Tommy Shots and Little Dino were acquitted but were still found guilty of RICO, specifically convicted of murder conspiracies related to the killings.
But what's the difference between being convicted of ordering a murder and being convicted of conspiracy to commit the same murder? Why are there different punishments from the legal point of view?
Conspiracy is largely just the planning/logistics of the murder, the actual murder charge is being convicted of taking part in it. If you are convicted of the latter, the penalty will be much stiffer.
Tommy Shots: They want me running the family, don't they know I have a young wife? Sal Vitale: (laughs) Tommy, jump in, the water's fine.
