And that's exactly why I think there's more to this. They are not wasting all of this time, money and manpower to put this guy inside for two or three years. I am intimately familiar with how the Feds operate when they want someone that badly. They're letting him know that he's still in their sights, and I honestly believe that there's something up their sleeve besides a bullshit parole violation.

If they can get him locked up BEFORE the Nicodemo trial, THEN flip Nicodemo, they can indict Joey while he's in prison for a parole violation. And there's not a Federal judge alive who would grant bail to someone already inside on a violation.

Anyone who thinks this is just about violating this guy never lost a loved one to the Federal system. They do this stuff all the time. But with Merlino it gets a lot more attention because the vultures in the press love a celebrity gangster .