Yep, 100% a rat. He got hosed on both ends- fellow mobsters and the feds. His wife was extorted a lot of money from a mobster, as he knew that nobody would come to her aid. This continued until she dropped dead. Gas got screwed since his biggest crime as a government witness was telling the truth about Sammy Gravano and a crooked FBI agent.

As far as his money is concerned....his biography didn't give exact figures, but it was a lot. He specialized in drugs and he would bring them in via shrimp trawlers and ship them across the country in moving trucks. Guys like Sammy Gravano and Burt Kaplan were his wholesale customers.

He didn't even want to be a capo, let alone the boss, because he was making too much money and didn't want to be bogged down by settling disputes with other family members. He was content to report to the consigliere (Christy Tick) and be left alone to focus on his rackets.