Widowed Alyssa Milano Works for Mafia in "Wisegal"

Here’s a news flash - things don’t work out so well when you get involved with the mob.

Yet screenwriters can’t seem to stop themselves from spinning gangster tales. There’s nothing particularly new about “Wisegal,” on Lifetime.

Alyssa Milano stars as Patty Montanari, a widowed mother of two young boys. Unable to pay her bills, Patty begins working for the Mafia - first by selling tax-free cigarettes, then by turning a failing mob-owned restaurant into a successful nightclub.

Along the way, she falls for married gangster Frank Russo (Jason Gedrick). Mob boss Salvatore Palmeri (James Caan) makes Patty a promise - he will provide for her family forever if she transports a half-million dollars across the Canadian border.

Even though “Wisegal” is based on a true story, any savvy TV viewer could write what happens next. Heck, anyone who caught 15 minutes of any “Sopranos” episode can forecast how this story will unfold. And writer Shelley Evans seems to know that. Her script often skips key points of exposition. Without explanation, Frank’s son Mouse (Zak Longo) is involved in drugs and this is a huge problem for the mob. Suddenly Frank is a violent threat to Patty and her family.

It may be predictable, but the movie is backed by creditability. Joseph Pistone, the real-life FBI agent who inflitrated the mob as Donnie Brasco, and Anthony Melchiorri, Patty’s real-life son, are executive producers. Melchiorri pays homage to his mother but doesn’t justify her actions. “These people helped me. I made them my family. I knew what I was doing,” Patty tells an FBI agent.

The acting imbues the movie with a higher level of quality. Milano (“Charmed,” “My Name is Earl”) is an extremely likable TV presence. Sporting her best New York accent (probably last heard when she played Long Island Lolita Amy Fisher in the 1993 TV movie “Casualties of Love”), she brings Patty’s scrappy determination to life.

Caan, who knows a thing or two about mob movies, has the right amount of benevolent malice. And Gedrick does a lot with his extremely underwritten role. So while “Wisegal” might not be anything new, it’s a perfectly entertaining way to spend a Saturday night.

Thanks to Amy Amatangelo

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The Shark Weighs in on Mobster Sentencing and Federal Guidelines

The Michael Marcello sentencing was held and he was sentenced to 102 months, which is within the guideline range of 87-108 months. Some may think this was too much and others may say not enough. The federal guidelines are a funny set of rules. There are these things called "grouping" where a judge can find different crimes can be grouped together and in effect cancel each other out and become equal in the equation. Sentencing guidelines also use tax losses to calculate the range. The more mula (money) the more time.

Guidelines can be tricky and even courts, prosecutors, probation officers, and defense lawyers can have different views on their application. The Supreme Court recently ruled judges can depart from the guidelines and impose sentences not in violation of a statutory minimum. This is a new direction in which courts can depart. We as lawyers (prosecutors and judges are lawyers) get used to one system and then another one is put in its place. As the guidelines fade away so do the sentences. We have more people in prison than any other country. Are lawyers losing that many cases?

Joseph "The Shark" Lopez

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Enhanced Evidence Revealed in Tinley Park Executions

Tinley Park Murders: It's been six weeks since five women were brutally killed inside a Lane Bryant clothing store in a south Chicago suburb. Now, AMW has teamed up with some of the best experts in the country to analyze evidence and help track down the killer. We are now releasing images of two cars that may be linked to these gruesome murders -- and an enhanced recording of the killer's voice caught on tape.

William Balser: Until February 18, 1998, most people thought Bill Balser was a respectable family man. He was well-educated and even had a photographic memory. In his free time he enjoyed exercise and playing jazz trumpet. However, police say that Balser and his girlfriend, Robin Lee Robinson, abused drugs, alcohol -- and her two daughters.

Robin Robinson: Robin Lee Robinson's two daughters withstood eight years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of Robin's boyfriend, William Lloyd Balser. Cops say what made matters worse is the fact that Robinson was aware of it and did nothing. Since 1998, she's been on the run and cops are hoping that she'll soon be behind bars.

Mark Earhart: Police in Tennessee are on the hunt to track down an alleged sex offender who they say skipped town. Cops say Earhart may be working on a barge and is known to have experience with towboats.

Faarah Iiman: On December 14, 2007, cops say that an argument over a Playstation 2 ended in an attempted murder in Portland , Maine . Police tell us that suspect Faarah Iiman accused his friend of taking the video game console, and he wanted it back -- at any cost.

Jose Reyes-Sanchez: His nickname is "Angel," but cops say Jose Ramon Reyes-Sanchez won't be fitted for his wings any time soon. According to police, he killed two men following an argument, then hit the road with an unlikely partner -- his 12-year-old son.

Joseph Duran: Police in Vacaville , Calif. are on the lookout for an 18-year-old suspect in the shooting of one of his former friends. Cops say that Joseph Stanley Duran shot and killed 19-year-old Angelo Hurst during a drive-by shooting on June 20, 2007. Authorities tell AMW that Hurst wasn't the intended target -- Duran was aiming for someone else and Hurst was simply caught in the crosshairs in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, Duran's on the run and cops are hoping that AMW viewers can help to pinpoint his whereabouts.

Tammy Vincent: Almost 30 years have passed since police were called to an isolated beach 20 miles north of San Francisco to investigate a grisly murder scene that centered around the charred remains of a teenage Jane Doe. For years, cops tried to identify the girl and figure out the events surrounding her death, but it wasn't until AMW lent a helping hand that parts of the puzzle began to fit together. Authorities now know that the murdered girl -- 16-year-old Tammy Vincent -- was the girl embroiled in the middle of a state's case against a sleazy Seattle strip club whose owners, cops believe, had her killed for the things she knew.

Jon Schillaci: The FBI top ten list is generally reserved for terrorists and other violent criminals. But, the bureau - and AMW - believe that sexual predators should be part of the list as well. That's why the hunt is on for Jon Schillaci, a convicted child sexual predator. He is now on the top ten list. Cops say the ex-con was offered a new chance at life after serving time in Texas , but instead repaid one family's kindness with a parent's worst nightmare.

Chi Du: When a jealous ex spotted his former girlfriend with another man, he decided that if he couldn't have her, then no one would. Police say a brutal attack soon followed, and Chi Du left two stunned victims behind.

Eddie Harrington: Both the FBI and police in Columbus , Ga. have issued arrest warrants for the abduction of three children. Authorities say that Eddie Harrington, 28, got into an argument with his wife and kidnapped his three children from their home: twin sisters Aliyah and Agna Battle, 1 year old, and Cedric Harrington, 3 years old. The police are concerned about the safety of both the children and Harrington -- and he has a history of mental health issues.

Perry Griffin Killers: The family of Perry Griffin is trying to come to terms with why Perry, 37, was gunned down outside his office in Dothan , Ala.

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