Chicago Mob Trial Opens Today

June 21, 2007 — -- Chicago's biggest mafia trial in years opened today, with five reputed mobsters accused of being involved in a string of long-unsolved brutal murders, including one that inspired the Martin Scorsese movie "Casino."

Dubbed the "family secrets" trial because it may pit brother against brother and son against father, it's being hailed as one of the last great mafia trials in a city known for its colorful criminals, which include Al "Scarface" Capone and Sam "The Cigar" Giancana.

Watch Jim Avila's report on "World News With Charles Gibson" Thursday

"This is not 'The Sopranos.' This is not 'The Godfather.' These are real people, very corrupt and without honor," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scully told the anonymous jury in his opening statement Thursday.

Though not the end of the mafia, the case could be one of the last major trials of a dying breed of aging reputed mobsters -- men with nicknames like "Tony the Ant" and "Joey the Clown."

"This is the final death knell" for the mob, Joe Tacopina, a New York criminal defense attorney, told ABC News. "But the mob as we know it has been over for quite some time."

The defendants, alleged members or associates of "The Outfit," Chicago's crime organization, are accused of racketeering, conspiracy and murder in 18 unsolved slayings stretching back more than 35 years.

The notorious murders include the death of Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, who was tortured before he was buried alive in an Indiana cornfield in 1986. The killing was the inspiration for the 1995 Scorsese movie "Casino," with Joe Pesci playing Spilotro.

Prosecutors are expected to rely on several mob turncoats to seal their case -- a dramatic change from 15 or 20 years ago, when prosecutors struggled to find mafia informants who were willing to testify against their own.

"I know too many guys who got whacked," Frank Cullata, an admitted hitman and the government's star witness, told ABC News. "If they want to hate me, they have the right to hate me."