Willy Boy Johnson was allowed to live and even earn money (on his own) even after being outed as having been an FBI informant for decades. He was allowed to live, albeit as a total outcast from the Gambino Family, for almost two years after he was outed as an informant. Why was this? And have any other known informants been allowed to live or been exiled (without being in any Witness Protection Program)?

They probably allowed him to live until he got his guard down and then they whacked him in 1988.

like dapper said he wasnt allowed to live they just delayed his killing until the right time. remember Willie Boy was an informant so trying to kill him right away would bring too much heat. in fact tommy pitera was the actual shooter

Yeah I agree. I bet Gotti didn't want to make it too obvious and kill him right away. Interesting that it was Lino and pitera that killed him. The bonannos and Gambinos worked together on a few different hits I'm the 70's and 80s. I guess because of the Gotti massino connection??

Agree with Dapper and the other guys; he wasn't allowed to live in the end. I believe his history with Gotti and his attempts to distance himself from Diane Giacalone and the Feds bought him some time.

I have the feeling that Gotti kept Johnson alive so he could persuade him to withdraw his statements Johnson made in court.
Wasn´t there talks about Johnson regretting some of those statements?

I agree with everyone about Gotti biding his time and all, but to answer the latter part of the question, there are more than a few informants who now live in plain sight. The modern day thinking is that there's no upside to killing a rat after he's already testified. If they could get to him before he testifies, that's one thing. But once the damage is done, the feeling today seems to be that killing an informant just brings too much attention from law enforcement.

When was Gotti acquitted from the Giacalone trial?

March of 1987.

Thanks.

I agree with most of the others, it simply wouldn't have done for Willie Boy to have been whacked in close proximity to the trial.

Is this one of the hits that Gravano confessed to?

According to gravano gotti bounced some ideas off to him on how to kill willie boy but that was his only involvement. Dont know if he is telling the truth

Johnson never made ANY statements in court. In fact he refused to testify. Part of his agreement when becoming an informant was that he'd NEVER be made to testify. He also never wore a wire. He never wanted to fully be a rat.

When they were locked up together, Gotti told Willie Boy in the MDC after Willie Boy's status as an informant was revealed that he'd be given a pass if he didn't testify, because at the time it seemed he gave minimal info. That he'd be cut off from the Family totally, and couldn't hang around the Family, but that he'd be spared.

A few weeks before he was killed, Gotti got some case related info which detailed just how much he had ratted over his decades as an informant. That pushed him to expedite Willie Boy's murder, along with the fact that Willie Boy working in the drug trade on his own (on Family turf).

Yeah, once they knew for sure, it was only a matter of time for Willie Boy. He was on the way out...as soon as they felt they had a good opportunity.

...then Tommy Karate got him.

he promised not to testify and gotti promised not to whack him cause of this. obviously this was a lie and the inevitable had to happen. also that woman diane giaclone was personally responsible for this murder. when i first read about this i could belive she got away with this. willy boy had a pact with another law enforcement service and he made it clear he wasnt going to testify. this prick outed him, basically comitting murder. she needs villifying

I think the reason why it took awhile for gotti to kill him is because Gotti knew that the cops would suspect him if he killed Willy right after finding out he was an informant.