i mean i didnt hear the evidence in the thomas giosi trial in new york a couple of weeks ago but if they had numerous tapes and 6 or 7 informants take the stand i would lean on the side of guilty if i was on the jury but if im on the jury and i see a bunch of guys on trial for loan sharking and mostly gambling charges where nobody got hurt i dont think i could convict them.Thats if i was on the jury. Put your self on the jury and think about how you would feel?
i followed the gioli trial closely, they didnt have any tapes or surveillance evidence besides some family pics of gioli with calabro and others throughout the years. Tommy and Little Dino did beat the murder charges BUT they were still convicted of RICO murder conspiracy and will prob get at least 15 years at sentencing.
you are right there is no violence alleged besides canolichio beating a debtor with a baseball bat and scoops and ligambi joking about the gongs murder, idk about you but that would def be enough to cast suspicion of guilt in my mind as a juror.
and those wiretap transcipt the feds released were as george anastasia put it a "teaser" of things to come down the line so lets wait and see.
if i had to predict what happens it would be as follows: with the feds releasing some of those wiretap convos and indicting scoops and fazzini now they are letting all of them stew at the philly mdc without any bail while they wonder if any of their codefendants will flip. the feds play the waiting game and as the trial date gets closer and if there are no plea deals then the feds leak (through newspapers or anastasia) some more wiretap convos and possibly release another superseeding indictment and then they play the waiting game again.
the feds told anastasia that merlino will "very likely" be brought back up to philly by the end of the summer to face charges of associating with felons down in florida and violate his parole and send him back to the can.
Tommy Shots: They want me running the family, don't they know I have a young wife? Sal Vitale: (laughs) Tommy, jump in, the water's fine.
