While in prison, Scarfo always had two bodyguards accompanying him; who were associates of the Mexican Mafia, whom he referred to as his pistoleros. He made it a public execution and made him an example to anyone that wasn't willing to give him what he wanted. At the time he was dispatched to Atlantic City, it was considered a backwater. But Fresolone as well as several other cooperators and many law enforcement sources point to Joey Merlino as the gunman that night. One is Philadelphia mob boss Philip Testa, the chicken man whose 1981 murder by nail bomb Bruce Springsteen sings about in the song Atlantic City. Testas son sold Trump premium land that became a casino parking lot. [7] Scarfo's nephew, Phil Leonetti, who he had promoted to Underboss in 1986, also turned state's evidence in 1989 after a RICO conviction. But a few men in Testas gang resented the new boss. [9] Leonetti did not like the nickname and was not referred to as such by his mob peers. Little Nicky died in jail serving what amounted to a life sentence. Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., 50, of Galloway--son of jailed Philadelphia mob boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo-- was convicted in July 2014 on more than 20 counts of mail, bank and wire fraud and. 14 years imprisonment, 55 years imprisonment, This page was last edited on 4 February 2023, at 20:17. Authorities solved 24 homicides thanks to DelGiornos information, and three years later won convictions on nine of the murders. When a federal judge in Philadelphia sentenced him to 55 years in prison on murder and racketeering charges in May 1989, Nicodemo Little Nicky Scarfo just shrugged. He was charged last summer with committing bank fraud and other related offenses in relation to the First Plus Financial scam. But by the end of the three-hour-plus movie, the nostalgia fades and so does the pinkie-ring finery. Where Capone had wit and panache, Mr. Scarfo had neither. He is now a federally protected witness. In this clip, Michael Franzese spoke about his relationship with former Philadelphia mob leader Nicky Scarfo, whose son committed suicide while Nicky was embroiled in a federal trial. His legacy is one of wanton violence and murder, of familial disorder, of greed and treachery. PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDY RITCHIE Stay up-to-date on your favorite celebrities and news topics by signing up! Monday, Jul 18, 2011 NATIONAL (A09) Inquirer, Mafia Prince Nicky Scarfo Jr sentenced to 30 years, Mafia Bosses and Hierarchies Heading into 2021, Mafia Bosses and Hierarchies Heading into 2020, Bonanno family mobster Anthony Santoro makes odd bid for plea deal, Lucchese mobster Eugene Boobsie Castelle tries to get out of prison, again, Lucchese soldier given three year prison sentence for assaulting former husband of Real Housewives of New Jersey star, Matthew Madonna, Steven Crea, two co-defendants get new trial in murder case, Scott Deitche - Author of Cigar City Mafia and other great mob books. After stabbing a longshoreman to death in a bar, Mr. Scarfo was convicted of manslaughter and served six months. Nicky Scarfo had been a made member of the Philadelphia Crime Family since 1954. Scarfo acted as the getaway driver. He was charged last summer with committing bank fraud and other related offenses in relation to the First Plus Financial scam. There were some political ads that would run in the local newspaper every day in the last week before election, and the lawyer didnt want them to run. [21][22][23] In 1986, Caramandi was indicted for his role in the extortion case and decided to testify in court. His trial was met with damaging testimonies of several informants, who had carried out his murders. (The title is a reference to the special kind of painting Sheeran did that left his victims brains on the wall.) Mr. Scarfo had a volatile temper and a penchant for wanton violence and vengeance as he rose to become head of what was known as the Bruno-Scarfo crime family. This was in 1979, and Stone had been tapped to run Ronald Reagans political operation in New York. May 1, 2016 - Recent prison photo of former Philly mob boss Nicky scarfo. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Witnesses to the slayings were afraid to talk, fearing retribution. . His son and namesake is following in his footsteps. In Mobster's Obituary, Unexpected Family", "Nicodemo Scarfo, ex-Philadelphia mob boss, dies in prison", "Tyrannical Mafia boss Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo, 87, dies in prison hospital", "Her Memory Of 'The Blade' Wasn't Sharp Fed's Witness Mistakes Scarfo For Virgilio", "N.J.'s most notorious murders | The mobsters", "Book excerpt from 'Mafia Prince:' The story of Philip Leonetti's mob hit of Vincent Falcone as ordered and watched by Nicky Scarfo", "Mobster's South Philly House Up for Historical Nomination", "This Mob Shot Its Brains Out Crime boss Ralph Natale, in rare testimony against his own, tells a tale of murder--and ineptitude", "Mob Violence Is Personal For Narducci's Sons", "Too tough to fuggedabout: Notable Mafia nicknames", "Former Philly Police Captain Dies at 71", "The Story Of Sal Testa, Former Scarfo Protege", "What happened to the Scarfo crime family? Among the items that Pelullo and Scarfo allegedly purchased with the money was a private plane, which they used to visit the elder Scarfo in prison. Even in prison, Mr. Scarfo remained an unreconstructed criminal into his 80s, prosecutors say. PhillyVoice Contributor. Leonetti was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pasquale Leonetti and Annunziata Scarfo. In 1954, Scarfo was proposed for membership into the Philadelphia crime family. Merlino has repeatedly denied the allegation. [10], In 1979, Nicky Scarfo ordered Leonetti to murder Vincent Falcone, a criminal associate who had been underestimating Scarfo's power within the crime family; he shot him twice. Philip Michael Leonetti (born March 27, 1953)[1] is an American former mobster who became the underboss of the Philadelphia crime family under his mentor, uncle and former boss, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, before becoming a government informant in 1989 after being sentenced to 45 years for racketeering. At his death, he was serving 55 years for racketeering and participating in a criminal enterprise that sold drugs, murdered nine people, tried to kill four others and engaged in loan-sharking, extortion and gambling. [4] [5] He is also the father of Nicky Scarfo Jr., a Lucchese family soldier, who was sentenced in 2015, to 30 years in prison for security fraud, racketeering, and illegal gambling. Only the shotgun slaying of mob boss Angelo Bruno outside his Snyder Avenue row home in 1980 and the ambush of mob boss John Stanfa in the middle of rush hour traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway in 1993 compare. Mr. Bruno exiled him to Atlantic City, where he was later charged, in a federal racketeering case, in connection with the murder of an uncooperative local judge. He moved to South Philadelphia at the age of 10, and started working as a young laborer. [24][25], Scarfo began his sentence at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. Scarfo concentrated on a gangland opponent, Harry The Hunchback Riccobene. Scarfo's father "Little Nicky" and fellow boss Vittorio Amuso were named as unindicted coconspirators in the plot. [3] Between 1987 and 1989, Scarfo was convicted three timesfor conspiracy, racketeering, and first-degree murder, being sentenced to consecutive prison terms of 14 years, 55 years and life, although the life sentence was later overturned. Trump wasnt the only one who knew the people in the world of The Irishman. Shortly after the shooting Nicky Jr. headed to North Jersey where he was under the care and protection of the Newark branch of the Scarfo organization. [7], Leonetti has alleged that, at 8 years of age, he was used as a decoy by Scarfo to dispose of a dead body, explaining to the young Leonetti that he had brutally stabbed a man in a New Jersey bar with an ice pick for disrespecting him. Plus, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano makes a big splash with an explosive new online interview. Now we are building national connections. Thanks to DelGiorno, one of those on the hook for homicide for the execution of bookmaker DAlfonso in 1985 was the big fish, Scarfo. In 1978, Scarfo and his associate, Nicholas "Nick the Blade" Virgilio, shot and murdered judge Edwin Helfant for refusing to cooperate with them and to help Virgilio receive a lighter sentence as he was facing murder charges, in exchange for $12,500. He had fallen into a coma in 1988 after a failed attempt to hang himself. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Then in November 1986, two of Scarfos thugs, Nicholas Nicky Crow Caramandi and Thomas Tommy Del DelGiorno, who believed they were in danger from the violent Scarfo for what they knew, went to the feds, agreed to tell all and testify about it. No one has ever been charged with the Dante & Luigi shooting which ranks among the most audacious in Philadelphia mob underworld history. All Rights Reserved. Phil Leonetti, Little Nickys nephew and underboss, said it best in the book Mafia Prince which he co-authored with Scott Burnstein. The middle son, the namesake, fell in line behind his father and has paid a tremendous price. He appeared to be the opposite of his uncle, a quiet and laid back personality. [7], During the trial, Scarfo's son Mark Scarfo attempted suicide on November 1, 1988. Follow Michael Franzese at:http://www.michaelfranzese.comhttp://www.michaelfranzese.com/coachinghttp://join.michaelfranzese.com/innercircle, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa4QtL_Z28M&feature=youtu.be. As Giuliani finds himself in the crosshairs of prosecutors with the U.S. attorneys office he once ran, its worth pondering what was on those tapes. But less than a year later, in 1989, Scarfo would get the life sentence. We want to hear it. 514K views, 3.6K likes, 90 loves, 110 comments, 209 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from VladTV - Breaking Urban News: Michael Franzese on Philly Mob Boss Nicky Scarfo's Son Hanging Himself (Part 9) This would not be his last murder for Scarfo. Scarfo headed the Philadelphia-South Jersey Mob starting in 1981, and his ensuing war with rivals would result in more than 20 deaths in the early 80s. His cement contracting company "Scarf, Inc", which was shared with his nephew, received business as developers built new casinos in Atlantic City; Scarfo would intimidate businesses into buying from his company. Rouse refused and immediately contacted the FBI. Scarfo grew up in South Philadelphia, working as a newsboy at a train station and later, though small in stature (5 feet 5, hence his nickname), trained as an amateur boxer. [13] Phil Testa became the new Boss of the Philadelphia crime family, appointing Scarfo as his Consigliere. Over lunch several years ago in Florida, shortly after his release from prison on racketeering charges, he explained with a straight face that he couldnt possibly have been the shooter. Succeeding Mr. Testa, Mr. Scarfo muscled in on the casino boom through his company, Scarf Inc., pouring concrete for the foundations of several gambling palaces, including one that opened as Harrahs Trump Plaza. During the trial, Scarfo began his sentence at the age of 10, and Stone been. And down arrows to review and enter to select bank fraud and related. But less than a year later, in 1989, Scarfo would the. Delgiornos information, and Stone had been a made member of the three-hour-plus movie, the,. Nicky died in jail serving what amounted to a life sentence his uncle, a quiet and laid personality! `` the Bull '' Gravano makes a big splash with an explosive new online interview in jail serving amounted. 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