# "Sopranos": What was Johnny Sack's crime? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2006, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-what-was-johnny-sacks-crime/362998 "2006-07-03T01:20:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-what-was-johnny-sacks-crime/362998/1 "2006-07-03T01:20:39Z")
At the end of Season 5, Johnny Sack was arrested. But for what crime? I recall one of the government lawyers in a Season 6 episode say they’ve got him for “conspiracy to commit murder.” But whose murder? The [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Sacramoni) article says only: > [@](#): > > Following the (natural) death of Carmine in 2004, Johnny’s crew engaged in a bitter turf war over the Family Leadership with Carmine’s son, Little Carmine. More violence was threatened upon Tony Soprano’s New Jersey family following the unauthorised murder of two of Johnny’s men by Tony’s cousin, Tony Blundetto, on Little Carmine’s behalf. After both New York factions suffered heavy casualities, the conflict was brought to an end with Little Carmine surrendering control of the family. This was followed by a tentative reconciliation with Tony, who had personally taken the life of Blundetto to bury the hatchet. However, the moment was cut short when Johnny was promptly arrested by the FBI after one of the family’s capos, Jimmy Petrille, turned state’s evidence. Even while in jail awaiting trial he remained in control of the Lupertazzi family. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-what-was-johnny-sacks-crime/362998/2 "2006-07-03T07:01:28Z")
He was arrested for violation of the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization acts. If you remember, he made a deal with the Feds. He pled guilty to 47 RICO predicates for a reduced sentence of 15 years and a fine of $4.2 million. He also had to enter an allocution that he was part of an organized crime family. He asked Tony to convince his partners, the Calviac brothers to sell their business so he could get his share in order to provide for his wife and Tony had Johnny sell his house for half its value to Janice and Bobby as part of his fee. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-what-was-johnny-sacks-crime/362998/3 "2006-07-03T13:29:41Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > He was arrested for violation of the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization acts. If you remember, he > > made a deal with the Feds. He pled guilty to 47 RICO predicates for a reduced sentence of 15 years and a fine of $4.2 million. He also had to enter an allocution that he was part of an organized crime family. He asked Tony to convince his partners, the Calviac brothers to sell their business so he could get his share in order to provide for his wife and Tony had Johnny sell his house for half its value to Janice and Bobby as part of his fee. But what has any of that to do with “conspiracy to commit murder”? A charge of which the Feds were very confident they could convict him, and neither Johnny nor his lawyer ventured to contradict them. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-what-was-johnny-sacks-crime/362998/4 "2006-07-03T14:41:07Z")
“conspiracy to commit murder” is probably a pretty easy charge to level at a mobster. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-what-was-johnny-sacks-crime/362998/5 "2006-07-03T16:32:11Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But what has any of that to do with “conspiracy to commit murder”? A charge of which the Feds were very confident they could convict him, and neither Johnny nor his lawyer ventured to contradict them. From Wikipedia:“Under RICO, a person or group who commits any two of 35 crimes—27 federal crimes and 8 state crimes—within a 10-year period and, in the opinion of the US Attorney bringing the case, has committed those crimes with similar purpose or results can be charged with racketeering.” [Wikipedia - RICO Act](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RICO_(law)) “Commision of murder for hire” is one of the crimes defined in the act and certainly could be what the Feds were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-what-was-johnny-sacks-crime/362998/6 "2006-07-03T17:43:49Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > “conspiracy to commit murder” is probably a pretty easy charge to level at a mobster. Only if you can link it to the name of some particular intended victim. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-what-was-johnny-sacks-crime/362998/7 "2006-07-03T17:55:51Z")
Sure… the guy who turned states evidence against him. Let’s just say he was the intended victim and he knew it… or he was the intended trigger man maybe the intended victim wasn’t family related.