EMBATTLED “mob cop” Lou Eppolito says the prosecution’s star witness might just have put his foot in his mouth.
During lunch yesterday, Eppolito, clearly in an upbeat mood, told me, “Now, Burt [Kaplan] said on the witness stand that he would meet me and Steve [Caracappa] at least three times a month over . . . three years.” That would mean they’d all met, give or take a few days, about 140 times.
Now ask anyone about the feds and their surveillance, when it comes to both hidden audio and video surveillance – second to none. “Kaplan said that he operated during his criminal career as if he was always under surveillance,” Eppolito said.
I don’t believe the feds were asleep at the wheel.
Now while this is no slam dunk for the defense, it has to raise a question mark in the jury’s mind.
Kaplan conceded that he thought they may have put a tracking device on his car but dismissed it. Kaplan told the court they would meet in a Staten Island cemetery or they would come to Kaplan’s house late at night and that they used the code word ‘Marco’ when talking on the phone.
Not very sophisticated for a brilliant man who believed the feds were watching him.
Kaplan on the stand revealed how in the 1980s Lou needed a loan for two houses, one he was building and one he wanted to buy. The builder did not have money to make things straight with Eppolito.