Today? You'll probably get sued for violating his civil rights .
But years ago you could get yourself dead for fucking with the wrong associate. It depends how much you're worth to them. If you fucked with an unmade cash cow, like a Ponte or a Francolino, your shelf life wouldn't have been very long.
That's pretty much it right there. Associates who bring in the cash and have good relationships are basically as protected as a made guy. The local pimp who pays off the local wiseguy can be replaced, but they gotta protect their cash cows
. 
