But it isn't like he didn't try to make money because the feds were breathing down his neck. He didn't care, he still came up with what he thought were money making schemes with his guys, he'd sign off on hijackings brought to him by Previte & others, but then wasn't able to move the goods. He tried to make money, he just wasn't able to. Because he wasn't good at it. To this very day, I don't believe anything he has is in his name. According to various reporters and articles his Florida lifestyle is being provided for by Stanley Stein. He's still the same old Joey. And idk about Johnny Chang, but George Borgesi certainly knew it was Joey betting into his books, losing, and then not paying up. He laid off his action to Ron Previte because he wasn't able to cover the losses thanks to Joey, never paying his losses, but sending his proxies to collect whenever he won. He complained about this to Previte, but what could they do? They weren't going to whack out the Underboss whose also a childhood friend. Merlino & Natale were greedy and stole everything they had. When one of their guys were making a lot more money than them, they kept raising the kickbacks, to the point where some guys refused or did it but wouldn't meet with them out of spite. Then they'd whack the guy, and place one of their men into the dead guys rackets, then that racket would proceed to go down the tubes with the others, ala Joe Sodano. Gangsters? Hell yeah. Earners? They were not.


And @ Dante, I see your point, but I find it hard to believe Joey Merlino thought that much into it, and there's no supporting evidence of that, the most he probably thought was "it's halloween, lets get a mask and candy bag and hit him right in D&L's." I don't think he considered his height and all that as a factor. But who knows.