Has anything like this happened in real life?

It just seems a bit foolish for a Don to let his caporegimes go. But, as so many others have said: he knew in advance that Tessio and Clemenza joining Barzini et al was impossible, should his plan to wipe them out succeed.

Mick

...dot com bold typeface rhetoric.
You go clickety click and get your head split.
'The hell you look like on a message board
Discussing whether or not the Brother is hardcore?