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.
Well said, pizzaboy. It's something I've pointed out before too. As mob observers, it's easy for one of us to say, "They should definitely hit that guy to send a message!" But it's not that simple you really have to weight the risk vs the reward.
I think the Gambinos had every intention of hitting Gravano. They just couldn't pull it off. As usual, a better example would be the Genovese family. They hit Bruno up in Springfield once they suspected he was leaking information out but
before he may have flipped. Granted they were using some real meatballs to do it. Meanwhile, Petey Caporino in Jersey wasn't touched after he flipped and testified against Dentico, Bruschi, etc. The damage was already done. Why hit him and just cause more trouble when the main goal is getting back to business as quickly as possible?
