child gang rape trial against the Mayor's 20-yearold son Franklin Roosevelt D'Alesandro, Nancy's brother in 1953 During the summer of 1953, Mayor D'Alesandro's son, Franklin Roosevelt D'Alesandro, aged twenty, was one of fourteen youths charged with having committed rape or perverted practices on two girls, aged eleven and thirteen, during July of that year.  It was reported that Franklin Roosevelt D'Alesandro was the only one of twelve of those tried at that time who was successful in obtaining an acquittal.   Following this acquittal, a Baltimore, Maryland, Grand Jury indicted Franklin Roosevelt D'Alesandro on charges of having committed perjury in that he had lied during the afore-mentioned trial on charges of rape.  In addition, James H. Pollack, Baltimore City political boss, was reportedly also indicted on the  charge of obstruction of justice in that he had attempted to influence testimony of several of the youthful defendants who had been tried with Franklin Roosevelt D'Alesandro.  It was reported that Franklin Roosevelt D'Alesandro was tried on the above charge of perjury at Salisbury, Maryland, during 1954, following a change of venue, and was found not guilty. A Feb 27, 1961 FBI memo states that according to one informant "the consensus of opinion among persons connected with law enforcement that appointee's [D'Alesandro's] son acquitted of rape because of brilliant fashion case handled by defense attorney."   Franklin Roosevelt D'Alesandro was represented by Joseph Sherbow who managed to sever his client from the other defendants and ensured his trial went first so any convictions against the others would not prejudice him. Apparently D'Alesandro believed that his son was guilty of the charge, and prior to trial urged him to plead guilty and "take his medicine." The corruption charges and his son's rape trial all had become more than Mayor D'Alesandro could bear, and he suffered a nervous breakdown.   D'Alesandro was admitted to the Bon Secours Hospital in Maryland where he rested from March 10 through July 12, 1954.   During this period according to an FBI memo "the Balitimore City Police Department had two men assigned to protect the appointee [D'Alesandro] and also had two men guarding his home" at 245 Albemarle Street for unknown reasons and "a local paper carried a picture of him in his hospital room seated in front of a television set, dressed in a dressing gown." https://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/2015/07/fbi-files-congresswoman-nancy-pelosis-father-thomas-dalesandro-jr-was-constant-companion-of-notoriou.html bonus, Nancy's Father's Mob ties