A Good Rat Is Hard to Find -- These Days

Reynold Maragni

The NY Daily News reports that two Mafia informants were recently kicked off their respective trials, indicating perhaps the spark of a trend that law enforcement officials certainly would not be fond of. Many a trial has been won through the use of informants. Or at least that has been the case...

Bonanno associate Joseph Galante Jr., who was supposed to be "the star witness" in the extortion trial of reputed Genovese captain Anthony "Rom" Romanello was thrown off the case.

Another would-be star witness, Reynold Maragni, was to take the stand against two fellow mobsters -- Colombo consigliore Thomas Farese and associate Pat Truglia -- charged with money laundering.

"But after two previous appearances on the witness stand ended in disastrous verdicts for the government [the Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli and Francis (BF) Guerra Colombo trials, both of whom were acquitted of murder], prosecutors apparently decided to cut their losses and call an end to Maragni's singing career," the News reports in another article.

Although the informants were fired, tapes that they recorded were still allowed into court and played for the jury.

It is not known what infraction Galante committed to get kicked off Team America.

Maragni was nailed for selectively recording his confederates by turning the tape recorder on and off when he wanted to. He also passed them secret messages.

My question - were these "rats" really rats -- meaning, were they deliberately sabotaging the trials?