You have to remember, Rubio was not a good witness beacuse he lied many times, their were many inconsistancies, and the defense tore him apart. Not to mention he selectively turned his wire on and off.
Whether you like Merlino or not, they wqs absolutely no reason for the feds to claim he had some kmd of affair. That was a below the belt move and a scumbag thing to do. They pulled the same shit in Gotti jr trial with Alite claiming he had an affair with Victoria. The feds should be held to much higher standards. They can certainly go after merlino for crimes but why the need to humiliate his wife and children?? Because the feds can be scumbags.