“Please state your name for the record.”
“James O’Ryan.”
“And, Mr. O’Ryan what do you do for a living?”
“Well, for the last eight years, up to about six months ago, I was a Detective with the LAPD.”
“And what happened to change that?”
“I was arrested for possession of cocaine and ecstasy,” O’Ryan admitted.
“I see,” the Prosecutor mused, as he paced in front of the witness stand. “And at any given time during your eight years as Detective, did you know the defendant, Joseph Diamanti?”
“I did.”
“In what capacity?”
“I worked for him,” O’Ryan answered.
Rollins stood up.
“Objection, Your Honor.”
“Overruled.”
“When you say you worked for him, could you be more specific?” the Prosecutor probed.
“Yeah. I was a dirty cop, and I was on Diamanti’s payroll. It’s not a fact that I’m proud of, but it’s a fact.”
“And how long did this arrangement go on?”
“Between a year and a half to two years,” O’Ryan estimated.
“What were some of your duties for Mr. Diamanti?”
“I would tell him if any of his illegal interests were under investigation, or if any of his people were working with the police. I also helped Mr. Diamanti plan and carry out the murder of Dominick Piazza and Tommy Scarlata, Boss and Underboss of the Piazza crime family in L.A.,” O’Ryan explained.
Rollins jumped to his feet.
“Objection, Your Honor! My client is not charged with the murders Mr. O’Ryan refers to.”
“But he is charged with drug dealing and racketeering. I simply want to establish a pattern of conduct,” the Prosecutor rebutted.
“Tread lightly, Counselor,” the Judge Bartholomew warned the Prosecutor, and then he turned to Rollins and said, “Overruled.”
The Prosecutor walked back over to the witness stand.
“And for what reason were these two men murdered?” the Prosecutor questioned.
“Because Joey’s—I mean Mr. Diamanti’s Boss—Salvatore Romano wanted them dead. Romano is the Boss of one of the biggest crime families in New York. He’s been wanting to control the action out of L.A. for a long time, but L.A. is what you call an open city.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, any family can set up operations out there, as long as no toes get stepped on. The Piazza family was the only family in L.A., but they had no power in New York. Romano wanted to get them a vote on the Commission, and then have the Bosses whacked so he could move his people to control the vote. It’s all a whole bunch of greaseball stuff. Anyway, once Romano finagled this, he had Mr. Diamanti whack the Bosses,” O’Ryan told a spellbound jury.
“What role did you play?”
“I was to claim that Tommy Scarlata was my informant, so Romano could justify killing a Made Man to the Commission. Now if the Boss’ crime family, the Piazzas, knew their Underboss was a rat…that makes them a rat by default. If the Boss was too blind to spot the rat, that makes him too dumb to be the Boss. Either way, they had to go,” O’Ryan concluded.
“And how did Mr. Diamanti benefit?” the Prosecutor asked.
“The double murder is how he got his button.”
“His button?”
“How Joey Diamonds became an official Made Man in the Mafia.”