In fairness to Amuso and Casso, isn't it in D'Arco, Accetturo and Ricciardi's best interests to put forth claims that guys like Facciola weren't rats?
I mean it legitimises their decisions to rat by saying stuff like this.
Portray Amuso and Casso as batshit insane and make it look like they had no decision but to rat, as opposed to them just wanting to save their bacon and avoid prison themselves.
All of these guys didn't want to send money up the chain like you're supposed to do. Guys like Accetturo and Ricciardi wanted all the benefits of having the Lucchese family behind them while acting with autonomy themselves.
Some of D'Arco's claims are just outlandish. Casso crying to him when he told him he was going on the run. Casso's "Whack Jersey" directive. Casso telling him he wanted to invite dozens of mobsters to his home under the guise of having a meal so he could whack all of them at the same time. D'Arco's paranoia over being whacked at the Kimberly Hotel. Amuso being afraid to look him in the eye. It's not for the reasons you think, Al. It's because you're a rat and you make him sick. What, you think you're tougher than Greg Scarpa Jr.? Amuso took him on.
D'Arco acted like he was a big shot in prison. And then someone, I think it was Sal Miciotta, came out and said that he used to bully younger prisoners who weren't connected.
The man also raised a dope fiend for a son and had him screwing up hits left, right and center.
You always have to take whatever any rat says with a grain of salt. Every rat, from Joe Valachi to Sammy Gravano, became a rat for one of two reasons. Either he was afraid of being killed or he couldn't do his time. None of these rats turned for any other reason than self preservation. D'Arco had no problem with Casso's and Amuso's murderous rampage when it benefited him. It was only when they turned on him and he felt that he was in danger that he suddenly developed a conscience. Same with Leonetti, he had no problem with Scarfo's blood lust and lunacy when he was riding his coat tails to the under boss position. It was only when he faced doing some serious time that he suddenly began to think that his uncle was a bad guy. Gravano had no problem killing Castellano and his own business partners when he got the power with John Gotti, He only started to think that Gotti was a bad guy when he was staring a long sentence in the face. While what Casso and Amuso did with the attack on his sister was over the line, Fat Pete had no problem with those guys and he had no problem bullying and killing people himself until he and his family had the tables turned on them.
That's why as much as they were deplorable humans in their own right, you have to respect guys like Scarfo, Gotti, and Sonny Black who took what was coming to them, either dying in jail or getting killed, as a consequence of the life that they led. These rats all did the same things that those guys did and enjoyed the benefits of mob life when times were good but then weren't strong enough to accept the consequences of the way that they chose to live their lives. Having made a very self interested choice in saving themselves, it follows that what they right or what they say will be framed to justify their actions and demonize the others who were down in the dirt with them.
