T. Markus Funk

T. Markus Funk
Education Ph.D. University of Oxford[1]
J.D. Northwestern Law School
University of Illinois
Occupation Attorney[2]
Author
Law Professor
Employer Perkins Coie[3]
Known for Former Assistant United States Attorney and prosecutor for Operation Family Secrets.[4]

T. Markus Funk is an American attorney, law professor, and author best known for the prosecution of several high-profile mob figures during his career at the United States Department of Justice.[1] He is currently a partner in the law firm of Perkins Coie.[5]

Education and early career

Funk was raised in Germany before attending school in Illinois.[2] He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois in 1992.[6] He went to Northwestern School of Law where he earned his J.D., graduating in 1995. He later pursued a Ph.D. in law at the University of Oxford.[7]

Prior to his career at the Department of Justice, Funk taught law at the University of Oxford.[1] He was also a law clerk for Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Morris S. Arnold as well as U.S District Court Judge Catherine D. Perry.[6]

U.S. Department of State

Between 2004 and 2006, Funk worked for the U.S. Department of State as the Section Chief in Kosovo following the Kosovo War.[8] He represented the U.S. at diplomatic negotiations and headed the restructuring of Kosovo's justice system after the war.[8] He was given the Superior Honor Award by the Department in recognition of his service in Kosovo and also authored the Kosovo Trial Skills Handbook which was published by the United States Department of Justice in 2006.

U.S. Department of Justice

Funk worked for the United States Department of Justice under U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald for 10 years.[2] During his time with the DOJ, he prosecuted numerous high-profile cases, including those of mobsters,[6] white collar criminals, child pornography possession by a former Roman Catholic priest,[9][10] and one of Northern Illinois' largest credit card and identity fraud rings.[11]

Sketch of T. Markus Funk (left) and Frank Calabrese Sr. (right) during the Family Secrets Trial.

As an Assistant United States Attorney, Funk prosecuted Frank Calabrese, Sr. and other high-ranking mobsters as part of Operation Family Secrets, an FBI investigation into 18 homicides and various other crimes committed by the Chicago Outfit between the 1960s and 2000s. The investigation was considered one of the most extensive racketeering cases of its kind[12] and was labeled as one of the most important criminal investigations in American history by National Public Radio.[13] During closing arguments of the trial, Calabrese told Funk, "You're a fu**ing dead man."[14] Calabrese and all of his thirteen co-defendants were convicted.[2]

Funk prosecuted former U.S. Marshall John T Ambrose for leaking information to mob figures about the location of a protected witness. It was the first case of its type for a U.S Marshal violating the security of the Witness Protection Program.[15] Ambrose was assigned to guard Nicholas Calabrese, the first "made" member to ever testify against the Chicago outfit.[16] Ambrose was charged and later convicted with leaking information about Calabrese to other mob figures.

Funk also prosecuted mobsters Joseph Scalise, Arthur Rachel and Robert Pullia for their involvement in a conspiracy to rob cash from the First National Bank of La Grange in 2010.[17] The three men, already famous for their 1980 involvement in the theft of the 45-carat Marlborough diamond from Graff's jewelry store, had planned to rob an armored vehicle at the bank and had stolen vehicles and stashed guns to use in the robbery.[18] All three were convicted.[19]

Private practice

Funk left the Department of Justice in 2010 to become a partner at the law firm of Perkins Coie.[5] He specializes in internal investigations and white collar criminal defense,[20] and in 2011 co-founded the firm's corporate social responsibility and supply chain compliance practice.

Teaching and writing career

In addition to teaching at the University of Oxford, Funk has taught law at the University of Chicago Law School, Northwestern School of Law, Loyola,[2] Denver University School of Law, the University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Throughout his career, Funk has been a contributor to numerous law publications, including the American Bar Association, the Howard Law Journal, and the Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology.[21]

Bibliography

Awards and recognition

Funk has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognition throughout his career. He was given the Attorney General's Award (John Marshall Award) for his work on Operation Family Secret.[8] He is the only person to have received both the Department of Justice's Attorney General's Award and the State Department's Superior Honor Award. In 2013, he was named Lawyer of the Year by Law Week Colorado, and in 2012 he was named Colorado's top Corporate/Compliance Lawyer.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 T. Markus Funk (4 May 2010). T. Markus Funk on The International Criminal Court (Television Program). Reason.tv.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Warmbir, Steven (26 July 2010). "Rising star mob prosecutor leaving office". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  3. ↑ "Mob Killer Dead". Chicago Sun-Times. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  4. ↑ Calabrese Jr., Frank (2011). Operation Family Secrets: How a Mobster’s Son and the FBI Brought Down Chicago’s Murderous Crime Family. Random House LLC. ISBN 9780307717740.
  5. 1 2 Warmbir, Steve (26 July 2010). "Street-smart U.S. prosecutor is moving on". Chicago Sun-Times. High Beam. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Illinois Alum Named Lawyer of the Year by Law Week Colorado". Shield & Diamond (University of Illinois Alumni News). Spring 2013.
  7. ↑ Coen, Jeff (2009). Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled the Chicago Mob. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 9781569762462.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Former U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk Joins Perkins Coie". Illinois Bar Association. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  9. ↑ Toomey, Shamus (18 June 2002). "Accused Ex-Priest Took $200,000 Payoff, Prosecutors Say". Daily Herald. High Beam. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  10. ↑ Warmbir, Steve (15 June 2002). "Ex-cleric here charged with possession of child porn". Chicago Sun-Times. High Beam. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  11. ↑ Warmbir, Steve (6 July 2001). "7 indicted in massive credit scam". Chicago Sun-Times. High Beam. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Family Secrets of the Murderous Kind", www.fbi.gov, 10/01/2007, retrieved 9/9/2013
  13. ↑ "Frank Calabrese Jr. On Opening His 'Family Secrets'". National Public Radio. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  14. ↑ Marin, Abdon (20 October 2007). "Juror: Calabrese called prosecutor a 'dead man'; Allegedly made comment during attorney's closing arguments". Chicago Sun-Times. High Beam. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  15. ↑ Chuck Goudie (27 October 2009). Lawyer: Ambrose to appeal sentence, conviction (Television News). ABC.
  16. ↑ Robinson, Mike (23 April 2009). "Prosecutors – Deputy marshal broke law in mob leak". Fox News. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  17. ↑ "Three Chicago Area Men Indicted in Alleged Conspiracy to Rob Bulk Cash" (Press release). State News Service. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  18. ↑ Eldeib, Duaa (14 April 2010). "3 seniors had stashed guns, vehicles, feds say". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  19. ↑ Ann Pistone (18 January 2012). Aging mob trio: Two plead, one takes bench trial (Television News). ABC Local.
  20. ↑ "ABA Ponders FCPA Reform". FCPA Professor. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  21. ↑ "Constitutional Rights, And Victims' Afflictions". The New York Beacon. High Beam. 2 April 1997. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  22. ↑ "Book details 'crisis' of crimes against kids". Southtown Star. Chicago, Illinois: High Beam. 26 December 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  23. ↑ Funk, T. Markus (2010). Victims’ Rights and Advocacy at the International Criminal Court. Oxford University Press USA. ISBN 9780199737475.

External links

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