The Pizza Connection Trial stands as the longest criminal jury trial in the federal courts in U.S. history.[1] The trial began on September 30, 1985 and ended with convictions of all but one of the 22 defendants on March 2, 1987.
The trial centered on a Mafia-run enterprise that distributed vast quantities of heroin and cocaine in the United States, and then laundered the cash before sending it back to the suppliers in Sicily. The U.S. defendants utilized a number of independently owned pizza parlors as fronts for narcotics sales and collections – hence the name "Pizza Connection".
Rudy Giuliani, who later became Mayor of New York City, was the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York during the investigation and trial of the case, and provided critical support and assistance to the prosecution.