After long fits and starts, federal gang conspiracy trial against ‘O-Block’ gang moves to closing arguments

Prosecutors on Friday presented closing arguments in the racketeering case of six purported gang members charged with carrying out the brazen, broad-daylight murder of drill rapper FBG Duck in the Gold Coast in August 2020 as part of a deadly, yearslong conflict between two South Side gang factions.“They didn’t all pull the trigger, but when they learned where Carlton Weekly was that day, they all sprung into action to make sure Carlton Weekly never left Oak Street alive,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie Ursini told jurors, referring to the rapper by his real name. “They knew they had a window of opportunity to take out a high-level rival, and they acted on it so they didn’t lose that window.”The closing arguments got underway Friday after about two months of trial testimony from more than 30 witnesses. Before the trial began — in the ceremonial courtroom on the 25th floor of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse — the case was dogged by months of pretrial delays.In the October 2021 indictment...