John Pennisi has continued to claim that he is not an "informant." Here's what the DOJ has to say about informants. Included is a section of his 5k1 letter for reference. (DOJ Document can be found at: https://fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fbi/dojguidelines.pdf)

In addition, Pennisi has continually claimed in numerous interviews that the reason he became an informant had nothing to do with the victim whose teeth he punched out in a rage after he found out about an alleged relationship between her and Eugene Castelle.

Yet in this following interview at 16:20 he says:

"It's ironic that the first rule is what caused all the trouble and it's that you're not to go with another member's wife or another member's girl and that's ironic that that's what played out later on."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vhzRrf1m00

Hard to believe that any informant would lie. More to come at defendantdigest.com. Stay tuned.

When I hear informant I think someone who wore a wire or continued to work with the criminals while sharing the information with the law.

He thought he was going to be killed and ratted. He wasn’t really an informant per say.

I guess it’s semantics.

that file says "prior to testifying, Pennisi made several recorded calls to targets of the governments investigation"...
If what he says is true, the Lucchese guys were a bunch of idiots. Im guessing this all stemmed from the girlfriend and Castelle. I bet that is how all the discontent and suspicion started.
He seems like a decent enough guy though.
I am also betting Pennisi is the one that told the government about that Perna kid and the Nj housewife husband.

So, Lenox...

Your definition of "decent" is a guy who brutally beats a woman out of jealous rage?

I didn't know he beat a woman.. that's true? what happened ?

He thought his girlfriend was having an affair with Eugene Castelle. These are from Castelle's appeal brief from 2020 and it's been documented elsewhere.

That’s what gangsters do. If someone disrespects you, you fuck them up man or woman. That’s been the way of the life for 100 years. Plenty of women have had the shit beaten out of them in the timeframe. Doesn’t mean however that he’s lying about the Lucchese Family...that’s like saying why should we believe Castelle when he’s dealt drugs and murdered people with Joey flowers to get ahead. Since he would murder someone to get ahead would be not be capable of lying in an appeal to keep out of prison?

Well, considering the judge in his appeal directly references the brutal beating of the woman - I guess it's not a lie.

This is from Castelle's trial. A sidebar between the prosecution (Scotten), Judge, and Castelle's lawyer.

Great stuff Defendant Digest. John Pennisi has struck me as more of a smooth talking con artist than anything else. His Youtube fanboys are as bad as bad as Gravano and Alite, but he is even praised on sites like this. When he beats up his next girlfriend or wife, he'll be exposed, except to the diehard John Pennisi lovers out there.

Speaking of John Pennisi defenders....

Gravano tells great stories amd I believe they are mostly true.
As far as Pennisi, he had major jealousy problems. I guarantee the reason Pennisi thought he would be killed stemmed from the situation with the girlfriend.

Gravano has a lot of true stories, but I feel he makes himself a saint or genius too often in them. The worst is Alite.

Mr.Pedo how did I defend Pennisi exactly? I’m 100% sure he beat the shit outta the woman. I hate to tell you but beating the shit outta women and disrespecting them is part of the life.What does that have to do w his veracity when it comes to the other scumbags in the Lucchese Family?

His entire attitude has changed since he first hit the scene. Isn't what he's doing now for personal gain? Telling his stories for money - charging people to have "sit downs" for money", the money he makes from Youtube monetization with his co-hosted podcast? And now of course since his gossip-like articles are the most popular - trying to make money out of repeating those stories on a separate podcast. So the bigger tales he tells (which most can't be verified) the more popular he gets and the more money he makes.

Also how is it he's able to recall so many conversations verbatim -- from years ago???? Yet, when someone questions him about an inconsistency, he'll say -- well, I mixed up this, or I mixed up that. Always an excuse. His humble act is just that - an act.

You keep saying I'm a pedo, as is your usual fallback. Wife beater is the other. You have no idea who I am, what I am, or anything else, You are way off on most of what you post on the Mafia too. Now the past few days wife beater is your new cry. People know that beating women is not part of mafia life, are you a wife beater? Or a pedophile? You defend John Pennissi by saying he was only "Following the life" which is BS, and a defense of him. Case closed.

So then you think every rat who testifies or gives information is a liar. Thank you.

That anthony arilotta guy from western mass outside of sammy really has amazing stories of lcn life. First off he was in the genovese fam and at an interesting time. Second he made big money. Third had a dangerous multi-nationality crew/friends that were ruthless. Fourth in jail he claims he was schooled by a southie irish gangster on how to be a gangster instead of a drug dealer. Fifth he became a capo and was (i believe) the first springfield genovese mobster made in new york by new york geno's and not mass geno's. Sixth his stories of albany new york and troys total control by springfield is a first to me. Always wondered why albany wasnt talked about being mob run like buffalo. Seventh hes back living in home town. Bottomline guys interesting.

Yeah, interesting but still a first-rate bitch and a half. He folded while his solid non-Italian associates stood up. And if you're insinuating that his return to his hometown is an act of bravery, cut the crap Jack! It doesn't take bravery to move back home these days after snitching on the mob, because today's Mafia is a joke. He wouldn't have done that in the 1970s. Hell, for that matter, he wouldn't have even done that in the early 1990s.

Jack, he was interesting however, I thought he started to come across as he was embellishing a little bit, when it came to the money he was bringing in...

$30K a month from the sports book, $7K a week from the lottery, $40K a month from the strip clubs, $15K a month from the SHY Book, Joker poker Machines, Drug dealing, Legit businesses......

I mean this guy was making over $100K a month?

Only kicking up $6K a month

The smartest and the strongest crime family didn't know better?

I didn't hear anything about Albany and/or Troy N.Y?
What they are controlled by Springfield Mass? How and why would that be?

If Bingy ever turns up broke living out of his car, then we'll know he was lying about his earnings, and not just a little bit. Either that or he's even dumber than I thought. That's what happened to Lucchese associate and rat Lester Zullo, although he was only an associate. I love when these rats turn up destitute, they would've fared better just going to prison doing their time.

DillyDolly;

As we all know LE's treatment of LCN, changed through the years
As such if LCN, did NOT change the way the handled situations they would be 100% EXTINCT today.

They took MURDER off the the table for the most part.
When the bosses of each family met for a commission meeting they each and some of their U/B got 100 year sentences.

Not smart to be meeting each other.

Killing a RAT you get Life in prison

Lets not forget RICO,

Guys from Italy, are when they want to set something up will more likely go to Canada, where is there is NO RICO.

The LCN, in the U.S. would look like LCN in Canada, if it were NOT for R.I.C.O.

Yes Rico kicked the shit out of them. Preventive detention, WITSEC, and forfeiture laws too!

I've been through this too many times, but I'll say it again, RICO isn't the main reason for LCN's downfall, it's age and attrition. There are hardly any Italian ghettos left anymore, and that's where the Mafia drew their tough, hardened recruits. Most Italian-Americans fled to the suburbs and assimilated into American culture. In fact most completely extinct LCN families across America didn't go extinct because of RICO, in FACT, to prove my point, many were already in sorry shape BEFORE RICO. Many LCN families were already old and dying without any fresh blood to replace them. Sure, RICO doesn't help matters but the mob, what's left of them, knows how to adapt to new laws and statutes.

As far as the Commission bosses getting 100-year sentences, Commission bosses still met AFTER they went away. Their successors had neither the experience or know-how to be bosses, at least with the Commission bosses of the 1980s you could say that they were caught off guard, and were virgins to wiretaps and surveillance-based evidence that could send them all away for a century. Let's say you flipped that around, and Amuso, Casso, and Gotti, came before Salerno, Corallo, etc, the 1980s Commission bosses would've learned from their predecessors' mistakes.

As far as killing a rat and you get life in prison goes, in the underworld you can't always use that excuse. Other groups will see that you're afraid of prison and walk all over you. And guys will keep on ratting and ratting with zero consequences as is currently happening. It's a hard pill to swallow but sometimes it might take a few guys getting life to get shit back in order and bring back some discipline.

As far as mobsters going to Canada and not America, Italian and American law enforcement have documented numerous mobsters shuffling between Italy and America, that really hasn't changed. Frank Cali was one such example before that lunatic shot him.

True. The attrition, advancement of Italians, etc., is the MAIN cause long term anyway. Rico and other draconian laws just propelled the inevitable to go faster.

RICO is most definitely a deadly weapon against the mob, the best way I can see to counter it is to make it harder for the feds to prove a RICO conspiracy exists in court or to continue taking sweet plea deals which is so common nowadays.

Just the perfect storm I guess.
However, didnt want to get into that debate.

The point I was making to survive they had to make changes.

With forensics and camera's everywhere, EVERYWHERE!!!
Look at the Meldish hit

He didnt have to go
They could have chased him

It took down their whole admin

Weakened the family

Look at the admin that is in place now...

Look at the Pizzollo hit

It took the Bonanno boss off the street for 15 years

Look at Wild Bill put Allie Boi away for life.
Again took the actual boss off the street

In my HUMBLE opinion the murders weakened the families more than, not murdering and having other crime groups look down on you for not murdering.

Maybe they could "PERFECT" the hospital beating....

To ask an organized crime syndicate to never ever murder when people get out of line just isn't realistic. Look at the murders of Lawrence Ricci, Ralph Coppola, and Anthony Seccafico to name a few modern-day ones, still unsolved. Murders will get solved, guys will go away for life, other murders will go unsolved for decades if ever solved at all. It's just the name of the game, but to hope for a genteel criminal organization that never uses murder just because some guys may go away for life is just too much. Randolph Pizzolo was really whacked at a bad time, they should've waited a few years for the Massino-flipping affair to run its course. They whacked the guy right in the midst of the entire Bonanno administration rolling over. On a side note though, Massino had a pretty long run for this day and age, he lasted almost a decade and a half, longer than Gotti and Amuso before him.

I agree to certain degree

As the absolute last resort.

Most of the guys I originally mentioned were not just some guys

They were the bosses and/or the admin

And for the reasons we have discussed in the passed the talent pool is greatly diminished.
So taking a GOOD boss off the street can and has CRIPPLED families in the past.

Those murders also create "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARDS" the whole hit team now has one in their back pocket and if the Feds throw a ong sentence in their face they have a bargaining tool.



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