I was the first sitting Boss to become a rat says mobster in court
This rat’s got a purpose.
Joseph “Big Joey” Massino, who went from Mafia boss to government witness, admitted yesterday that he’s a “rat” and said he became the first don to violate the mob’s blood oath of omerta in a desperate bid for freedom.
Joseph “Big Joey” Massino, who went from Mafia boss to government witness, admitted yesterday that he’s a “rat” and said he became the first don to violate the mob’s blood oath of omerta in a desperate bid for freedom.
“I’m hoping to see daylight at the end of the tunnel,” Massino said during testimony in Brooklyn federal court against Genovese capo Anthony “Rom” Romanello, who’s on trial for racketeering and extortion.
Earlier in his contentious cross-examination, defense lawyer Gerald McMahon grilled Massino, bluntly saying, “You became a rat!”
Massino, who made history last year when he became the first mob boss to take the stand for the feds, at the trial of his successor, Vincent Basciano, willingly agreed: “Correct.”
Massino, who’s serving two life sentences, is banking that his testimony in this and other trials will be so convincing, he’d be eligible for a Rule 35 reprieve, in which federal prosecutors ask a judge to severely cut a con’s prison time because of his cooperation.
“Is there anyone else in the Mafia in this courtroom?” asked Assistant US Attorney Jack Dennehy during direct examination.
“The man sitting over there with the glasses, Romanello,” said Massino, gesturing at the defense table.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mobster_ve_got_rat_idea_xh6Es2tbNisF00QFwrcBRM
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