The american justice system is meant to be fair but NOT meant to even the playing field when it comes to the prosecution and the defense, the laws werent designed that way; case in point ( RICO ).
Where i have a problem is when the government threatens to arrest innocent people, particularly family members if the defendant doesnt do what they want such as pleading guilty or cooperating. Thats playing dirty.
I also firmly believe the government purposely leaked the Gotti Jr. Proffer. They MUST be held to higher standards and someone should of been held accountable.

Fair post all the way around. The Feds (and all of law enforcement for that matter) have a job to do. But they have to be held to a higher standard. By all means, go get the bad guys and put them in jail. But do it fair, and leave their families out of it.

If you've ever lived through Federal harassment because of who a relative might be, or even might have been (yeah, even after they've been dead for YEARS), then you can appreciate what these guys are capable of. But things won't change, especially with the Feds. They hold all the cards. That's why you seriously have to be half-nuts to jump into the life today. But now I'm getting sidetracked, so . . .

Bail release and some words of wisdom from a complete fucking idiot.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Judge lets DeCavalcante family members out on bail
Two alleged members of the DeCavalcante crime family accused in a murder plot were released on bail today over the objections of a federal prosecutor who warned that the safety of the victim and an undercover agent is at risk.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk ordered the family's reputed family counsel, Frank Nigro, 72, and Paul Colella, 68, confined to their Toms River homes while they await trial on a charge of conspiring to kill a rival family member with the help of two outlaw bikers.

Each man was released on an unsecured bond of $250,000 apiece and must remain at home except for medical emergencies.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Donnelly urged Falk to keep both men locked up, saying they are key players in a crime family with a long history of conspiring against witnesses and could order up retaliation with little more than a phone call.

"There is nothing that's going to stop that," Donnelly said. "There is nothing that's going to prevent that.''

Falk said he, too, was concerned about reprisal.

"The government's claims about the safety of the community is legitimate," he said.

But, he said, those concerns could be allayed with stringent restrictions on the defendants' freedom while they're confined to their homes 24 hours a day.

As a condition of their release, both men will be allowed to use the phone and accept visitors only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and federal agents can choose to listen in on their phone calls if they choose, Falk said.

Nigro and Colella were among ten alleged members and associates of the crime family arrested Thursday following a FBI-led probe that began in September 2012.

Federal prosecutors say an undercover law enforcement agent managed to infiltrate the upper-ranks of the DeCavalcante family and eventually found himself enlisted in an alleged plot to kill a rival who had insulted Charles Stango, a 71-year-old alleged family capo.

The agent recorded Stango telling him that the unidentified victim "had to meet death or you gotta maim him or you just gotta put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life," according to a criminal complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court.

Stango, who lives in Henderson, Nev., is in custody and is expected to be returned to New Jersey in the coming days to face charges in the alleged murder plot.

Also today Falk agreed to release Stango's son, Anthony, 33, of Brick, on a $150,000 unsecured bond.

The younger Stango is accused of conspiring with other members of his New Jersey-based crew to sell more than $100,000 worth of cocaine as well as a plan to start a prostitution business that would cater to a high-end clientele in the Toms River area, prosecutors say.

Donnelly said Anthony Stango has a number of convictions for burglaries and drug dealing over the past decade.

"He's shown just a complete disregard for any court orders in the past," Donnelly said.

Stango's attorney, Gary Mizzone, said his client weighs 370-pounds and suffers from Type 2 diabetes. "Quite frankly, judge, he's not the picture of health," Mizzone said.

"This is basically a prostitution and drug case for a guy who may have been trying to talk tough to his Dad on the phone," Mizzone said.

On the tape, Stango tells his father of plans to run the prostitution business and gets back some fatherly advice on the perils of being too greedy, the complaint says.

"The bulls and the bears, Anthony, they survive," Charles Stango tells his son, according to the complaint. "The pigs they get slaughtered. Ok?"

Stango will also be confined to his home for 24 hours a day.

Prosecutors say Nigro, a father of five married for 52 years, signed off on the plot to kill the unidentified rival referred to as "The Mutt."

And, prosecutors say, Colella supported Charles Stango by enlisting the approval of other family members for the plot.

About 15 years ago i had an issue and the feds were not only bothering me but they were threatening to arrest my girl. I obviously wasnt happy about it and my lawyer said: " belmont, you have to understand, they feel they wear the white hat and you wear the black hat, they dont see it as hiiting below the belt".
In other words, whatever it takes to get a conviction, the feds will do it. They firmly believe its for the common good despite collateral damage.

Interesting that Elizabeth still has enough of an Italian population to facilitate rivalries.

I wonder if some of these crew members don't originate from Rahway or Woodbridge or another closeby town but still identify with Elizabeth.