier this year, testifying at a closed-door hearing concerning mob control of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA).