Surviving the Mob - Dennis Griffin [83]
“Right after that, correction officers who knew me from the compound would stop by my cell and ask what was going on. I knew better than to tell them anything, because any one of them could have been playing both sides of the fence.
“One of the officers I knew a little better than the others told me that trouble was breaking out in the compound over me. Some inmates said I’d sold out and others said that would never happen. Speculation about me was running rampant. As tempers flared, organized-crime guys were getting into fist fights among themselves. I’m sure there were a lot of people, including Nicky, hoping my defenders were right. If they weren’t and I’d actually flipped, they knew there was trouble ahead.”
The rumblings about Andrew’s possible cooperation with the government caused shock waves both inside and outside of the prison. Unfortunately, he had to stay in the Hole until he was formally accepted into the federal Witness Protection Program.
WITNESS PROTECTION—
HISTORY AND PROCESS
The federal Witness Protection Program (WPP) was implemented in 1970 to protect crucial government witnesses whose prospective testimony put them in immediate danger. Since its inception, more than 7,500 witnesses and 9,500 witness family members have entered the program and have been protected, relocated, and given new identities. It is operated by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The cost of operating the WPP is substantial. The total cost of bringing one witness and his immediate family into the program in 1997 was approximately $150,000. The operating budget for the program in fiscal year 1996 was $46.3 million. The following year it grew to $61.8 million.
A 1997 article about the WPP by Ridson N. Slate states the case for such expenditures: “U.S. Attorneys throughout the nation state that the program is the most valuable tool that they have in fighting organized crime and major criminal activity. Over 100 mobsters are purported to be participants in the WPP. For example, the testimony of alleged protected witness Salvatore Gravano, who was reportedly involved in nineteen murders and actually acknowledged pulling the trigger in one hit, proved instrumental in sending mob boss John Gotti to prison for life. In addition, terrorists, drug traffickers, members of motorcycle and prison gangs, and other major criminals have been adversely affected by the testimony of protected witnesses.”
The same article further states that in all the cases involving protected-witness testimony since the program’s inception, the government has reportedly realized a conviction rate of 89%—an impressive statistic that makes clear that familiarity on the part of witnesses often goes beyond casual observations and includes involvement in the criminal enterprise. Ninety-seven percent of witnesses entering the program have had criminal records and been deeply involved in some type of criminal activity. And somewhat surprisingly, according to the United States Marshals Service, the recidivism rate for witnesses with prior criminal histories who entered the program and were later arrested and charged with crimes is less than 23%. This recidivism percentage among program participants is less than half the rate of those released from the nation’s prisons.
The process for admission into the WPP isn’t automatic and involves input from several sources. However, final determinations are made by the U.S. Attorney General. Typically, applications for witness protection are submitted by various United States Attorneys and Organized Crime Strike Forces across the country. In addition to the sponsoring attorney’s application, the case agent from the investigative agency provides a threat assessment through his federal headquarters for review. In rendering its decision, the Attorney General takes into consideration