What's up gentlemen? I'm new here so I figured I would start off with a decent question. I know Fish Cafaro was a witness against Salerno in the commission trial, but who were the other witnesses against the other defendants?

^^yea.......thanks guy. Any sensible answers?

Well actually fish cafaro didnt flip until after the commision trial ended so he wasnt a witness, im not sure about the other witnesses but i know they bugged big pauls house, tony ducks jaguar, and fat tony salernos head quarters which lead to a lot of damning evidence against them. Welcome to the boards.

Thanks Dellacroce. Wow, well I figured that such a large trial that probably cost millions of taxpayer dollars would have had at least one or two witnesses for each defendant.

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/20/nyregi...ml?pagewanted=1

This is a really good article that came out right after the trial ended that cited 2 infformants that were witnesses but im sure that the defandants own own words that were recorded were a lot more damning then any testimony.

That was a very informative article. Thanks.

Most of the witnesses were members of LE. But Angelo Lonardo (from Cleveland) gave testimony. And I think Jimmy Fratianno was there. Joe Bonanno was also there but nothing came out of him. There were others as well, but I can´t remember their names right now.

Welcome aboard!

Oh, just remembered that Fred DeChristopher (an in-law of Carmine Persico) also gave testimony. And I think Tommaso Buscetta too.

Ya np man, mayb some1 else on here will know more about the actual informants

I believe there were close to 100 witnesses who gave testimony. I don't know any details but they probably consisted of former associates and law enforcement figures and federal agents, or "experts" as the court typically calls them.

That makes sense. A case as large as that was, there had to be more than a few witnesses.

Joseph Cantalupo was a Colombo associate who became an informant in 1972. Colombo used the Cantalupo family real estate business as a cover to show legitimate income. He testified that Carmine Persico was the boss of the family and used his brother "Allie Boy" to run things on the streets. He also testified that Colombo came to him and asked to use his house for a Commission meeting. Cantalupo agreed and said the next day he sat outside and watched the different bosses arrive at the meeting.

It was actually pretty strange defense that these guys came up with, that they admitted that the mafia existed and that they were members, but they werent criminals, right. They never had a chance of getting off.
Sidenote- i bet if it was just a soldier on trial and he admitted to being in the mafia in open court these very same guys wouldve branded him a rat.

^^ lol yea probably. With the evidence the prosecution had though, I doubt there was any defense these guys could have used.

A few of the guys in the concrete club (the company owners) testified.