It didn’t take long for the feds to send letters to the reputed Gambino defendants, according to Newsday.  Prosecutors mailed out plea offers to 60 of 62 defendants, with a level of alacrity that is rarely seen in any federal prosecution, no less one of the alleged Mafia.

According to the story, the offers ranged from 4 months to 20 years. 

Lawyers with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn said the plea offers were given to 60 defendants, including most of the high ranked crime family members hit in the 80-count racketeering indictment. Only reputed Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia, 61, and fugitive captain Nicholas Corozzo,67, who face murder charges, weren’t given offers, officials said.

That’s to be expected.  By taking out the little fish, the government gains leverage in getting the big fish.  It’s really just a variation on an old joke:  Once they’ve determined who is a whore, they are just dickering over price.   The next step will be the tantalizing prospect of cooperation, and a better offer, if only the defendants will give up the big guys. 

Why the speed?  Because the defendants have yet to retain counsel of their choosing.  The feds want to get in there and entice as many defendants as possible to stay with their CJA lawyers, engage in negotiation, hold out the 5K1.1 carrot, before they lawyer up for real.  It’s not that the CJA lawyers are competent, perhaps even spectacular lawyers, but that they are not married to the ways of the defendants.

What ways?  The ways of Men of Honor.  Indulge my rhetorical statements here, since I speak of no one in particular and know nothing about any of the specific individuals involved in this indictment.  But there is some history in these alleged organized crime cases that cannot be ignored.

In the old days, the men involved in organized crime believed in certain things, one of which was that they would never turn on their friends.  They would take the heat.  Do the time.  Come out eventually and know that their families were provided for.  They would hold up their end of the deal.  Their associates, their bosses, would hold up theirs.  Quite symbiotic, and one on which you could count.

That changed over time, as do so many of the old ways.  Valachi.  Gravano, D’Arco, Sessa, Scarpa.  Embarrassments all, but a wave of the future.  While this made for some fine movie insights, it was the end of honor.  To the romantic, the end of honor made them ordinary criminals, unworthy of further interest.

Are all the men of honor really gone?

But attorney Joseph Corozzo of Manhattan, who is representing his father, reputed Gambino consiglieri Joseph Corozzo, 66, said he didn’t even open the government’s offer.

“I threw it in the garbage,” attorney Corozzo said, adding that he was angered that his father was accused of drug dealing in the indictment. “If they want to drop the drug charges, then I will talk to them,” said Corozzo.

Another throwback to the old days was that organized crime would have nothing to do with drugs.  It was dirty crime, dishonorable crime.  Of course, one would have thought that ship sailed a long time ago, but apparently it remains docked at the Corozzo’s.  Why son Joseph would suggest that, but for the drug charge, he would be willing to talk about a plea (and thereby suggest guilt without any apparent benefit to his father) I can’t imagine.  But then, sometimes quotes are taken out of context.  And sometimes, the wrong thing comes out of someone’s mouth.

So will the government’s ploy work?  Will the weak links in the chain pull apart under the pressure of a plea offer.  Will the speed of the offers, before the details can be arranged that would put a different sort of lawyer in place to advise his or her client differently?  Will the current lawyers, certainly not foolish by any stretch, recognize this effort by the government to seize a tactical advantage while the opportunity is available because of their view that new counsel will be far less amendable to plea offers, and perhaps even cooperation, then they are?

And will the defendants in this case chose to follow in the footsteps of Sammy the Bull, or will they chose to be men of honor?  We’ll find out soon when the number of people present at the next court appearance are counted.  There is very little space left in the courtroom with a 62 defendant case.  If there is more breathing room next time, we will see whether there are still any men of honor left.