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"NICKY AND PHIL, YOUR NEXT" CASE CLOSED!

2009-02-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

When the words "Nicky and Phil, your next" first aired on Atlantic City's local television, many locals saw the message and thought nothing of it. Their were other locals, most notably Nicky Scarfo and Phil Leoenetti (Both Pictured below), who took the threat more seriously.

After the message aired 12 separate times, an entire weekend, the Police were eventually involved. They established that the message had originated from the local television studio which happened to be located on the second floor of the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Maybe their enemy's wielded more power than they gave them credit for? After all, it was no easy task to sneak into a large television studio, and air a threat against the local mafia for all of Atlantic City to see. This was only 2 days after Frank Narducci was murdered in the street. At first, the blame shifted to friends of the deceased. Narducci had two son's that were already known on the street. It was common knowledge that their father was killed by Salvatore
Testa, Scarfo's "left" hand man.

While the Narducci's had their reasons, their were many others. When Scarfo looked at the possible candidates, the Narducci brothers actually ranked low on the list.

Frank D'Alfonso, Aka Frankie Flowers, was also a possible suspect. This was right after a few news reporters had christened Mr. D'Alfonso the new Boss of Philadelphia. The fact that he was not even a made guy apparently did not matter to the fluff reporters. The article only established a rivalry between D'Alfonso and Scarfo. Frankie Flowers had recently had a run-in with a Scarfo "truck", and was still recovering from his wounds.

Harry Riccobene, while not yet officially "at war" with Scarfo, had also failed to show the proper respect, and was amoung the possible suspects. He was also considered a threat to the new regime, and looked upon with caution ever since Bruno was killed. Riccobene, a very resourceful man, was one person who had connections to many legitimate people all over the tri-state area. He could have easily arranged such a message.

One group Scarfo did not look at was the local youth of Atlantic City.

They had the names Nicky Scarfo and Phil Leonetti rammed in their faces for years now. The local papers had been following their exploits for quite some time, and the young Atlantic City kids had often made jokes about the local gangsters. It's not hard to imagine the young kids running up and down Georgia ave at nighttime, trying to sneak looks at the alleged mobster's home while fleeing from passing cars.

According to a source close to the situation, it was nothing more than two young guys from the neighborhood who had grown up, and were now working at the old Atlantic City Convention Center, (now Boardwalk hall), who had "masterminded" the televised mob threats.

The two guys, already notorious pranksters from their youth, were the ones behind the legendary message. Some in Atlantic City would later call the situation "the ultimate inside joke".

Apparently, the two men were working on the second floor of the building when they stumbled into a room where the local cable channel had its studio. In the middle of the room sat a projector, that used a slide show to air local messages on channel 2. Up until that point, the projector was used primarily to help local stores advertise their phone numbers, and to televise crude local messages involving town hall meetings and local School closings.

When the two men saw the projector, and noticed the slot that was used to air the messages, they couldn't resist putting their own twist on the local message scene. Understanding their time was limited, they wrote the first thing that came to mind. Instantly thinking of the mob "war" that was playing out on the streets at that time, and taking over the local newspapers, one of the men grabbed a piece of paper, and hand wrote the now legendary message, "Nicky and Phil, Your next". The rest is history.

MAYOR FOR SALE.....

2009-01-29T05:50:00.001-08:00

Michael Matthews was a State legislator on his way up the political ladder. Frank Lentino was a local business agent for Local 54, and on his way up another ladder. While the origin of their relationship is foggy, the relationship itself has been detailed quite thoroughly. When the case finally came to trial, it was discovered that Matthews was not only friends with Lentino, but actually had a personal relationship with Nicky Scarfo and Philip Leonetti.

Lentino had described to an associate Jimmy Biacco the first time Matthews had interacted with Scarfo.

Frank Lentino-He (Matthews) was telling me one day he went down to the, ah, what the hell's the name of that restaurant on California avenue, and he said, "You know, we were buying each other drinks," and that's a big thing for him.

James Biacco- Yeah.

Lentino- I hope the goddamn FBI wasn't there.

Biacco- Whew.

Lentino- But they sent him a drink, so he retaliated and sent them a drink. And he thought that was a big goddamn thing, the fact that they received the drinks, God forbid.

By the time Matthews was running for Mayor of Atlantic City, a Government man had infiltrated Lentino, and later Matthews himself. This government man's name was James Banister, using the code name Jimmy Biacco. Lentino had let his guard down around a Federal Agent. He was being wiretapped on a daily basis, their was over 3 notebooks worth of transcripts.

Lentino had actually met Biacco/Bannister years before the Matthews fiasco, in 1980. Bannister was a young undercover D.E.A. Agent at the time. Bannister and Lentino were fast friends, occasionally sharing the profits from mid sized heroin and methamphetamine deals. Lentino knew Bannister as Jimmy Biacco, a man he could trust.

Frank Lentino- You could've nailed me

James Biacco/Agent James Bannister- Oh I know, that's what, that's what I'm saying

Frank Lentino- Yeah

Agent James Bannister- I mean, we have a mutual trust between each other, you know what I mean.

Agent Bannister once sold Lentino a gram of pure heroin. Anyone who thinks the Government doesn't get its hands dirty needs to examine this one event, and acknowledge that it is far from an isolated incident. The fact that the Government calmly sells uncut heroin to drug dealers and allows them to actually sell the product on the street is a disgrace. How many young victims of the drug trade have injected government-sold heroin into their veins?

In the beginning, Matthews conducted himself in a professional manner. Matthews respected the
situation he was in, understanding that he was playing for keeps when he took the money from the Scarfo organisation.

He was careful, careful enough for Frank Lentino to warn Bannister/Biacco about his measures of security.

Frank Lentino- See, this guy won't talk around you.

James Bannister- Oh, I Know that.

While the idea of a goofy politician being as street smart as the wiseguys is a nice story angle, their is another assumption to be made here. Frank Lentino most likely wanted to be the go-between so he could control the sitation and reap all of the potential benefits from the connection. He didn't want his friend meeting the mayor himself, he wanted to be the middle man. That's what these guys are. Think of them as professional middlemen.

Lentino also knew how important the mayor was to the guys "at the top", and knew that introducing anyone to Matthews could be a potential liability and future problem. It was Lentino's job to look ahead, and anticipate problems before they occurred. He simply couldn't afford to introduce the mob-purchased mayor to every two bit drug dealer in Atlantic City. He had rules he used when dealing with the Mayor.

Apparently, the Mayor also had the wiseguys agree to a certain set of rules regarding their situation. Lentino describes the agreement in one mixed-up sentence.

Frank Lentino- Promised us that we tell him that we wouldn't ask for anything rediculouse.

In the end, Matthews eventually met with Bannister directly, and acted exactly like what he was, a corrupt politician who lacked the street smarts to pull off a mob payoff and get away with it. Matthews was wet behind the ears, a fact that may have led him to take the pay-offs to begin with.

Matthews was no longer looking at the big picture, he was simply picking up whatever table scraps he could get his hands on. Bannister had been bugging Lentino to introduce him to Matthews for quite some time. The Agent wanted to get the Mayor on tape accepting a bribe personally, not through associates.

When Lentino found out about the pay-off from Bannister to Matthews he was furious.

Frank Lentino- And let me say you're on your own from here on in.

James Bannister- Let me tell you what happened.

Frank Lentino- Because, I'm a tell you what happened. Yah, you know we operate entiredly different from the way you operate. We have to....

Bannister- No, no, wait.

Lentino- Touch Base.....Let me tell you something. We have certain people we have to touch base with. I touch base with some people, some people touch base with me. ..I don't know how to report this, I really don't. I'm, I'm, I'm in
a bad spot myself. Your own your own, cause i have to, you see, I, I, can't lose face with these guys, see. You know that's the way they operate. Touching Base. It's an organisation. Its not, uh, you know, a fly, a fly-by-night...

Bannister- You know, I can't understand it.

Lentino- Well, you went to Mike yourself and you handed him the money, all right? He's very pleased with it, he said it's very generous, right, but he also indicated that, you know, uh, that isn't the way it should be done.

Apparently when word got back to Scarfo that the Mayor was excepting bribes from other people other than Scarfo and Co., he sent his nephew Phil Leoenetti to deliver a message. Phil told Lentino personally that, "We don't want nobody talking to him. We have a lot invested in Mike".

In the end, what did Michael Matthews really give back to anyone? Headache and heartache. This guy was like the great plague. The political angle of the mob scandal called the dinner bell of every journalist in the country. A mob-backed mayor in a town where gambling is legal getting wiretapped by the feds was a reporter's wet dream. Images of a smiling Michael Matthews plastered the covers of Newspapers while foreign speaking newsmen followed the mayor in and out of the court room. It was a certified circus.

THE KING OF NEW YORK?

2009-01-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

Let's take a day trip to New York City. Go back to the late 1980's, when John Gotti had just taken the top seat with force. Paul Castellano fucked up. He had let the discontent in his organisation grow too large. He left too many of his own crews out in the cold, and brought too many other families in. He had become a joke to the men of the people, the guys who did the real work. Eventually he had to go, it was no secret.

Then it happened. An ambitious young tough decided the time was right. He could sense the disarray and he already knew how to rally the troops. He had his own reasons to kill Castellano, but that didn't matter. He did it as a "favor to the family". After all, as selfish as John Gotti could be, he did care about the Family's future, always did. He was caught on tape on numerous occasions talking about the future of the Gambinos, even concerned with the family after he was dead and gone.

Maybe this is why John Gotti was never killed by his own people. When you look at the way he got his seat as the alleged boss, you have to wonder why some of Paul's people, the old timers who were with Carlo, never took revenge. Gotti had broken the most important rule their was and lived to brag about it (on tape, no less).

While some people today act as if Gotti was nothing more than a self-serving punk from Ozone Park, these same people must ask themselves how he managed to take over the second most powerful Family in the country with one swift hit?

Look to Philadelphia, bosses had been wiped out on more than one occasion, but one thing was always consistent- the perpetrators never became Boss afterwards, they ended up dead. Yet here, in New York City, the Mob Capital of the world, the man responsible for killing the "boss of bosses", Paul Castellano (pictured above), was now sitting comfortably on top of an empire, getting his hair cut everyday in a barber chair in the back office of his social club like a king sitting in his throne.

Why would the Family allow someone who had killed their way to the top, stay on the top? Was he allowed the top spot as a "straw boss"? Is it possible they did this to keep the heat off the smarter Captains who knew somebody had to the be the Boss?

It's not hard to imagine that these Captains could have withheld millions in money to be kicked up the latter while under the new Regime. It's been said that when Gotti first took over, he had no idea what family members were involved in what schemes, and had to go around to the different captains to ask what they were into. Maybe the Captains realized they were losing more money with Paul then they would have to kick up to John?

Another question one would have to ask themselves regarding Gotti is how he managed to stay alive when the Genovese Family allegedly had a contract out on him. Many would point to the press as Gotti's saving grace.

Gotti always knew the press could help his cause, but probably didn't know they could help keep him alive. He actually welcomed the large crowds that surrounded him after he was found Not Guilty in his nationally covered trials. Gotti saw the press as a tool, a way to stay with the people. With the media on his side, Gotti felt that as long as the general public supported him, than the FBI would look foolish bringing case after case against him.

Whether he saw the media as a way to protect himself from a public assassination is another story. A man that is flocked with reporters every time he steps out of a car is a hard target. Some wanted him dead after the Paul Castellano hit, but nobody wanted to commit suicide over it. Shooting a man dead in front of the entire national media would be just that.

While Gotti may have made for a hard target, they still took their shots. Vincent Gigante (Pictured), the infamous head of the Genovese at the time, had tried to kill Gotti with a car bomb, and killed Frankie DeCicco instead when the person in charge of the hit mistook DeCiccos silver mane as Gotti's tasteful pompadour.

The bomb was a big no-no at the time; bombs had been "outlawed" by the New york families for quite some time. This was a time when the rules were still enforced. Gotti helped change that when he killed Castellano. With that one December hit, many of the rules went out the window. While the main reason for the bomb was to take the blame off his own family, Gigante probably got a kick out of breaking the rules to try and kill a man who also broke the rules.

The question that first comes to mind is the following: How could the head of the most powerful family in the country take a shot at John Gotti and miss? How does a man like Chin Gigante miss and not take a second shot? Why would Gigante be happy with taking out a number two, when he was aiming for a number one?

For all the people that claim Gotti was a peasent compared to the Chin should look at the facts. Gigante ran a tight ship, that is undisputed. Most made guys were too scared to say his name out loud, even in other families. Many Federal Agents have gone on record to say that "even John Gotti was scared of Vince Gigante". However, the fact that Gigante sought peace after the missed hit suggests he had some fear of Gotti as well.

It seems that Mr. Gotti, who was always overestimated by the press, may have been underestimated by his crime family compadres. Their were no other blatant attempts on John Gotti's life. While most wiseguys changed their routine more than a Meineke man changes oil, Gotti set up weekly meetings and stuck to a daily routine.

For a man on the brink of war with the all-powerful Genovese family, John Gotti always looked pretty relaxed in his Brioni. While walking down Mulberry, his silk-lined cashmere scarf blowing in the wind, John Gotti looked like a man without a care in the world.

GIVE OSCAR BACK HIS ROLLS !!!

2009-01-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

The year was 1988. It was an election year. Paul Simon's Graceland was all over the radio, and Dustin Hoffman was dazzling movie audiences everywhere as the Rain Man.

The world was slowly changing- the 1980's were going out, and the 1990's were coming in, however, in the Philadelphia Underworld, it was very much business as usual. Nicky Scarfo and Company were in the courtroom again, this time facing the Salvatore Testa murder trial.

After being found Not Guilty in the case, the defendants who were still left on the street had vowed to "have the party to end all parties". The party was set at the Four Seasons Hotel in Central Philadelphia. Champagne was rumoured to be over a $100 a bottle, and cups of Louis XIII cognac was served for $50 a glass. Their had been bets made, and Defence Attorney Oscar Goodman (pictured with imfamous Client Tony Spilotro) had told his codefendants before the verdict that he would swim naked in the Four Season's fountain if his clients were found Not-guilty.

Goodman stayed hidden in his room at the hotel at the beginning of the party, perhaps worried about how the Wiseguys would react when they found out he was not going swimming in any fountains. He briefly paraded around the party in a bathrobe to try and appease the crowd. While Oscar Goodman was not going to be skinny dipping in any hotel fountains, he did, however, pick up the tab on the event- all $16,000.

While Nicky Scarfo Jr (pictured). was dancing and pouring champagne on his friend, future rat, Tommy Scafidi, his father was being sent back to Federal Prison to serve his time on prior racketeering convictions. While some of the other lawyers on the case were gloating about their long-shot victory, Goodman was still thinking about the $16,000 charged to his American Express.

It was later decided that Goodman would take possession of Nicky Scarfo's white 1973 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow to offset the credit card payment. Nicky wouldn't be getting much use out of the vehicle anymore, and his son Nicky Jr. favored more contemporary vehicles.

In January 1986, Scarfo had purchased the 1973 Rolls Royce from Cream Puff Motors in Palm Beach, Florida. Scarfo had paid $25,000 for the vehicle, and aside from the trade-in of a Lincoln Continental, the purchase was made in cash. Scarfo had the car registered in Florida to Anthony Gregorio, an associate of Scarfo who lived in Fort Lauderdale and was known as the unofficial "caretaker" of Scarfo's Florida residence.

Not fully comprehending the problems that owning an alleged Mob Boss's vehicle could cause to a man of his stature, Goodman saw the vehicle as a way to make a quick couple thousand. The car was worth anywhere from $18,000 to $22,000.

After Goodman put about $4,000 into the vehicle for a few repairs and touch-ups, in 1989, the F.B.I. immediately seized the vehicle as evidence. The Federal Authorities had accused Nicky Sr. (pictured below) of buying the vehicle with illegal money, and declared the vehicle "evidence of Drug profiteering".

Oscar Goodman was furious, and even went as far as to take the matter to the courtroom. The case was actually called "the United States of America v. One 1973 Rolls Royce".

Due to the fact that Goodman was from Las Vegas, and had to fly back to Philadelphia for each of the Court appearances, he had ended up paying more than $28,000 for the vehicle after adding in all the flight costs and court fees. The Government had a good case, and proved on more than one occasion that the vehicle was used to pick-up illegal money.

The base of the Government's claim was the following (taken from court transcripts):

In early 1986, Gregorio drove Scarfo, Phillip Leonetti, and some others from Scarfo's vacation home to a nightclub in Fort Lauderdale to meet with John DiSalvo, a drug dealer from Philadelphia involved in trafficking phenyl-2-propanane, a raw material used to manufacture methamphetamine. At that meeting, DiSalvo promised to pay Scarfo $200,000 in "street taxes" so that he could operate his drug business without interference from the Scarfo LCN family.

On the second occasion, in August 1986, Scarfo called a meeting of his LCN family members at either his or Gregorio's home in Fort Lauderdale. Francis Ianarella, a "capo" in the Scarfo LCN family, came to the meeting. He flew in from Philadelphia and Gregorio picked him up at the airport in the Rolls Royce and drove him to a hotel. Not only was Ianarella in Florida to attend the meeting, but he was also bringing $50,000 in "street taxes" from drug traffickers in the Philadelphia area. The $50,000 was ultimately given to Scarfo.

While the current fate of the vehicle is undetermined, the last place it was seen was behind a chain-link fence at the Vilsmeier Auction Company in Montgomeryville. Oscar Goodman never did recover his shiny white, 1973 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow.

THE PLUMBER, NO INNNOCENT.....

2009-01-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

Joseph Salerno was an innocent plumber who one day found himself in a situation he couldn't control. He had been unwittingly hanging out, and later living with two of the most notorious gangsters in the City of Atlantic City, Nicodemo Scarfo (pictured below with associates) and Philip Leonetti. The plumber had been minding his own business when one day, Leonetti and Scarfo randomly killed a man in front of his innocent eyes for no apparent reason.

Apparently this is the perception much of the public had about Joseph Salerno when he testified for the government during the murder trial of Vincent Falcone.

Even the New York Times went as far as to say, "Mr. Salerno hardly knew what was happening until one day in 1979". The name of his book, titled "the Plumber" is even meant to project an innocent, wrong place at the wrong time, type of image.

While it is not our intention to undermine the tough times of Joseph Salerno and his Family, it is meant to shed a little light on the situation.

According to Salerno's own testimony, the self proclaimed Plumber had a second job: Gangster in training. While witnessing the murder of Vincent Falcone was understandably hard for Salerno to handle, it's difficult for him to say he didn't know it was coming.

For one thing, Scarfo himself had asked Salerno on multiple occasions if he "wanted to be a gangster". Salerno admitted that he answered yes on these occasions. Salerno has also detailed Scarfo's reasons for excepting him, their families shared the same blood line, being Neapolitan and not Sicilian. Salerno seemed proud at the time.

When Scarfo (pictured above) asked Salerno flat-out if he would "have a problem" if something happened "in front of him" he offered no resistance. At this point, when most upstanding citizens would have looked for a way to distance themselves from Scarfo, Salerno actually volunteered the fact that he had two guns at his disposal. Not the most normal response for a regular "plumber".

When Vincent Falcone was killed in front of Salerno, his opposition to the murder didn't surface until the Detectives came to his house to question him.

While the book "the Plumber" would love to project the innocent image that Salerno had no idea what was going to take place, the facts point in a different direction. Very simply- don't believe everything you read. Especially if the book is written by a Plumber who by some amazing chain of events, found himself as an innocent witness to a mob murder that he personally supplied the firepower for.

PESKY RUMOURS, BLATANT LIES, AND MANY HALF-TRUTHS.....

2009-01-07T10:29:00.000-08:00

In the Philadelphia underworld, their have been many rumours that have been discredited, and many more that proved to be true. Nothing is ever quite rock-solid when discussing guys who make a living off of the underbelly of the City.

One particularly pesky rumour involves someone who we discuss quite often on this site, the self-proclaimed "former Underboss of Philadelphia", Philip Leoentti.

Some readers may find this story hard to swallow, we certainly did. In fact, when we first heard the rumour that Philip Leonetti and his Mother Nancy had been sneaking back into Atlantic City to take care of Catherine Scarfo while she was seriously ill we almost fell over in our chair.

The back story is quite simple. Philip Leonetti and his mother Nancy both entered the witness protection program when Phil decided the life of an imprisoned mobster wasn't for him. After being found guilty, and being sentenced to life in prison along with his uncle, Nicodemo Scarfo, Leonetti quietly called the Philadelphia F.B.I. Field office to make a deal (he actually called months before and was told to wait until after the sentencing hearing before making his cooperation public).

After many years of hiding in the Witness protection, and many more years testifying at mob trials around the country, some in Atlantic City have reported that Phil and his mother Nancy had been seen in the city on more than one occasion in the 1990's. When Catherine Scarfo was falling ill, and her son Nicky was in Federal Prison, according to some Georgia Ave residents, Philip Leonetti (pictured with his uncle-below) was actually in and out of the Georgia Ave apartment on more than one occasion.

The idea of Catherine Scarfo inviting her grandson, the one who turned on her son, to care for her during her last hours is borderline unbelievable. Cathy was always known to support her son Nicky through thick and thin. Who could forget the footage of Mrs. Scarfo pleading with a news camera man to "leave us alone, we don't bother nobody". It brought shivers to anybody who saw the footage. It showed an all too personal glimpse of the other victims of alleged organised crime: the family members of the accused. Mrs. Scarfo epitomized the caring Mother who was constantly being judged by the world for something she had no control over- her relatives.

One thing never to be undervalued is a Mother's love for her daughter. It's hard to believe, but not impossible, that maybe a Mother who had grown desperately sick could forgive her only daughter for turning on her only son. With her closest child locked away in Federal prison, and herself suffering from severe health issues, maybe Mrs. Scarfo put up the white flag, and let the past be the past.

The fact that Nancy and Phil went to that very apartment and stole multiple millions before entering the witness protection program only adds to the controversy.

With any story, their will always be the non believers. Many cite the fact that Leoenetti testified at many trials involving the five New York families as the main reason this rumour should be put to rest. While the idea of Leonetti sliding past the 80's era Philadelphia gangsters is fathomable, hiding in plain sight from the larger New york families is a much longer stretch.

We will never know for sure whether the Leonetti's actually came home to Georgia Ave. The home has long been sold. Whether this story is just a pesky rumour, a blatant lie, or a half-truth, it will certainly go down as one of the best.

THE UNDERBOSS TALKS SHOP...

2008-12-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

I once saw a documentary where Philip Leonetti talked at length about the murders he participated in before he "changed governments". When you watch the program, the one thing that stands out is the way he describes the murders he committed. He does show emotion, but it isn't remorse. Leonetti (pictured below in the middle) seems proud.

When you listen to other informants talk, they at least make an honest(as a "mafia" rat can be) attempt at showing a little sorrow. Leonetti doesn't waste his time. He rattles off murders as calmly as a mechanic rattles off VIN numbers.

Leoenetti must have been a good witness to put on the stand to point the finger at his Uncle Nicodemo Scarfo. Defence attorneys often used any tactic they could to make the F.B.I.'s prized Underboss turncoat look like a Wanna-be sewer rat. Leonetti does come off as the real deal. He easily fit into the role of the mafia-raised "street boss" who still got his hands dirty.

Philip Leonetti was a cross-over gangster. The new young breed. He didn't speak Italian. He wore Fila track suits and Armani leather over hand-painted ties and three piece suits. Leonetti was known to win favor with female reporters with his dark charm, many going as far as reporting on it in their stories. It couldn't hurt when their were a few females on the jury.

Robert Simone, the legendary Philadelphia Defence attorney once called Phil Leonetti a best friend. He recalls in his book "the Last Mouthpiece" how he once had a picture of himself and Leonetti enlarged for a gift as a symbol of their friendship. Whether Bobby called Leonetti a best friend for dramatic purposes is up for debate, but nobody will argue with Simone's bruised feelings when Leonetti decided to testify against him on some trumped up conspiracy charges.

Leonetti decided to turn immediately after he was found guilty. He probably figured he'd take his chances with the jury system before actually making the call.

One can only wonder where Leonetti found the time to break into his uncle's home and steal multiple millions of dollars before catching the 5 o'clock bus into the witness protection program. How does something like that happen?

Was Leonetti allowed time before serving his sentence to parade around Atlantic city in a ski mask, robbing wall safes as a government sponsored cat burglar? The idea that the entire Philadelphia Field office once compromised their sworn integrity to satisfy a multiple murderer's lust for money is something that should never be forgotten.

Of course, their are many sides to every coin. Maybe the F.B.I. was just trying save some of the Tax payers money?

Who do you think pays for witnesses like Sammy Gravano to get set up comfortably enough to organise international drug rings? The tax payers.

While all these questions of integrity should have been addressed many years ago, the F.B.I. has never been known for it's friendly press relations. Besides, if you ask them, they'll probably just blame it on the Federal Marshals who are responsible for witness relocation, and that's another story, for another day.

WISEGUYS IN THE MOVIES- "FINGERS-1978"

2008-12-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

Director James Tobak's 1978 masterpiece Fingers is one of the greatest "hidden gem" films of the genre. While Entertainment Weekly did pick up on this classic when they made their list of the top Mob movies of all time, pretty much every other major publication has snubbed it.

The first time you watch this movie, you will immediately notice in the opening credits the Brut Deodorant Company logo- Brut Productions. About half way through you will wonder how in the hell a deodorant and soap company would be capable of making such a dark and powerful movie. Towards the end you don't even care.

Harvey Keitel plays the most sincerely powerful role a low budget gangster flick ever featured. As the wanna-be concert Pianist/part-time enforcer Jimmy Fingers, Keitel shines and shadows, perfectly projecting the image of a man being torn in many different directions, in many different peices. The lead role is not stand alone, Fingers is held together tightly by its many powerful performances throughout, New York City clearly being one of them. From familiar faces to the unknown, every role is played to late 70's perfection.

"Fingers" is a somewhat complex character, who obviously has some reservations about the duel life he lives. His interactions with woman lead the audience down a curious path; one can safely assume he has some issues with the opposite sex, but the movie doesn't come right out and identify them. When Jimmy Fingers falls in love with an artist/woman of the night, its hard to watch as he is playfully tortured by her pimp/former Heavy Weight Champion "Dreems", played perfectly by Jim Brown, a face you would recognize much easier than the name.

The scene where Jimmy fingers confronts one of his fathers customers who is purposely falling behind on his payments is an instant classic. The pizza shop owner, played by Lenny Montana of Luca Brasi fame, is one tough working-class cookie. After hastleing him about his no sliced pizza rule, "what if I wanted 60 slices?", Jimmy clocks the pizza man with a silver 38 snub to the head. When the shop owner's son comes out to protect his father, Fingers' line is a classic, "You don't like what I did to your father? Well, I don't like what he did to mine".

Also look for a small part from a younger Danny Aiello as the ultimate skumbag rival, who burns the lead charactor in a method usually frowned apon by the street, he tells a beat cop that Jimmy Finger's has gambling slips in his pocket. Another classic scene insues as Finger's trys to talk his way out of County by pointing to the officers last name- Levi, insisting he is also a member of the Levine faamily(on his mothers side of course).

Another character that any Godfather fan will be happy to see on the screen is the part of Jimmy's father, played by Miachel Gazzo, who portrayed the infamous turncoat Frankie "five Angels" Pentangeli in II. Gazzo is perfect as the aging bookie father who's left to depend on his son once again after his other "workers" abandon him. This leaves him in the position to get burned, and this is where Riccomonza from Detroit comes in.

Tony Sirico, Paulie from Sopranos, has an important role as Tony Riccomonza, but not too much screen time. With his long hair slicked back, its hard to recognize Paulie without his legendary grey "wings" on top of his head. Just seeing Paulie in the bell bottomed suit is worth the cost of purchase.

Lastly, I'd like to say, on-the-record, that I believe this 1978 classic may have the best soundtrack of any movie, ever. Although many of the songs featured are far from unknown, this movie makes them feel as squeezed orange juice. Let's just say, Merilee Rush's and the Turnabout's megahit "Angel of the Morning" never felt so young and powerful. The fact that every important scene is framed in perfectly with a song blaring from Jimmy finger's old fashion dial radio carries the movie into a league of its own.

1978 ORIGINAL PROMO VIDEO

BOBBY'S WORLD.....Part I

2008-12-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

I am writing to you to let you know I was dissappointed in my attorney at my bail hearing. Oscar Gaskins is a good lawyer. But he wasn't prepared properly . . . . I do not want him as my lawyer. I would like Robert Simone. I think it is unfair for me not to have the lawyer of my choice. The Government is very unfair. They keep trying to involve Mr. Simone in wrong doing in this case, and in the past. He has been admitted in my Rico case in New Jersey. He has represented me before. I have all the complete confidence in him. I know he will be fully prepared on my behalf. If Mr. Simone was a surgeon, and I needed a life or death operation. I would make Mr. Simone operate on me. He also is familiar with the case and the case in New Jersey. Which the Govt. and New Jersey have the same witnesses. Mr. Simones fee is also not a problem for me to raise. I would like to point out to you, that at the end of my first bail hearing in front of Magistrate Judge Mathans, both he and Ron Cole agreed that Mr. Simone represented me completely, and effectively. It is not fair for me to be deprived of the lawyer of my choice. Just because the informants lie about him, as well as me. Mr. Simone has stated to me that as a result of what he heard and read about this case that he could and would represent me. I thank you for considering this request. I am willing to waive my right to have a lawyer other than Mr. Simone, and I waive my right to have him as my witness. I believe he will be more important in my case as my lawyer. Please answer this letter as soon as possible.

Respectfuly yours,

Nicodemo Scarfo

Some people (the Federal Court) looked at Scarfo's attempts at keeping Bobby Simone on as his lawyer as a way for him to have an appeal issue in the future. The Judge looked at it as a conflict of interest waiting to happen.

While Nicky's letter to the judge may have been seen by many in the Court system as just another chess move, over here at Phillymobspot.com, we believe Nicky really was speaking from his heart about his Attorney of choice- Mr. Robert "Bobby" Simone.

Bobby was a big inspiration to Phillymobspot.com because he proved that you could write an engaging story without compromising yourself, or putting your friends (or in Bobby's case-clients) in bad positions. Take his book "the Last Mouthpiece".

While never acknowledging any crimes his clients were suspected of, he still managed to tell one of the most interesting stories ever written. His style of writing was simple- Report what happened, but leave the rest to the reader. Much of the substance of the book is what is written "between the lines".

When Simone was still practicing law, the press and much of the public looked at Bobby and saw a "mob" lawyer. You can tell by his writing that Bobby never relished in this role. While Simone had many friends and clients that were alleged mafioso, Simone was always a lawyer's lawyer. Calling him a "mob lawyer" would be an insult, because he was so much more. He believed in the presumption of innocence. He believed in the trial system, and everybody's right to a fair trial. Bottom line- he believed in our Country.

Bobby Simone was good at preparing, and making his opening and closing statements, but he really came alive when he had his chance to cross examine the paid informants the government had given get-out-of-jail free cards to. He chewed up Government witnesses like a rottweiler chews up a pork chop, and he made a lot of enemies in the process.

When being cross examined, Bobby often brought the witnesses down to the level they were at before cooperating. He exposed them for who they really were- admitted murderers and life-long liars- the absolute lowest of the low. Witnesses often lost their cool when Bobby was at work, and in many cases, gave a jury a glimpse of their true character.

While the witnesses often hurt the government cases when their anger got the best of them, occasionally it worked in the Government's favor. One time, after Nicholas Caramandi grew increasingly hostile on the stand, he accused Simone of being "almost made".

While this accusation would have rolled off the shoulder of most defence attorneys, it seemed to strike a nerve in Simone, who knew the Jury would be shown hundreds of photographs of him with many alleged members of the Philadelphia Crime Family. Simone probably pictured Caramandi being prepared by FBI agents to make such a reference if possible, and that is probably what bothered him the most. Simone knew all about the way the government "prepared" witnesses, and probably couldn't help but assume Nicky Crow had been coached to make such a statement.

What could hurt a case more than the lead defence attorney being accused of being a made member of the mafia?

PART II COMING SOON

"HE LOVED TO TRAVEL"

2008-11-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

"Somebody fucked his head up cause he didnt need it. He was a beautiful guy."

-Nicholas Caramandi on Antonio Caponigro's takeover

"I used to go up to Newark a lot, go to a club in Newark and, uh, it was in the downtown part of.....

Fucking guy there used to sell....He's Dead now, the guy got killed. He lived in the Newark area. This guy had a motel, phew, he musta had three hundred units two blocks long right on the main highway, big restaurant, his, uh, farm, not his farm, his, this ain't his house.

Now he had a man-made lake as big as the lakes... His own fish, he had horses, he had a lotta fucking ground. He had a house. It was, uh, it was copied from a Spanish mansion. I'm telling you, it was fucking gorgeous, grounds keepers, horse keepers, maid.....Marrone!

We used to go upstairs and...we used to make this special food and everything....They found him with thirteen bullets in his head, twenty-dollar bills stick up his ass and he was worth about sixty, seventy million dollars this guy. Self-made man...He told me one day, "Nick, I have eight million on the street, and uh, I pulled it in, I took it in sharking it"

According to Nicholas Caramandi, Antonio Caponigro was always given special treatment among his Philadelphia companions. It just seemed like the Rules didn't apply to the wiseguy from Newark. This thinking eventually hurt him, but for a long time, Tony Banana's was considered untouchable as he navigated freely throughout North Jersey and Philadelphia.

Take the time he hit an FBI agent with his car while trying to duck a subpoena.

While this move would have killed his criminal career in New York for bringing on the heat (look at Gus Farace). However, Caponigro was never "shelved" for this breach of the code of conduct. Wiseguys everywhere have always vowed not to "fuck" with the F.B.I..

Most families frown on even running from the F.B.I, let alone running an agent over while fleeing in your car. This is exactly what Caponigro did, and he served a descent amount of time over it.

"He got two and and a half years trying to run over an FBI agent. An FBI agent tried to hand him a subpoena. You know, this guy, this guy for five years, the FBI was looking for him to give him a subpoena. He ducked the subpoena....He went to Europe....He loved to travel...."

While Caponigro "loved to travel", I doubt if he was eager to take the trip to meet with the Genovese family after Angelo Bruno was murdered. While Caponigro believed the killing of "the Gentle Don" was sanctioned situation, a part of him had to realize it was a touchy subject.

Many say Caponigro, who led the revolt against Bruno, actually pulled the trigger himself. others point to his brother-in-law Alfred Salerno as the triggerman.

"We used to cell together....So anyway, he was a member with this group, the Philly group. What a fucking man. He was sixty-seven, used to fuck two-three times a day...."

While the Bruno hit put him in the History books, apparently Caponigro's sexual escapades were also something of legend.

Antonio Caponigro was murdered on April 18th, 1980. His body was discovered by Law Enforcement officials in the Bronx. His naked body was said to be an especially sad sight, covered with bullet wounds, knife wounds, and bruises.

His killer's, (many reports indicate 3 different individuals) took this job an extra step when they littered his dead body with twenty dollar bills to send a message- Greed Kills.

Many on the street had mixed feelings about Tony Caponigro. Some have called the horrific murder a waste of life, others point to the 20 dollar bills left at the murder scene as a waste of money.

ANGIE LOST HIS KEYS

2008-11-18T07:08:00.001-08:00

As Told by Ralph from Bridgeport

On this particular morning, Ralph D., a Stroemann bread delivery man, was working South Philadelphia, one of his favorite spots to make deliveries due to the good food and friendly atmosphere. He felt comfortable in South Philadelphia's Italian Market section, even though Ralph was born to Polish immigrant parents in Bridgeport, over 20 miles away from the city.

While driving down 9th st, and stopping just after Moore st, Ralph noticed, what looked like a bunch of bank deposits, scattered beneath a car accross the street. Immediately, the bags caught Ralph's eye. Not the type that would rob someone, Ralph quickly justified his future actions in his head, just before he darted accross the street, grabbed the bags, and threw them in the back of his delivery truck.

Before making sure there were no bags missed, he put his car in drive fast enough to drop the transmission in his company truck, and left for his next stop. On the way he could barely contain his excitement. Thinking back to the weight of the bags when he first picked them up, his mind hoped the bags were filled with heavy stacks of paper money rather than a few rolls of quarters. Unable to hold his excitement any longer Ralph, decided to pull his truck to the side of a small street, and check the mystery bags.

Upon pulling off of Passyunk ave, and onto a smaller side street, he tore open the bags like a wolf would tear apart a bleeding lamb. Only to his suprise there was no money, not even a single roll of quarters. After going through all the bags one after the other, Ralph realized that he had spent 45 minutes sneaking around for about 16 key rings, holding about 8-12 keys a piece, each in their own deposit bag. Ralph was embarressed. He was not the type to go around stealing money, let alone stealing useless keys.

After making the rest of his deliveries, he stopped into a local South Philadelphia bar where he always knew a few of the guys drinking, and took a seat on a stool at the end of the bar. After passing some time with a few friends, one of them told something to Ralph that immediately caught his attention. "Ya know, Angie got robbed last night!" one of the regulars said, relishing the fact that he was the one who was breaking the news to his friend from the suburbs.

Immediately, Ralph knew this man was referring to Angelo Bruno, the alleged head of Philadelphia's rackets. As the story went, Bruno's possessions were stolen in the early morning hours the day before. These possessions, Ralph later learned, were Bruno's personal keys for his vast collection of vending machines, scattered throughout the city. When Ralph finally realized that he was in a position to help the man the press called "the Gentle Don", he made a quick descision to solve Bruno's problem personally.

Ralph was not the kind of guy to give his credit to someone else, so he had no intentions of handing over the keys to any of Bruno's underlings. Finding where Bruno lived was not exactly detective work, and after talking to a few of the right people, Ralph found himself knocking on the door of 934 Snyder Avenue. He knocked, and knocked, and although he heard some people moving around in the house, there was still no answer at the door. After a few more knocks, getting increasingly louder with each pound, finally, a man about 20 years younger than Angelo answered the door.

"Is Angelo There?". Ralph asked in the most confident voice he could muster. Not sure if he was supposed to be intimidated by the man's casually blank stare, he tried his best to put off a neutral expression. After offering his own help, Ralph kindly turned him down, and told him that he would need to speak to Angelo personally, and that it was rather important. After a few more offers from the man to deliver the message, Ralph realized he was getting nowhere.

As Ralph shook the man's hand and prepared for his departure, he was suddenly told him to stay where he was. The door closed, and for a few minutes, Ralph wondered why he was still standing on Bruno's porch, staring at the now closed door. When the silence finally got the best of him, and Ralph turned to exit, the door opened slowly, and Angelo Bruno stood before him.

Ralph, not letting any thoughts of the past impact his swaying judgement, stayed on topic. He had something very important to tell Bruno, and Bruno was all ears. After hearing that this Stroemann bread delivery man was at his home to return his stolen keys, Angelo was thrilled.

Putting his hand on Ralph's shoulder, Bruno talked quietly, and to the point. Almost too reminiscent of Hollywood, the old Don promised a favor in return. Upon hearing this, Ralph formally declined any reimbursement, or future favors, but both understood that if a situation ever came up where Ralph did need something, Bruno would probably be the first to hear about it. After making small talk about bread deliveries and south Philadelphia dining, both men parted ways for the rest of their lives. Ralph never did get his favor from the alleged Philadelphia Mafia leader.

Angelo Bruno was shot dead a several years later. The day Ralph heard the news of Bruno's death he lowered his head, smiled, and remembered the day that he had met the kind man. Angelo Bruno had given Ralph a life-long memory in exchange for 16 sets of keys.

OK, BUT IF I HEAR FROM THAT ASSHOLE AGAIN......

2008-11-12T08:01:00.000-08:00

When Scarfo was a young guy, he supposedly was picked on quite frequently by the older neighborhood guys, and was actually beat down by a number of people for being short and small. One of the men that often tormented the young Scarfo was Anthony Dipasquale.

Known as "Mad Dog" on the streets, DiPasquale had built quite a reputation for himself with his violent extortion tactics. DiPasquale was said by Law Enforcement officials to "beat his victims with bars, bottles and pipes until they paid." Another law enforcement source had DiPasquale chaining up an associate who owed him money in an abandoned garage, and torturing him with a hand-held blow torch.

DiPasquale was less than excited when Nick Scarfo (pictured below) was placed as head of the Philadelphia Family by the stronger New York families. Most associates of the family, even those who still felt animosity towards Nicky from the old days, would now kiss up to Scarfo in an attempt to let bygones be bygones. Anthony DiPasquale was not "most associates".

Rather than keeping his head down, and keeping his personal feelings involving Scarfo to himself, DiPasquale would often get fall-down drunk, and mouth-off to whoever would listen about the new commander in chief.

On one particularly drunken night, DiPasquale, who had been drinking with a number of small time Philadelphia Family associates, finally made enough noise for people to start to take notice. By the end of the night, word was slowly on its way back down the shore to Nicky Scarfo that a man he might remember from his childhood was calling him a "Little Runt".

By this point, Nicky was furious, but despite what many people think of Nicky, he was always smart enough not to let his emotions get the best of him. Nicky was a hothead, but not quite a loose Cannon.

When a mutual friend offered to mediate the situation before it grew out of control, Scarfo decided to give it shot rather than firing first, and thinking later. After listening to his associate's peace offer, Nicky reminded him that if he were to hear from this "DiPasquale" again, that their would be no second offer. "Ok, but i hear of that asshole again........."

When the friend went to see DiPasquale, his answer was the least thing the mediator expected. "Fuck him and the horse he rode in on!!! I'll strangle that little motherfucker myself!" Mad Dog spouted.

After finishing his tirade directed at Scarfo, DiPasquale did the unthinkable, he dialed Scarfo on the telephone, and this was not to say he was sorry. After Scarfo picked up the phone, DiPasquale repeated his insults directed at his mother, and even went a step further, saying that Scarfo had performed sex acts with men. He then told Scarfo that if he were to come to Philadelphia that he would, "Kick him in the Balls".

DiPasquale left Philadelphia shortly after this Phone conversation, and for a good reason. While the "Mad Dog" was good at "talking the talk", "walking the walk" was another matter completely.

This is not to say that DiPasquale couldn't get things done when he needed to. When a witness named Michael Cosmo, a small store owner/fringe player, was set to testify against "Mad Dog" in November 1982, his life was immediately put into danger. Word on the street was to avoid Cosmos store at all costs, "He's gonna get it, his store is gonna get bombed out!"

Even after being scheduled to testify against "Mad Dog", Michael Cosmo was still running his store despite the situation he put himself in. An associate of DiPasquale's, Patrick Cumminskey, went into Cosmos store and asked him an important question with even more important implications, "Do you wanna go out like a Rat or a man?" After the small talk, Cumminskey was said to have called Mad Dog personally, and proudly stated "Cosmo will not testify"

At this point in time, Cosmo began traveling in small groups to avoid being an easy lone target. Cosmo knew of DiPasquale's legendary ruthlessness, (and recklessness) and he wasn't trying to take any chances.

On November 28, 1982, a weary Cosmo and three of his friends got into his truck at 1:30 in the morning. As he started driving, he immediately noticed another vehicle to his left. When he recognized the passenger in the car as the same associate who had threatened him in his store, he immediately panicked and attempted to flee the scene by putting the accelerator pedal to the floor. As the truck sped away from the following vehicle, Cosmo heard the shots ring out.

Eventually, the truck was forced to a stop by the vehicle in pursuit. The driver and the passenger jumped out of the vehicle, both brandishing pistols and dirty looks. Cumminskey then shouted at Cosmo, "I told you you would be fucking dead before Anthony was sentenced!"

Although this line was reminiscent of a good action movie, and probably sounded "bad-ass" at the time, it allowed Cosmo enough time to pull around the vehicle blocking him, and escape the scene without being hit.

Apparently it wasn't about saving the case, Cosmo had already testified, the damage was already done. At this point in time, the only point to killing Cosmo was to send a message. The ballsy DiPasquale apparently was not concerned with how a dead witness would look to the Judge at his sentencing hearing, which wasn't set to take place until spring of 1983.

Even though the Judge in that case sentenced DiPasquale to 80 years in prison, "Mad Dog" did eventually see the light of day, and was soon released from Prison on bail. On July 6'th, 2000, Anthony DiPasquale was killed in an automobile accident on interstate 95 in bucks County, a Philadelphia suburb. He had hit a tree head-on. He was 59 years old at the time of his death.

EVERYBODY'S GOT A PROBLEM....

2008-11-11T06:40:00.001-08:00

Many alleged Mob figures take superstition very seriously, and Nicky Scarfo (pictured) was no exception.

Maybe it traces back to the time when their relatives used old world traditions and superstitions to problem solve. Maybe it comes from the gambling that many of these men live and breathe. Gambling and luck go hand in hand in almost all mob circles.

In 2006, when John A. Gotti was on trial for his life, for good luck, he wore the hospital bracelet from his son's birth on his right wrist.

Many gamblers have been known to favor a certain chair when playing cards, some will only sit with their legs crossed, or eat a certain food before a heavy night of gambling.

We've all heard how most of the Casinos in Atlantic City lack a 13th floor. We've all seen someone blow on dice before rolling for a seven. Many consider friendly Blackjack dealers a sure sign of a good table, and some would never consider betting a dollar unless they were dressed properly- in a nice suit and tie.

In 1987, during the Racketeering trial of Nicky Scarfo, an interesting story came to light regarding supersition. Apparently when Scarfo began suspecting "some treason" from two brothers he had recently "brought down" (demoted to soldgiers), a story someone told him involving a fortune teller put the nails in the coffin.

According to goverment witness Nick Caramandi, Scarfo told him how a close associate's sister had come to him privately and told him that she had seen a Fortune Teller. She had an important message for him.

The message was simple, the fortune teller was quoted as telling her, "Someone close, named Phillip, is going to have a problem."

Scarfo took the threat very seriousely, immediately believing his nephew, and newly named underboss Phillip Leonetti (pictured) was in trouble, and had been targeted for death.

Scarfo took swift and immediate action. He summonded one of the brothers who he had been recently demoted, suspecting they were probably involved in this "problem".

His message was simple, "Tell your Brother that I had a dream last night. In that dream, I dreamed his son's got a problem, his wife's got a problem, his daughter's got a problem, and you got a problem!"

Court transcripts failed to report why Scarfo changed his source of information from a Fortune Teller to a dream he had.

Over here at Phillymobspot, wer'e not too sure what sounds worse, threatening to kill an entire family over a dream, or a Fortune Teller?

UPDATE: We suspect that maybe the Fortune Teller had it right, and Scarfo had it wrong. Perhaps the message was right, Leonetti did have a problem. He turned informant against his uncle after being found guilty in the very trial this information was taken from.

NO HARM IN A NICKNAME....

2008-11-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, Nicknames draw a lot of attention: negative attention.

America loves gangsters with nicknames. Something always sounds especially sinister when an accused mobster has a good nickname.

Anybody who followed the crime pages of their local newspaper knew of "the Chin"(pictured), but not everybody knew how to pronounce his last name- Gigante. While everybody knows "Sammy the bull" was the person who turned on John Gotti, some would not even recognize the name Salvatore Gravano.

In Philadelphia, over the years, their have been many colorful nicknames, each of them sounding more "sinister"than the next. but when you take the time to find out where the nicknames come from, they kind of lose that super-villain effect. Let's just say, the FBI is happy that general public knew the nickname, and not the story.

Phillip Testa (pictured with his son Sal) was always referred to in the papers as "the Chicken Man". Even though this nickname didnt strike fear in many hearts, the nickname is still of humble origins. Storys conflict, Most say it comes from the fact that as a younger man, he ran a Poultry shop. Others point to his pockmarked skin, and say the nickname came from when he was an even younger man, a child, with a bad case of the chicken pocks, the scars never fully fading.

Their was a fomer mob leader turner defectionado nicknamed "Yogi", the name stemming from his father who was said to be very close to Joe DiMaggio, the name coming from DiMaggio's second most famous teamate, Yogi Berra.

The North Jersey guys had nicknames too. Antonio Caponigro, referred to as "Tony Bananas", is said to have aquired his nickname through his smooth demeanor. He was said to be "as slick as a banana peel". Their was Joe "Scoops" Licata, who got his name from his contacts. Licata was said to "know all the neighborhood guys before anybody else did".

Although Ralph Staino was usually reffered to as "Junior" in the press, many of his friends referred to him "Reeves", after the former Mr. universe and movie star of the the 1960's.

Some are more obviouse. "Harry the Hump" (pictured) was named for his obviouse physical afliction. Other nicknames were simply made up. Philip Leonetti was said to have flipped out when he first read his fictitiouse nickname "Crazy Phil" in the newspaper. The story always said that his uncle Nick shook his head and said to him, "you are crazy, people would pay good money for a nickname like that."

Just when we thought maybe we found a nickname with some blood behind it, "Nicky Whip" proved us wrong. An elderly neighbor of Nicky's once told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the nickname came from the fact that when he was a child, he used to "whip around the neighborhood".

In fact, the only Philadelphia gangster we could find from that era with a gangster based nickname was Saul kane, nicknamed Meyer, (obviouse reference) and he wasn't even Italian.

While the FBi has condemmed many of the men mentioned throughout this story to long prison sentences, ask yourself this question, How much of a danger to society could a suspected "mobster" nicknamed "snuffy, and his son, nicknamed "Faffy" really be?

WHERE'S MY MONEY, MR. NEIL?

2008-11-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

When John Gotti first met Philip Leonetti, he is said to privately asked an associate, "Who's the pretty boy?"

While Mr. Leonetti was accepted as a "friend of ours" in the city of New York while he was on the street, after he flipped, many of the New York wiseguys swore they always knew he was trouble.

If the New York families didn't fully trust Leonetti, their actions certainly didn't line up with their feelings. Take the meeting with the top brass of the Gambino Family, where Scarfo and Leonetti met with the alleged boss Paul Castellano and underboss Aniello "Mr. Neil" Dellacroce (pictured).

When alleged Scarfo Captain, Santo Idone, got into a dispute over a $250,000 inheritance from a mob associate who had recently passed away, Idone begged Scarfo to make a meet. Idone, who at the time was said to look after the Family's interest in Chester, Pa, suspected that a Gambino soldier was responsible for the missing money.

While many would assume that the smaller Scarfo Family would simply call the missing money a loss due to the size and power of the larger New York Family, this simply wasn't the case. Scarfo made the call, and a meeting was set up in the nighborhood of Little Italy.

Scarfo, Leonetti, and Idone first met with a Gambino Soldier. Together, they drove around the block a few times to shake any tails, and then hopped into another vehicle, a limo that was waiting for them. When the Limosine stopped, and the alleged mobsters exited the vehicle and entered a house, they found themselves face to face with Paul Castellano and a few of his trusted associates.

Neil Dellacroce was also present, and courtesies were exchanged around the room. Dellacroce was known as "Mr. Neil", "Father O' Neil", and behind his back as "the Pollack". Dellacroce was already a legend in the street by this time, part of his mystic lay in the myths surrounding him. One story has Dellacroce dressing up as a priest in order to make a hit on a especially careful associate.

The first to speak was Idone, who was clearly worked up over the quater million that was missing in action. Apparently, Idone's straight-forward attitude bothered Big Paul right off the bat, and Castellano took Scarfo aside and told him he didnt appreciate Idone's attitude.

According to Leonetti (pictured), Scarfo restarted the meeting by urging Idone to "talk nice".

While the guys from Philadelphia left on a good note, they also left empty handed. The $250,000 was never recovered.

ONE FOR THE POETRY BOOKS

2008-10-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

During Jury Selection, prior to the 1988 Rico Trial of Nicodemo Scarfo and 17 other accused, one of the defendants, Ralph "Junior" Staino, (pictured to the left with his long time attorney, Robert Simone), frustrated with the Judicial System and his predicament, decided to take matters into his own hand, his writing hand.

Staino lashed out at the two government "star" witnesses with a tactic not commonly used by suspected Mafioso-Poetry.

While Staino was no Robert Frost when it came to his writing, Junior's rhymes did show some flare and individuality (and humour), especially for a poem written by a man on trial for his life.

When his defence attorney, Michael Pinsky, released his poem to the public, it was recieved with open arms. The City of Philadelphia, it seemed at the time, had just as much of a problem with the government witnesses as the defence table.

While the writing showed some personality, his title was less creative and more straight to the point.

The following is an except from Staino's fifty-six verse poem, appropriately titled: "Ballad of Nicodemo Scarfo and His Alleged Associates" :

Gather round my friends
And listen to my story,

Our long awaited trial begins

With the selection of our jury.

The two key witnesses in this case

Are liars as you all know

They're vermin and they're scum bags

"Tommy Del" and "Nicky Crow".

Stories they will make up

and vicious lies they'll tell
They'd rat on their own mothers

To Avoid a prison cell.

And all our taxpaying dollars

Out the window they do go,

To cultivate these parasites

Tommy Del and Nicky Crow.

They wine them and they dine them

This fact they don't refute,

And we in Jail are denied Bail

While they're with prostitutes.

They're kept in high-life places
Very few of us could afford

They're paying them a salary

Living in luxury like a lord.

They're coddled and they're spineless

We can throw in they're wimps too,

Don't let them do this to us

Cause they'll do it to you.

Now if this story shocks you

You can help us strike a blow,

Help us rid the world of scoundrels

Like Tommy Del and the Crow.

While Mr. Staino's writing career was cut short by a guilty verdict and a long sentence, one can't imagine that Staino served his time without writing a few follow-up poems.

While the general public never got to enjoy the full dose of Staino's writing, we can only assume that many of the Federal Inmates housed with Staino passed some of their sentence reading some of Junior's poetic masterpieces.

NICK WRITES A LETTER

2008-10-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

Little Nicky Scarfo. Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo. Where to start? For a man who has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars without virtually any physical evidence being presented at any trial, Scarfo is said to be optimistic that one day justice will prevail.

The man who famously announced his love for the American justice system, and an "honest jury", has to be frustrated with the very system who once cleared his name when he was on trial for the murder of an Atlantic City contractor in the late 1970's.

With Scarfo, its often hard to decipher where the rumours end, and the truth begins. Take the one about Nicky patting down his own son to check for weapons during a routine prison visit.

A law enforcement official once alleged that while Scarfo was held at Al Tuna Prison, "he once patted down his own son during a visit". Picturing Nicky Scarfo patting down his own flesh and blood during a prison visit is far fetched, but not impossible; Nicky was always described as a particularly careful person. Whether this "carefulness" applies to his immediate family is still left to debate.

One thing that isn't open for debate, is Scarfo's feelings towards another member of his immediate family, his nephew Phillip Leonetti. When a rumour was floating around that Nicky Scarfo actually condoned his nephew to testify to keep himself out of jail, he took it personally.

In 1990, when Channel 12 put out a documentary on the Philadelphia Mafia, Scarfo used this format as a chance to finally put the "disgusting" rumours to rest, and "clear" his family name. Scarfo personally wrote a letter to the producer of the WHYY documentary, Jim Barry, where he put his true feelings flat on the table.

The following except was actually included in the documentary.

Scarfo, writing in all capital letters like usually does, wrote the following:

" THEY SAY I CONDONED MY NEPHEW TO BE A LYING RAT. THEY EVEN WANT TO TAKE MY REPUTATION FROM ME WITH THEIR LIES. I DONT CONDONE MY LYING RAT NEPHEW.

ANYBODY CAN BE A WITNESS AND SAY THEIR IN THE MAFIA. PEOPLE KNOW THE MYTH BY HEART. THE FEDS GIVE THESE LYING RATS FREEDOM AND ALL KINDS OF MONEY. THAT WILL MAKE ANY WEASAL A RAT"

Please stay tuned for more stories on Nicky Scarfo and others at www.phillymobspot.blogspot.com.

THE GREAT OVERTHROW OF TRENTON STATE

2008-10-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

In 1972, Anthony Russo, known as "Little Pussy" to his friends, was serving time in the now infamous Trenton State Prison for giving false testimony to a grand jury in Monmouth County that was looking into political corruption.

In February that same year, "Little Pussy", and a few of his associates were enjoying their time in the mess hall, when, as one prison official described, "all hell broke lose". By this time, over 60 percent of the prison was now african-american, and racial tension was growing everytime an italian-american gangster had a flame-up with their black counter part.

It was dinner hour, and Anthony Russo, and a few associates were sitting down, when a group of black inmates, most accounts have the group led by one Teddy Gibson, walked over to the group of white criminals. Without one word being uttered, Russo was stabbed twice in the back with a crudely made "shank". It is easy to assume that Russo never saw it coming, in his mind, the "man of respect" was untouchable.

While Russo was screaming in pain, the two freinds he was sitting with were stabbed with shanks by other members of Gibson's group. As the group lay bleeding, a third associate of Russo, Charlie Heilig was hit in the head with a metal pipe.

As much as the attack took the alleged wiseguys by suprise, this was no random attack. It had been planned well ahead, and while Russo and his friends were trying to hold on to their lives, another one of Russo's friends, Stanley Mars, was stabbed by a black inmate in another wing of the prison.

The fact that the blacks were overthrowing the italians for control of the prison was now fully established.

This fact was fully cemented in the minds of every prisoner and prison official when Anthony Russo was carried by stretcher through the hall. Witnesses at the time described a messy scene, where every step the prison official took carrying the stretcher, blood would "plop" on the ground from Russo's wound.

Watching the mob leader bleeding out like a pig, onlookers from the many wings couldn't help but wonder just how "untouchable" these men were, when a small group of low-end black gangsters, can effectively put a whole "mafia" prison crew into the hospital with a few hand made weapons.

Before the dust even settled, (the very next morning), Mike Masucci, another Russo associate and fellow Italian-American, was attacked as he exited a prison shower. Part of his lip was actually cut off, and found by a prison official later. Amazingly, the lip was sown back on, and Masucci survived the attack.

How could anyone do such a thing to the well established "men of honor"?

What caused this personal affront to the most respected criminals of all time?

Race? Power? Drugs?

Actually, all of the above.

Weeks before the stabbings and beatings, Russo and company had obtained a large amount of drugs that were stolen from the prison hospital. Word on the street were that the pills would be sold 10 pills, for 10 "packs. That is, untill a black man attempted a purchase, and was told for him it would cost 20 "packs". When word got back to Teddy Gibson, he was furious. Gibson rallied his loyal troops, and planned the attack to overthrow the king- Little Pussy Russo and his boys.

When Gibson was questioned about the reasons he formed the revolt, the reason he gave was he and his associates were on a mission to "cleanse the black prison population from drugs".

What a noble reason.

HARRY WAS NO HUMP!

2008-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Some say Harry Riccobene was a rat. Some say a traitor. All say gangster.

Harry "the hunchback" was legendary in the streets of Philadelphia, known as a long time "made man" who was allegedly inducted into the Angelo Bruno crime family by the time he was 17 years old.

Harry had a defect from birth that caused his spine to curve, and as he got older, the condition worsened. Being under five feet tall did not help the image, and Harry was often called, usually behind his back, "Harry the Hump", or the even more colorful, "Harry the Hunchback".

Harry took a lot of heat from his mob peers for breaking many of the rules that kept the family running smoothly for many years. For an elderly looking man, Mr. Riccobene was far from "old school".

For one thing, Harry was HUGE into dealing drugs, mostly heroin in his early years, and later Methamphetamine. By the time he returned to Philadelphia in March of 1975, he had already served a 20 year sentence for a drug dealing conviction based out of Cleveland.

Another thing Harry did that made many in the family angry and disgusted was involve his own step-mother in his illegal business dealings. Sure, the hunchback wasn't sending his step-mom out on late-night hits, but the idea of a woman being brought into the mix was enough to have the new men in charge wondering "what the fuck is up with the hump?"

The beard thing didn't help either. Although many suspected mob guys in Philadelphia wore mustaches, being cleanly shaven was an off-the-record "rule" that most of the mob families across the country began to adhere to. "Image" was key, and while Harry was sometimes seen without any facial hair, many more times, mostly later in his "career", he was not. A short, squat, balding man, with a hunching back, and a thick santa-style beard would not send the image they were looking to send.

Many in the family were also unhappy with Riccobene's ever expanding empire. It seemed Harry had a little something going on everywhere. Even in the many Philadelphia suburbs, Riccobene's actvities were well known. In Montgomery county, many miles from Philadelphia, many still talk about the days when "little Harry ran things".

Most of Harry's sins would have flown just under the rador, until money came into the equation. When he straight-out refused to kick up any money to the new administration, bullets started flying. Money is one thing that is taken quite seriousely in Mr. Riccobene's chosen profession.

During the "war", Harry proved that he was more than a past-his-prime, over-the-hill "mobster" when he fought off a would-be assasin in the phone booth he used to call his girlfriend, who was almost 50 years younger than he was. Harry was said to have counted the 6 shots fired, and once he was sure the gun was empty, he exited the phone booth, and wrestled the hitman to the ground, taking his gun in the process. The assailant fled the scene, and Harry was left on the sidewalk in a pool of his own blood, gun still in hand. Harry was hit five times at close range, but survived.

Even with Harry denying he saw the man who tryed to kill him, the police who interviewed him couldn't help but be impressed by the way the tiny man handled himself when death was staring him in the face.

By the time Harry was convicted, and sentenced to life, he was already "shelved" for his treasonous behavior, but it wasnt until Harry went on T.V. that Harry's name was truly disgraced.

In a secret society, any type of interview is a no no, especially an interview where he admitted the mafia exists, and generally made a mockery out of the whole profession. Harry, already convicted for life, must have figured he had nothing to lose, and might as well live up his 5 minutes of fame, before disapearing quietly into the federal penal system to serve his time like a man.

While many would consider Harry a rat, many more, even to this day, consider him a true gangster. Harry Riccobene died in prison in 2000 at age 91.

BARACUDA FRANK LIVES ANOTHER DAY

2008-10-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

"I've got plenty of fucking money! What am I gonna do? Die and leave it to my family? I don't wanna leave it to my family! I wanna live too! "

- Frank Sindone

Frank Sindone was tired of making money and putting it away. He wanted to live. This leads many people to wonder why a man who wanted to "live" would join a movement that would most certainly lead to his death- the alleged overthrow of a commision sanctioned boss.

"He wants all priests around him!", Frank lamented to a friend shortly before the plot to kill Angelo Bruno was put into action. Sindone was angry that Angelo Bruno had told him he didn't want anyone around him that drank or gambled.

After acknowledging his long-standing love for his alleged mob superior, Mr. Sindone then acknowledged his growing animosity.

"I love this guy, but he's got them old fucking ways!"

Frank Sindone may have been a "loan shark", but he was known on the street as "the Barracuda". An appropriate nickname for a man who was unapologetic viscous, and never afraid to speak his mind, even if it was being recorded by the Federal Government.

Take the following excerpt from Sindone's loansharking trial:

Q. Have you ever heard the name Frank Sindone?

A. No.

Q. Do you know Frank Sindone is probably the number three man of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra?

A. No.

Q. Do you know that during the course of his loansharking case there were tapes played in open Court that he stated that in referring to someone that owed him money, a woman, he was going to take a hatchet and slice her head in two; that is on tape. Do you know that was said in open Court?

A. No.

For years, Frank ran a steaks shop on 10th and Moymensin Ave-Franks Cabana. This storefront was allegedly used for years as a place for Sindone to conduct his business. While the shop was useful for Frank and his associates as a place to bullshit, and talk business, it was also useful to the F.B.I. as a place to wire-tap, find new "people of interest", and track comings and goings.

Among others, Joe "Butch" Curro was first "discovered" by Federal agents because he was spending some time in the imfamous steak shop, and was even recorded talking about a craps game with Sindone, and a few others.

Frank never got a chance to spend the money he so desired to spend. A few days before Halloween 1980, his body was found in the back driveway of a South Philly shopping center. He had been shot in the head 3 different times by 3 different guns, his hands and feet crudely bound with rope.

Frank Sindone was 52 years old at the time of his death.

LEONETTI DRAWS A SELF PORTRAIT

2008-09-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

"Oh, Judge, the co-defendant's glaring at me. Hello. How does that sound? . . . there's seventeen lawyers and seventeen defendants and everybody else is going -- almost everybody else -- is going along with the program and here comes Steve LaCheen to go to the Judge and say, Judge, Philip Leonetti is drawing pictures of dead rats and checking off my name on a thing. "

- Steve LaCheen, Defence Attorney

During the Scarfo trial of the 80's, Phillip Leonetti, (pictured, sitting to the left) was already a man in conflict. Many say he had already made up his mind to lie his way out of jail. This did not stop the young man from keeping up with his tough guy image, and he often tormented the very people that were paid to represent him, the defence attorneys.

Apparently, Mr. LaCheen, defence attorney for , and Mr. Leonetti, had been going at it for weeks, right in the courtroom. Leonetti seemed to have shook up the defence attorney by telling him, "I have orders to kill you if you make another objection." The defence team was getting frustrated by LaCheens constant objections, and were starting to fear they were made to look bad in front of the easily impressionable jury of their peers.

Although even LaCheen acknowledged that most of the threats were made in good fun, Leonetti took it as far to write down a "hitlist", and check the attorney's name off while glaring at him. The defence attorny was somewhat shook up, as he tryed to act relaxed in front of the other, more experienced "mob" attorneys who were used to Leonetti's morbid sence of humor.

By the time Leonetti( Pictured LEFT in the middle) started drawing cartoon dead rats at the defence table, LaCheen was already somewhat used to the off-beat tactics of his client's codefendant and alleged mob superior, although they still made him squirm in his seat.

Eventually, the arguments between Leonetti and LaCheen escalated untill Phil allegedly told some of his codefendants, "I just want to get aquitted so I can give Mr. LaCheen and his client, Mr. Pungitore, a good beating".

Mr. Leonetti never got the aquital, and Mr. LaCheen never got the beating. "Crazy Phil" was found guilty, and within a few hours of the sentencing hearing, he was sitting in an uncomfortable chair in an FBI field office, telling everything he knew to anyone who would listen.

Cooperating about things he knew is one thing, but many say Leonetti went below the belt when he offered information on "the apple" AKA New York City. Many people to this day say Leonetti "lied his ass off" about everything he said about New York. People say that while John Gotti did have a big mouth, he NEVER admitted to ANYONE that he was involved in the murder of Paul Castellano.

The very idea that John Gotti bragged to Scarfo and Co. about the murder remains something of heavy dispute. Even wiretaps show that John Gotti never admitted to the Castellano hit in front of his alleged co conspirators, so why would John Gotti make such a blatant ommission in front of younger, out-of-town mobster he barely knew named "Crazy Phil"?

ANGIE HAD CLASS!

2008-09-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

3 REASONS WE WILL ALWAYS RESPECT THE LEGEND OF ANGELO BRUNO

(#1) Angelo Bruno had class.

Take the situation involving the Kennedy's. When jewish associate Willie Wiesberg went on a rant about killing John F. Kennedy-

Willie Weisberg: "With Kennedy, a guy should take a knife, like one of them other guys, and stab and kill the bastard, where he is now. Somebody should kill the bastard. I mean it. This is true. Honest to God. It's about time to go. But I tell you something. I hope I get a week's notice. I'll kill. Right in the fucking White House."

Angelo bruno Responds cooly with the following:

Angelo Bruno: "Look, Willie, do you see there was a King, do you understand, And he found out that everybody was saying that he was a bad king. This is an old Italian story. So, there was an old wise woman about 140 years old. So, he figured. Let me go talk to the old wise woman. She knows everything. So he went to the old wise woman. So he says to her. I came here because I want your opinion.

He says, do you think I'm a bad king. She says, no, I think you are a good king. He says, well how come everybody says I'm a bad king? She says because they are stupid. They don't know. He says, well how come, why do you say I'm a good king.

Well, she said, I knew your great grandfather. He was a bad king. I knew your grandfather- He was worse. I knew your father. He was worse than them. You, you are worse than all of them, but your son, if you die, your son is going to be worse than you. So it's better to be with you."

(#2) Angelo Bruno was old school.

Take the following wire-tap from February 17, 1962:

Maggio: He wants Edgar Hoover out of the FBI-because he is a fairy, you know he is a fairy, I heard this before.

Angelo Bruno: Who?

Maggio: Edgar Hoover is a fairy.

Angelo Bruno: Who would ever listen to that bullshit.

(#3) Angelo Bruno had a sence of humor.

When Angie started having health problems, he was often admitted to different hosptials in the area. One time, when he found himself bunked next to a screaming elderly woman on the seventh floor of the Pennsylvania Hospital, he made the best of it.

Angelo had sat through a full night of listening to his 96 year old hospital roomate screaming the name "Mary Stuart, MARY STUART!" over and over again. After putting up with the screaming for as long as he could, eventually he threw on the hostipal bathrobe and walked over to see what all the comotion was about beyond the curtain.

When Angelo boldly entered the private room, the woman stopped screaming, sat upright, and gave him a especially dirty look.

She asked, "Just who do you think you are?"

Angelo replied, "Why, I'm Mary Stuart."

WALLSTREET JOURNAL KILLS THE COWBOY? LATE AND GREAT SAL TESTA

2008-09-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

One look at Salvatore "Salvie" Testa and you realize he was more than the son of "the Chicken Man", Salvie was clearly his own man.

Rather than slicking his hair straight back or to the side, Sal wore his wavy dark hair grown out over his ears in typical 70's style. He was obviousely less concerned about looking or acting the part as he was at BEING the part. The guy even played tennis!

Take his clothing; While Salvie did wear the classic mob track-suits and double breasted suits on some occasions, he was also known to wear a 10 gallen Cowboy hat and leather cowboy boots while strolling about his business, a style he seemed to have inherited from his father (RIGHT), who was also known to wear the same style hats.

What a picture Salvie was, pearing up from under his cowboy hat with his dark, emotionless eyes, scary enough to make the papparazzi question the safety of their chosen proffession. Salvie had the ability to look like a great white shark. The worst part is, were not even exaggerating; anyone who has seen the man in person, or the old press footage, knows exactly what were talking about. When the press would photograph Salvie or the people around him, he would scowl exactly like the monster previousely described.

Many of his father Phil's associates had to be a little shook up when they were told he was "sending his son Salvie over to come and see them". Just ask the Riccobene faction of the 80's, the group the Goverment alleges was at war with Salvie.

Take the example of the tragic story of the Riccobene kid, Enrico, 27 at the time of his death, who had the misfortune of being the nephew of the faction leader, and also ran a small jewelry store in South Philadelphia.

When Salvie was targeted for murder by the Riccobenes, and survived more than a couple attempts on his life, he started a campaign to torment many weaker members of the faction, including Enrico. Enrico Riccobene began recieving calls at his store, an almost familiar voice yelling into the phone, "Meet with Sal Testa, or do the job yourself!".

Do the job himself is exactly what the kid did, and he was found dead on Dec. 16, 1983. After Enrico was found dead, Testa was said to have bragged, "Were so tough, we don't even have to do the work ourselves anymore, they do it for us!"

Eventually Salvie Testa's luck ran out, and after the Riccobene family quietly withdrew from the war(white flags were said to have been hung from Riccobene hang-outs) he found himself as the target of murder from his own people. Salvie was eventually found on the side of a New Jersey back road wrapped in a blanket, tyed with road- "cowboy style". (RIGHT)

As for the reasons Mr. Testa's friends eventually turned on him, their remains many theories:

Some in Philadelphia say that Salvie was drug dealing on the side with the blacks of North and West Philadelphia, and not kicking any of the money up the latter. The JBM, aka the Junior Black Mafia, was a money-making power house of that time, controlling most of the hard drugs that were being sold in the open air drug markets of Philadlephia. An alliance with such a group could have provided all the fire power Salvie needed in order to take over the Philadlephia underworld in some type of bloody, B-grade action movie sequence (think Christopher Walken as Frank White, in the cult classic "King of New York").

Other attibute a Wallstreet Journal article that not only attracted a lot of heat to the young man and his friends, but was said to make many higher-ups paranoid about a eventual takeover by the ambitious young man. Salvie was said to have grown "too big for his britches" and had become a "walking liability".

Whatever people say about the late and great Salvatore Testa, he will always be remembered as a one of kind, live for the day, true South Philly soldier.

Salvie would have turned 52 this year.

THE FBI WOULDNT DO THAT.....WOULD THEY?

2008-09-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

Meet Martin Taccetta, a man the goverment has managed to convict on a murder charge that even the top turncoat involved in the case doesnt beleive he committed.

A lot of people have been screaming "Frame Job" for a while, and it seems like their actually might be something to it. For one thing, the informants involved, Phil Leonetti, Tommy Ricciardi, and Anthony Acceturro have all made conflicting statements involving this murder, and a related extortion.

Marty even obtained an FBI memo that clearly noted that Taccetta was no involved or on the scene when the murder of Vincent Craporatta. What is especially scary is that if what Taccetta supporters allege is true, than the Federal Goverment knowingly put turncoats on the stand to provide false information, contridicted by their own memos.

The Federal Goverment has also been accused of lying about the address of a witness, so the defence couldnt find him, or properly prepare themselves for his testimony. The Prosecution claimed it misunderstood the defence's request, and thought they were asking for prior address

As a neautral party, PhillyMobSpot.com has not made up our mind whether we beleive Taccetta was involved in the 1984 murder of Vincent Craporatta.

What we do know....... Marty certainly loves his mother !

MAY THEY REST IN PEACE

2008-09-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

"Mob" Funerals are a funny thing. Respect for the dead is what they are supposed to represent, yet many have more camera's flashing than a Paris Hilton nipple Slip. What is it about the Goverment where they cant take a freaking break?

The problem is, they make for pretty good pictures. Forget that someon's life has passed, who could forget the pictures of Carlo Gambino's Coffin being surrounded by the entire city of New York, or in Philadelphia, the pictures of Angelo Bruno's Pallbearers looking somber as they struggled with the coffin (Top Left).

Some "Mob" funerals have allegedly meant much more than just a celebration of life, many signify change. According to the Federal Goverment, On the day of Phillip Testa's funeral (right), Nicky Scarfo was forced to skip the ceremony, and take trip to New York to pick a new leader. So much for paying your respects. Im sure he had his reasons.

As flakey as funerals can be for normal people, the same goes for these alleged "mafioso". They are a place to see and be seen as much as anything. Many people see these funerals as a chance to show their face and be seen. Some woman smile under tears at a chance to wear a certain black dress, or a vailed jet-black hat.

As the family members role their eyes in disgust, the somber fashion show continues, and often carries out into the street(below-Phil Testa Funeral).

Before you think the life of an alleged wiseguy is all fun and games, picture your mother at your funeral, being blinded by some Feds cheap flash.

Many people justify this lack of respect in death, for the accused lack of respect of the law. The law justifys their actions as the following: What about the real victoms, the thousands of people that suffer directly and indirectly at the hands of suspected wiseguys and other organised crime figures.

If taking a couple pictures at a funeral helps the FBI understand the structure of the criminal enterprise, then respect aside, the FBI will do what they gotta do.

Over here at PhillyMobSpot.com, were not sure how we feel about the topic, but we will continue to "do what we gotta do", to accurately report both sides of the story.

THE MIGHTLY LION DIED FOR HIS SON?

2008-09-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

Over here at PhillyMobSpot.com, we gotta be honest, were not too sure how we feel about the Martarano family. They made some problems and some say the father got what he deserved. We do not share this opinion. We respect life, and consider this another Philadelphia Tragedy.

Nevertheless, we still felt a need to print a letter, George Martarano, currently incarcerated, wrote about his Father, who was shot dead in 2002 on his way to a doctors appointment in his late model lincoln towncar.

In this letter, George hints that maybe his father died for a reason-so his son could be released. The way he sees it, as long as the father was alive, he would never be released because the Law would always want him to testify about his Father in order to get out from under the system.

The letter Reads:

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My Friend,

I received a touching letter about my father from an old friend. After reading the letter, I decided to send him the words I spoke in 2002, the year my father passed away due to street violence.
I spoke these words from the prison to the funeral home via the telephone. The good warden had me brought to to an office. Just an empty office, a desk,one chair, one phone, no windows, and 4 cold walls. As I delivered the eulogy, my voice was heard by my loved-ones and friends through little speaker-phones that had been set throughout the room where my dads casket was present.
I needed to speak, have some sort of closer, I was 2000 miles away. Today, I have made up my mind to share those words I spoke, the sorrow I felt then, and still feel today. I want people to know people with a past such as I mine hurt too. Yes, we can feel pain just like you when we care about loved ones and friends, as I do.
So, since it’s been 6 years since I spoke alone, in that spare office, I ask that you hear my voice-and remember, not all that are caged are beast, some are human, as I…
(words George spoke that day)
“For many of you are asking the question, why did’nt he leave, leave Philly? I have asked myself this over and over.”
“Then it hit me. It was the greatest sacrifice for a son, for me. He told me himself - by the last court decision. A decision stating the same as all the rest. Talk or die in prison. He believed while he lived I would never be released.”
“This Lion that lies before you had no choice but to remain and give up his own life the only way an old lion knows how. And yes, in my heart, the very center of it, I believe this now, so much so, that this poem tells it all…”

“LION LOVE LAST”
No one can know of my life.For I am the old Lion left to roar.Here, in harsh land, I make myself seen and heard, again and again.And yes, my legs are weak, yet I will not run.Alone, I am bound to roar against jackals the color of dung.So Forgive me now, pain has slowed my claw.Forgive me now… ’tis time this old Lion must fall.Thus, to all, to all, only kneel before God and remember this old Lion’s roar…

George

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George Martarano is currently serving one of the longest federal sentences for a nonviolent offense in America. Poor George. Anyone interested in the FREE GEORGE MARTARANO movement can get more information from http://www.freegeorge.us/. Dont tell them we sent you.

THE BOMB HEARD ROUND' THE NEIGHBORHOOD...

2008-09-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

Poor Phillip Testa. He didnt look like most would describe as a "mafia boss". With a thick mustache, bad skin, and blue-collar clothing, Mr. Testa looked more like a badly dressed plummer than an "old world don". He was close with old-timer Angelo Bruno, and even closer with new-timer Nicky Scarfo.

March 15,1981, Phillip threw his heavy hand around the door nob of his South Philly rowhouse only to be blown accross the street by a nail bomb. He was killed instantly. A sad thing considering Testa was known as a mostly nonviolent, drugdealer-banning, short time mob leader.

Over here at PhillyMobspot.com, we dont belive in the mafia, but if we did, Mr. Testa would have been on our list as one of the better guys to work under. Calm and collected, testa often gets less credit than he probably deserved.

I know, Your wondering, "Hey, Why didnt he bring up the song?"

Ok, Bruce Springteen wrote a song, "Atlantic City", and Mr. Testa gets a dedication.

You happy now toughguy?

OUR OLD FRIEND CHICKIE.......

2008-09-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

MEET FRANK "CHICKIE" NARDUCCI- (PICTURED)

On January 7, 1982, Chickie took 10 bullets to the head and chest. He was a genuine tough guy, bookmaker extrodinare, and a one-time driver of Angelo Bruno.

Chickie also ran the infamous Buckeye Club on 8th st in South Philadelphia, now the site of a recording studio renamed after Frankie's club as "Buckeye Recording".

Frank( RIGHT) was shot dead on his way home from another court apearance at the age of 49

Many say he got what he had coming. Some say Frank was behind the Nail-bomb death of Phillip Testa, than the alleged Boss of the family. Many beleive Frank conspired to kill Testa with others, so he could take over the family .

Frank was survived by his 2 son's , who actually spent most of their time around the same man who many belive was behind their father's murder, Mr. Salvatore Testa, son of the imfamous "Chickan Man".

Frank Narducci was denied a proper Roman Catholic funeral because his marriage was considered "invalid" by the church due to no witnesses present at the time of the ceremony. Even if Frank had 200 witnesses, none of them would have talked, if they did, the Catholic church could of probably thought of a few other reasons for the denial.