Can you imagine the impact if he would have gotten hit. It would cause more imformants to think twice about ratting on the mob. I know he was out of WP and flaunting out in the open.
Hitting a high profile rat like Gravano makes no sense at all,
after he's already testified. The damage is already done, and you run the risk of the Feds coming down on you like a ton of bricks. It's just not worth the aggravation.
There are plenty of small operations that the Feds are
fully aware of that they let slide. If you hit one of their "star" informants, they'd be less inclined to let these "minor" crimes go. They'd start busting up every two bit card game, every penny ante sports betting operation, and every small time loan shark going. They'd hit these guys right where it hurts: In the pocketbook. And to their credit, the smarter bosses realize this. This thing is about money. Don't ever forget that.
The time to hit an informant is
before he testifies, if at all.
