Im sure they have way more than this scum,but these are mostly the type of people they are gona put up o the stand! People ratting out the mob because thry get caught stealing,scamming and drug dealing! I guess when the agents get up there it will get more real!

You are right the 2 FBI agents that got in there will be the nail in the coffin...I am guessing that these 2 FBI guys will then get the philly OC scene to the big screen then after they write their books

I guess you guys missed court on Thursday of last week? One FBI agent was on the stand an Ed Jacobs DESTROYED him!!! I guess GA didn't report that!! Y dont you guys come to court n listen to what's going on instead of just speculating?

LOL. We work! Only hanger ons and wannabes go to court. Just kidding... Keep us updated when he is about to destroy him again. Maybe the guys like Old head can stop by. And actually its not just GA reporting on it. And they do report on both sides if you can read. I can't believe I have to play the devils advocate on this site. I am from south philly and think these charges are bullshit. But you people who Only know South philly and nothing else think that theres some kind of agenda against these guys. Jacobs can destroy him all he wants but if you think these guys don't get convicted of something, you are as naive.

Since no report has come out about today's court, Why don't you tell us what happened? Get your side in. Explain it to us. Most on here want to hear both sides. Its a forum. Everything is up for discussion. Not everyone can go to court or would want to. So tell us what they don't report instead of coming on here trying to be funny.

I gotta pay the bills, cant make it on the streets hustling for nickles, I gotta work for my dimes...obama didnt take care of me

Open and shut case via the RICO charges.....just on that dead guys wiretap

Southphilly13, how do the guys that are locked up look? I heard they are bored to death in FDC?

You ever walk by there and hear those guys screaming in there and playing bball and handball or raquetball...

He isn't being funny his brother is on trial! And you would think that if you have time to be on here everyday talking then your obviously concerned cause I gotta work and I have a life. And yes you are on here a lot but when you are called on it you gotta work, whatever.and yes there is an agenda. Jacobs said hiself," guilty of being Italian"

I got a passion for the Eagles too but I dont go to their practice either

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER









By John P. Martin

Deep in debt and unable to pay, Michael F. Orlando Jr. had a proposal. He asked his South Philadelphia loan shark if he might earn credit - and good will - by working as a street collector.

But the alleged shark, Damion Canalichio, nixed the idea. Orlando's loan wasn't his to forgive, Canalichio said. It belonged to "Stevie and Joey," shorthand that Orlando took to mean reputed mob boss Joseph Ligambi and a lieutenant, Steve Mazzone.

"It's Uncle Joe's money?" Orlando asked in the 2002 conversation, recorded by the FBI.

"Yeah," Canalichio said.

Federal prosecutors on Friday played that tape - and a handful of others - in a bid to persuade jurors that even the smaller loans were part of a larger organized gambling, extortion and loan-shark racket controlled by Ligambi and his associates, and that the money flowed up.

The testimony came on the second day of Orlando's coming out as a government cooperator at the trial for Ligambi, Canalichio and five others. It was also his first day of cross-examination, and the lawyers pounced.

Under questioning from Ligambi's lawyer, Orlando conceded he was never beaten over his mounting debt, and that he never saw Canalichio or others on trial beat someone else who owed them money. He also agreed that tough talk and name-dropping is routine in South Philly, the false currency that people trade to get things done.

The lawyer, Edwin Jacobs, Jr., suggested that Orlando deliberately inserted Ligambi's name into the conversation that day, when Canalichio could have been referring to someone else named Joey.

"You were a cooperating witness for the government, and you knew darn well what they were trying to do was get something on tape that implicated Joe Ligambi," Jacobs asserted.

Orlando denied it.

"I was not instructed to use his name, Uncle Joe," he said "That's not true."

Often looking toward the defendants, Orlando, 45, has portrayed himself as tortured over the decision to cooperate.

Canalichio, he said, was "a dear friend." Reputed underboss Joseph "Mousie" Massimino had his utmost respect, "treated me very well" and may have intervened to keep one particularly aggressive loan shark off his back.

But Orlando told jurors he felt like he had no choice after learning in 2001 that his half-brother had been wearing a wire and gathering evidence against mobsters, including when he paid off some of Orlando's debts.

The defense lawyers have argued the case is built on fabrications from criminals trying to save themselves.

At the time he began cooperating, Orlando owed thousands of dollars to several sharks, loaned at 30 percent interest that compounded weekly.

"One of the reasons you had debt was because you're a complete gambling degenerate, isn't that right?" said Canalichio's lawyer, Maggie Gross, delivering a point Orlando didn't contest.

Jacobs noted that Orlando had admitted staging a fake auto accident, running a credit scam, selling drugs and robbing a drug dealer - but that none of the proceeds went to the defendants who prosecutors contend controlled South Philadelphia crime.

He parsed the plea agreement, one that Orlando signed with prosecutors after being charged in the credit scheme almost a decade ago. He faced up to 16 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, but ended up getting probation.

"The bottom line is that for the bank fraud, drug dealing, the robbery, bogus auto accidents . . . The total time you did in jail is what, zero? Not a day in jail?" Jacobs asked.

"I put my life at risk just wearing a wire," Orlando said. "I put my life at risk here today testifying. That's enough to do. For the rest of my life I have to look over my shoulder."

"But not one day in jail, right?" Jacobs shot back.

"Not one day in jail," Orlando conceded, "but maybe a bullet in my head someday."

Orlando has spent nearly a decade in the witness protection program. He said he is married with children and a steady job in another state.

"Can you ever come back to Philadelphia?" Assistant U.S. Attorney John Han asked.

"Absolutely not," Orlando said. "What I'm doing here today will be my death sentence."

His testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact John P. Martin at 215-854-4774, at jmartin@phillynews.com, or follow @JPMartinInky on Twitter.

Maybe not but I'm sure you at least attended one of their games

@ SPMOB...Only hang arounds go to court n wannabes?? What if your father or brother was on trial, would you go to court?? That's not funny... N I can read, I do have a bachelors degree unlike you who probably dropped out in 11th grade. And if you can read GA n Dave have been one sided about this case from day one. Just recently other reporters have been reporting on this case. So you don't think there's an agenda against these guys?? Seriously?? Because there's an agenda....Am I naive? No I'm not, but buddy you haven't heard ANY of the evidence, so how are you so sure they are gonna be convicted?? I'm not trying to be funny this case is serious. You said this is a forum for discussion but how can you talk about something when you don't know any of the facts??? You are going off of hearsay... And court was over at 4pm today...how can a report be out that quick?? I'm not a reporter, I'm not here to give you the blow by blow. If you wanna know something go to court and listen....

@merlino... I'm glad you work... I do too..Obama didn't help me either...but honestly nobody on here is really interested that you work...So it's an open and shut case because of the dead guys tapes?? Really happy to know your not on the jury...how can you possible say it's an open and shut case without even hearing the tapes???? You make no sense!! And no I never walk by and hear guys screaming.

@oldhead all the guys look great! I don't know if they are bored... I'm sure their not having a good time in jail...Who would...

I'm not on here to argue with any of you guys but I can't sit back and read nonsense!! The 2 FBI agents are going to be the nail in the coffin?? Really??
Why cause someone wrote an article and said 2 FBI agents were involved with this case?

Right:) everyone acts like they wanna know till you tell em.YOU GO BOY

southphilly13 thank you for taking the time out to explain a few things to these internet speculators lol

hey southphillyoldhead is steve mazzone now the acting boss? if so how do you think he'll do

I heard Ligambi's defense lawyer made a fool out of Orlando. He was asked to identify Damion twice and couldn't do it. If the FBI hope to put them in jail which I hope they don't, they will need people much more credible

Witnesses are weak. Tapes are strong.

Lately on these boards I see a lot of guys that may have a little more interest in this trial because of family members or friends involved.To me this leads to some of the posters taking things very personal.For the ones that don't actually live in South Philly just go on a lot of what they read and a lot of just reading between the lines.My gut feeling on this case is I feel like there may be some convictions based on the fact of the tapes,some of the guys already accepting deals[I feel like if they thought they could win they would not have done that] and also the fact that the Feds have been on this gathering info since like 2000.I would think they would have something substancial by this time.Even though I feel like that,that doesn't mean I want them to get convicted or I dislike them in any way.It just seems like a lot of guys are lashing out if you don't agree with them or if you think these guys are guilty.

i can only say this that i heard Mazzone is not running things!!

Southphilly13 thanks for your imput, its refreshing to hear somebody that is inside talking so positive. I think the charges are crap and hope your family member beats the charges as well as everybody else! What about some of the guys that took deals what your feel on them? Marty. Gaeton, Lou Sheep, and Lou Fazzini? Why would they take those deals?

These particular charges may be crap (I don't know), but in my opinion it's clear it's all happening just because Ligambi's gang has committed more serious crimes which cannot be proven (like Ligambi killing D'Alfonso etc), so they are going after them with minor charges to get them at least for SOMETHING, like in Al Capone's case.
But why do you want EVERYBODY of them to beat the charges?
Don't get mad at me, it's just a question.

Got a masters sweetie and I live on 10th n ritner ...I know both sides of the world. I do also read papers n listen to the street. We talking in babrber shop right now. I said for you to give your opinion on what went down in court before the paper the next day so that we can hear your side as well. I hope these guys don't get a lot of time for bs gambling case but use act lime these guys are saints. The way the gov works n the evidence they do have they are getting convicted. That's why the others pleaded out

I work 8 to 6 each day so old head is gonna take my spot at court next week

so when this guy damion says its uncle joes money or its steve and joeys money to the wired up informant that clears him of loansharking right? cause he just said this isnt my thing, i guess he beats that charge. but it just convicted, in my opion uncle joe of giving this olrlando guy a loan. maybe the jury doent see it that way just going off what i read. i live 5 hours from philly so its not personal.i guess the lawyer wil say did joe ligambi personly give you x amount of money which he probaly didnt. i just want to read what pete the crumb(this guys ancient) and milano say. wonder why delgerno or crow arnt called up if there alive. good luck to who ever has family in this trial. money for lawyers in this case must be crushing pockets.

^^^it doesnt matter if the money was mazzone and ligambi and damion was just collecting it, that makes him an accessory to the actual loan-sharking cause he is the one collecting the payments and probably giving it back to ligambi or mazzone

why is everybody so "surprised" on the background of this recent witness, orlando? who else did you expect to be called upon as a witness against the mob? a teacher, a nun? obcourse its going to be a scumbag who himself has broken the law (drug dealing, etc). That's the nature of the game, you make deals with whoever is willing to talk (ala Gravano) to get to your ultimate goal (ala Gotti) which is the conviction of the top echelon of the Philly LCN.

This case hasnt even gotten warmed up yet, just wait till they start bringing out the Nicky Skins tapes, surveilliance footage (photos, videos), bent finger lou, pete the crumb and gene milano, ligambi union health care fund records, fbi agents, etc.

They are just laying the groundwork right now. It hasnt even gotten good yet.

So who is the boss?

Also what has Mazzone,Chang,Nicodemo, Lance been up to.. Only 4 high profile guys on the street...

How does one gain access to the courtroom?As a potential law student I would like to see how the proceedings play out in this particular kind of case. How early do I have to get there to get a seat, start time, room number, etc?

im pretty sure anyone can go to the courtroom