Wasn't Scarpa only facing a short jail sentence when he decided to become an informant? I imagine it's the same for that Irish punk Whitey Bulger. Granted those rumors of, "...only facing a short sentence, so & so agreed/decided to become an informant..."

It makes me wonder; did they become an informant to continue being a criminal, or where they genuinely afraid of prison?

Little Al was, like Chiodo, facing a murder contract.

Scarpa was an informant, but never "flipped" per se. (If by "flipped" we mean the whole testimony/debrief/witness protection thing). In any event, his cooperation didn't help him at all.

In January 1995, Salemme was indicted on racketeering charges along with Bulger and Flemmi. Salemme was convicted and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment. In 1999, while serving his racketeering sentence, Salemme learned that both Bulger and Flemmi were government informants, and that both men had provided information on Salemme to their FBI handlers. Salemme now agreed to provide the government with information on the FBI handling of Bulger and Flemmi.

On May 8, 1991 two shooters ambushed Chiodo at a gas station in Staten Island where he was working on a car. Chiodo received 12 bullet wounds in the arms, legs, and torso, but survived the attack.[1][3] Doctors credited Chiodo's 500 pound (227 kg.) weight for saving his life; his massive girth prevented the bullets from penetrating a vital organ or artery.[4] Following the unsuccessful assassination attempt, Lucchese mobsters delivered a blunt threat to Chiodo's lawyer that they would kill Chiodo's wife if he testified, a violation of a longstanding Mafia rule against harming women. While Chiodo had turned down several offers to flip, the threat against his wife was the last straw. He opted to break his blood oath and become a government witness, by his own account, to protect his family.[5] The government quickly brought Chiodo's immediate family into the federal Witness Protection Program.

With the failure of his gunmen to murder Chiodo, D'Arco soon became afraid of the wrath of his bosses. After a 1991 meeting during which he feared being murdered, D'Arco went into hiding and soon became a government witness himself

On March 10, 1992, Lucchese associate Michael Spinelli shot Patricia Capozallo, Chiodo's sister, while she was driving in Bensonhurst. Capozallo suffered wounds to the arm, back and neck but survived.[6][7] On February 2, 1993, the body of Frank Signorino, Chiodo's uncle, was found in the trunk of a car in East New York. The body displayed several gunshot wounds to the head

He also learned that Amuso and Casso had marked his wife for death. Although Accetturo had known that Amuso and Casso had put contracts on both him and his son, the discovery that they were targeting his wife as well was the last straw. Not only did it violate a long-standing Mafia rule against harming women, but Mrs. Acceturo had served many of them meals in headier days.

little al

D'Arco wasnt even facing charges but I guess if saving your own ass is 'initiative' then he would qualify.

Tartaglione is the best posted example.

tartaglione flipped because was facing murder and racketeering and don't wan't to die in prison.

Joe Dogs Iannuzzi?