A Colombo crime family rat who wore a Dick Tracy-style watch to record his Mafia brethren is about to get his hunk of government cheese.
Mob capo Reynold Maragni was arrested on an avalanche of racketeering and other charges in January 2011 and quickly agreed to turn federal witness in exchange for a lighter sentence, court papers say.
Citing his testimony in a slew of high-profile mob trials, government prosecutors submitted a recommendation that he be sentenced to less than what federal guidelines call for.
The feds are lobbying for leniency despite Maragni’s choppy tenure as a government rat. He sang in two murder trials that ended in acquittals.
He took the stand in the murder trial of Dino “Little Dino” Saracino and Tommy “Tommy Shots” Gioeli, and both men beat the rap.
He also sang in court in another unsuccessful murder case against Colombo associate Francis Guerra.
Despite those setbacks, the feds argue that Maragni should catch a break for the information he provided in prosecuting Colombo cases.
“Maragni has provided substantial cooperation in the government’s longstanding and continuing investigation into the Colombo family,” the court filing states.
Prosecutors note that Maragni’s cooperation was cut short after he was busted for turning off his recording device during mob sitdowns without permission.
He pleaded guilty to racketeering raps in 2011.