Well, not to be a know-it-all, but I told everyone from day one that Dean didn't have his button. But because someone saw his name on an Internet chart, they took it as Gospel.

Besides, if he was made the Feds would have indicted him that way. They LOVE to put "made member" on an indictment whenever they can. He was indicted as an associate because that's what he is. That "Titular head of the Gambinos" nonsense came from an overzealous prosecutor .

There just isn't any reason for another made guy up there. Tony comes home next year---he usually averages about two or three years on the street before going back---and that's when Dean should be coming home. It's a very predictable cycle. I honestly thought Dean would have gotten closer to ten; some posters said three to five, and he ended up with six. So it ended up right in between. Par for the course when predicting this shit.

And like I posted on the other site, the problem is, these prosectuors seem to have a hard-on for Dean. Chen's a young guy, and Joengblod (the lead federal prosecutor in that district) is a lifer with the DA's office in the District of Connecticut. So when this kid comes home in four or five years, they'll be waiting. Because if anyone thinks that it's never personal with some of these prosecutors, then you've never been inside a courtroom.

I'm not defending the guy, you play you pay. But these gambling sentences are ridiculous. Killers are getting less time in state court when they plea out to man two or agg assault. And when that happens the system is clearly not working.

But it's a life lesson. You're not just a bookmaker when you're kicking up; not in the eyes of the Feds, anyway. To them, you're a part of a bigger conspiracy, even though 90 percent of Connecticut bookies will go their whole lives without actually meeting a made guy.