I must respectfully disagree with new agents on the street doing grunt work only (like the Philly LCN cases). From having had a very good vantage point in the past I can assure you that the newer agents get sent to dumps like Cleveland or Denver etc. and break in doing serial bank robberies and things of that nature. Even more are sent to work in smaller areas on paper and white collar type criminal activity. Higher profile cases such as LCN in the larger cities are handled mainly by seasoned agents. Its about stacking their odds in their favor when the court date comes. Once a team and target are established in LCN they usually get a DAG or two assigned to their crew to guide things. Its all about building a case for the courtroom rather than for the arrest. Arrests are a dime a dozen and easily done with minimal efforts and expenditures. Courtroom convictions are not as easy to come by as they cannot control many variables to a great degree.

Newer agents generally cut their teeth on courtroom testimony on much lower end files as far as cases go, Uncle Sam wants their LCN squads to be more experienced with A LOT of courtroom experience and testimony already under their belts.

While it doesn't take all that much in the scheme of things to become a button man in the mob, it takes quite a bit of smarts to become an agent today. Unlike times past, many many many of these young guys and gals were also street cops, and many many many now have also already been CPA's and attorneys. All have college degrees, While they sure aren't perfect, LCN today isn't dealing with any fools.

Remember EVERYTHING UNCLE SAM DOES FROM THE FIRST DAY OF A CASE IS GEARED TOWARDS THE COURTROOM.

Keep the posts coming guys, a lot of us enjoy the reading.