Prosecutors have asked to use a clip of a deceitful Mafia underling named Pentangeli from “The Godfather Part II” during Roger Stone’s upcoming trial on perjury and obstruction charges.
In a court filing on Friday, government prosecutors are seeking permission to use a four-minute clip of the Mafia minion from the classic film, which they say Stone referenced in conversations that “are alleged to have constituted witness tampering.”
“Start practicing your Pantagele [sic],” Stone texted radio host Randy Credico, according to CNN, while discussing his potential House Intelligence Committee testimony. Prosecutors believe Stone crafted a cover story to mask Credico’s outreach to WikiLeaks during the 2016 election.
In the “Godfather II” snippet, mobster Frank Pentangeli heads to Washington, D.C. to testify before a Senate committee about his involvement in organized crime. Pentangeli then changes his mind and denies knowing anything about the crime family after mob boss Michael Corleone enters the hearing.
You can check the scene out here.
“The relevant scene is important context for understanding Stone’s references — including what Stone intended to communicate to the witness and how Stone would have understood the witness’s likely understanding of those messages,” the motion, which you can see in full below, said.
In January, Stone — a former Trump administration strategist and adviser — was indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller on charges he impeded a congressional investigation and tampered with witnesses. Stone has plead not guilty to all charges and will stand trial in Nov. 5.