Chicago 'Mafia boss' is held for 18 killings

Chicago's supposed Mafia boss, Joey "the Clown" Lombardo, has been taken into custody nine months after prosecutors charged him and 13 others with plotting at least 18 unsolved murders.

Mr Lombardo, 76, was caught in the suburb of Elmwood Park on Friday. He is expected to appear at a hearing on Tuesday.

"You can predict what the results of that will be. Osama bin Laden has a better chance of getting bond," his lawyer, Rick Halprin, said.

The FBI grabbed Mr Lombardo after they caught him meeting a "person of interest" whom they had under surveillance. "He was a little bit shocked, to say the least," an FBI special agent who took part in the operation said.

Mr Lombardo dropped out of sight before he and others were indicted last April after a long investigation, dubbed "Operation Family Secrets".

The indictment charges him and his associates with conspiring in at least 18 murders, including that of Tony "the Ant" Spilotro, whom the actor Joe Pesci played in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino.