Why did Rudy successfully prosecute so many mafia figures?
The Mafia Commission Trial (February 25, 1985–November 19, 1986) was a criminal trial in New York City, USA. Using evidence obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, eleven organized crime figures, including the heads of New York's so-called "Five Families," were indicted by United States Attorney Rudolph Giuliani under the RICO Act on charges including extortion, labor racketeering, and murder for hire. The case struck a blow against "The Commission," a loose organization of the New York Mafia organizations that met to resolve disputes or discuss criminal activities, sometimes likened to organized crime's board of directors. Time Magazine called this "Case of Cases" possibly "the most significant assault on the infrastructure of organized crime since the high command of the Chicago Mafia was swept away in 1943," and quoted Giuliani's stated intention: "Our approach...is to wipe out the five families."[1]
The inital defendants included:
Paul "Big Paul" Castellano, Boss of the Gambino crime family
Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, Boss of the Genovese crime family
Carmine "Junior" Persico, Boss of the Colombo Family
Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo, Boss of the Lucchese crime family
Philip "Rusty" Rastelli, Boss of the Bonanno family,
as well as their subordinates,
Aniello "The Lamb" Dellacroce, (aka. "Mr. Neil")Gambino Family Underboss
Gennaro "Gerry Lang" Langella, Colombo Family Acting Boss/Underboss
Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro, Lucchese Family Underboss
Christopher "Christy Tick" Furnari, Lucchese Family Consigliere
Ralph "Ralphie" Scopo, Colombo Family soldier,
Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato, Bonanno Family soldier.
Philip Rastelli was granted a separate trial, Aniello Dellacroce died of cancer on December 2, 1985, and Paul Castellano was murdered two weeks later. The remaining eight defendants were found guilty on all 151 counts on November 19, 1986, and were sentenced on January 13, 1987.
en.wikipedia.org
Rudy Giuliani was targeted by the bosses of New York's five mob families, who considered killing him in 1986, an informant told the FBI at the time, according to testimony given in the murder trial of retired FBI agent Lindley DeVechio.
Late Gambino family crime boss John Gotti, the flamboyant "Dapper Don," and the Colombo family boss Carmine Persico, suggested the idea of killing Giuliani, who as Manhattan U.S. attorney led the government's prosecution of the mob. But bosses for the other families -- Bonnano, Lucchese and Genovese -- disagreed and the idea was rejected, according to the informer.
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