Originally Posted by Dwalin2011
Imo it's also interesting that, even though the RICO law was introduced in 1970, it wasn't used against the most important mafia bosses until the 80s, letting guys like Carlo Gambino, Joe Zerilli or Stefano Magaddino basically off the hook until they died, and even in the later period characters like Tony Accardo, Philip Lombardo, Santo Trafficante etc remained untouched or got off with minimum sentences, like Jack Tocco. Quite a selective approach to the mafia issue by whoever was supposed to use RICO against them imo....While flamboyant characters like Gotti went down, the smarter ones with connections to the government and law enforcement were basically left alone, or "dealt with" in a very lazy way.


They did not as many informants then as they do now, plus the people you mention were super secretive, especially Gambino. They wiretapped him a few times and could not get anything. Others of that time went to prison for long sentences without RICO---Vito Genovese, Sonny Franzese, John Ormento, Carmine Trumanti.....

Last edited by jace; 06/14/21 11:10 PM.