Yeah, I think you and I pm'd about Yonkers awhile back??

I'm a Bronx guy for 53 years, but I always had a lot of family up that way. But to be honest, Yonkers---and no offense to your friend---has changed drastically recently. Most of the Italians have bolted for the suburbs further north. I was in Cross County last week to do some shopping and I was absolutely shocked at the decline of the surrounding area.

Yea you and I did dicsuss that. I told you where he lived and you said that was one of the last remaining good areas. His house is actually really nice and in a nice area but like Philly, its pretty close to a real bad area. Most of his family is from the bronx though. His family owns a auto show...Last name Dibona. I think the auto shop is in Yonkers though.

He lives in East Yonkers, I remember that. His little area reminds me of Jersey, he lives like in a little development.

Right, I remember now, over by Palmer Road. That part of Palmer by Bronxville is still very nice. But that's almost more Bronxville than Yonkers. Big, big money in Bronxville.

But the other side of Palmer Road, that runs towards Saw Mill River Road? I wouldn't walk through that area after dark on a bet today. And it's a shame, too. It used to be very nice. But like I always say, things change .

One of the farthest-fetch ideas as to why the Nicodemo shooting happened when it did could be maybe not everybody wanted to see these guys walk.Maybe some thought the prosecution failed to deliver so somebody said lets make these guys[defendants] look violent.Let's face it if these guys go down somebody moves up.Why they picked the victim they did,who knows.I don't believe that theory well Dipetro was talking to the authorities about the Johnny Gongs hit or the Mazzuca Hit.Even if he was you know right darn well one of these good Mob lawyers would punch holes in the testimoney portraying the guy to be a drug-dealer and whatever.Unless its a higher-up talking about old hits there's probably no credability amongst the associates with lenthy criminal records,so it wouldn't make sense to kill him for talking,not only that but the guy wasn't trying to get a shorter sentence or aanything,he was already a free man.Doesn't make sense.

The jury should see these guys had nothing at all to do with the shooting. The FBI watched these same guys for 10 years and there hasn't been any violence associated with them what so ever. For reporters to fabricate stories stating that DiPietro was on tape in court us nonsense! He was never mentioned in the 12 weeks of trial. However that's what who're reporters do..the LIE! The guy damion was talking about on the tapes was Nicodemo not DiPietro funny how it was immediately twisted around to make a story in the paper. This guy has never been brought up in the case. Damion doesn't know this guy (trust me) let alone talking about him on the phone.

agree phillybella....these guys walk in a few weeks...the whole thing is a waste of time...nothing seems to relate to the other, i dont see the rico sticking...this is actually unamerican of what the feds are doing.

i mean yur talking about poker machines in coffee shops and some 70 yr old guy has a job at a waste mangment place but he doesnt show up...who gives a shit.

Cheech you are exactly right not one thing relates to the other. This 10 year investigation and they have nothing. The Feds had no choice but to bring it now and hope something sticks. We are still waiting to hear if the judge will throw out the Rico which is a complete joke, especially when damion and Georgie have been away for half of this investigation and others in the case already plead out on their charges.

That's a great way to word it. The government in Philadelphia is F'd up. There are a lot of young people in Law Enforcement and the DA's Office state and federal that are trying to make a name for themselves I was at CJC(Criminal Justice Center yesterday) where state cases are held. The one DA goes to a colleague this a Kangaroo Court, its ridiculous the amount of money wasted..and the amount of money some of the accused have to spend on attorneys and specialists.

Is that even illegal? As long as it's not a public company i would think the owner could give a job to whoever he wants even if you don't have to do anything. I think he might have a problem with the health benefits him and his family received but i'm not sure on the law about using a union funded plan.

It's the same everywhere, DickNose. Or I should say it's the same everywhere there's Italian American OC. New York, Philly, wherever. They're never going to let up. Ever.

@Giancarlo I agree like the private sector in white collar jobs a lot of the time do not have to explain themselves for why this person is working for them and what not because it is "PRIVATE" but considering that industry has a lot of oversight on it, I would think that's why they're making a big fuss over it. I mean it is expensive getting your trash picked up nowadays.

interesting conspiracy theory

trial will continue for Uncle Joe and the boys in Philly Fed Court

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaki...lleged_hit.html

I have a question that some senior posters probably could answer... All the guys that took pleas would they have to okay that with the their alleged boss (Ligambi) or Fazzini get permission from Scoops is that part of the rules?

Okay so these boards seem pretty convinced Uncle Joe and company are going down for the count. That leaves South Philly with 30+ made guys out on the streets, right? How's the power vacuum going to fill at the Captain and upper management level?

Well, we're getting ahead of ourselves. But wouldn't it be some shit if a few of the geriatric old Scarfo guys ended up running shit again?

Ever see "Tough Guys" with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas?

30 made guys on the street? That seems a little high. Especially after this trial is over.

There is def NOT 30 active made guys on the street, a few years back when Ligambi and crew were out on the street there was around 20 active made guys out on the street according to the state police, there is probably around 15-20 or so currently out, whether they are active or not is another story

The Scarfo guys could very well take control with Ligambi and crew in jeopardy of going away, in his new book Leonetti said that Phillip Narducci is a very serious guy to look out for in the future, he just got released after serving 25 yrs in the can.

Dicknose, I doubt thats the case anymore. Plea deals have been the wave of the future since the 90s. In the past Gotti didnt allow people to take pleas, and the Westside killed Lawrence Ricci because he refused to accept a plea deal. There have been a few historical exceptions, but nowadays I think accepting a plea deal is the norm if you can get one regardless if your mob superiors approve or not.

http://www.bigtrial.net/2012/12/defense-scores-points-at-mob-trial.html#more

Defense Scores Points at Mob Trial
It was a good day for the defenseTuesday in the racketeering trial of mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and six co-defendants.

So good, in fact, that mob underboss Joseph "Mousie" Massimino, a co-defendant, joked about going home. One of five defendants being held without bail, Massimino, during a break in the trial, asked Assistant U.S. Attorney John Han, "Can you give me a ride John?"

Massimino, Ligambi and the three other defendants held without bail will have to wait at least until January to find out if they walk out of the Federal Detention Center next door to the U.S. Courthouse. Jury deliberations are expected to begin on Jan. 7 following a recess later this week for the holidays.

But the defense camp was decidedly upbeat after Tuesday's court session which included testimony from one witness who blistered key government informant Louis "Bent Finger Lou" Monacello and another witness who raised serious questions about whether a mob meeting at a North Jersey restaurant back in May 2010 was anything other than a bunch of guys getting together for lunch.

"I think we had a really good day," said one defense attorney.
The trial resumes Wednesday with U.S. District Court Judge Eduardoi Robreno taking up the issue of whether a highly publicized mob hit in South Philadelphia last Wednesday impacted the jury. Robreno privately questioned each of the 17 jurors (there are five alternates) before the start of Tuesday's session.

Nine jurors said they had heard about the shooting, but only one indicated that the news might have affected his ability to remain impartial, according to courtroom sources. The defense is deciding whether to ask that the juror be replaced by an alternate. Robreno intends to take up the issue before the defense continues presenting its witnesses.

Testimony could conclude later in the day.

Ligambi, Massimino and their co-defendants are charged with racketeering conspiracy in a case built around bookmaking, loansharking, extortion and illegal video poker machines.

The key defense witness called Tuesday was Jerry Davis, 54, a one-time South Philadelphia neighbor of Monacello.

Monacello testified for the prosecution earlier in the trial, tying Ligambi and co-defendant George Borgesi, Ligambi's nephew, to gambling, extortion and loansharking rackets.

The defense has argued that Monacello, 45, a key Borgesi associate, lied on the witness stand. They contend that he was acting on his own in the criminal underworld while using his mob connections, particularly his ties to Borgesi, to advance his own money-making operations.

Davis, who lived next door to Monacello on South 18th Street before Monacello moved to Vetnor in 2011, said he frequently socialized with the mob figure who he described as "vicious" and vindictive.

He said after Monacello was indicted along with Ligambi, Borgesi and the other defendants in May 2011, he told Davis that he would "do whatever it took" to get out from under the charges. Monacello was at first denied bail, but was released in July 2011 after agreeing to cooperate.

He relocated to Ventnor after being freed.

Davis said he met Monacello around 2005, about the time authorities allege Monacello was running Borgesi's gambling and loansharking operations in Delaware County. Borgesi, 49, was serving a 14-year sentence for an unrelated racketeering conviction at the time.

Davis described several drinking sessions he said he had with Monacello in the basement of Monacello's home. Monacello, he said, favored a shot of Crown Royal whiskey chased with a glass of beer. Davis said the more Monacello drank, the more he talked about Borgesi, Ligambi and mobster Martin Angelina.

Monacello, he said, boasted that he could use "Borgesi's name to get anything he wanted."

He said Monacello told him that "he hoped (Borgesi) would never come home from prison." He also said Monacello "hated" Ligambi and wanted Angelina "dead."

From the witness stand Monacello admitted most of that to the jury, but insisted that whatever he did in the underworld was on behalf of Borgesi and often with Ligambi's blessing.

Davis, speaking in a quiet, firm voice, said Monacello frequently complained about the leadership of the crime family.

"Nobody knows what they're doing," he said Monacello would say after a few drinks. He also said Monacello told him that he, Monacello, should be the boss of the organization.

Monacello has been described as a mob associate, but not a made or formally initiated member of the crime family. During his testimony, he told the jury that he often found himself caught in the middle of underworld disputes between Borgesi and Ligambi involving gambling and loansharking issues.

Borgesi, who was about to be released from prison for the earlier racketeering conviction when he was indicted and ordered held without bail in this case, clearly felt that Davis' testimony supported his contention that Monacello had fabricated stories about him.

"See, I told you," he said during a break.

Whether the jury sees it that way, however, is the only issue that matters. After two months of testimoy and evidence, it is clear that the case against Borgesi depends almost entirely on Monacello's testimony.

The defense also appeared to undermine a key piece of evidence against Joseph "Scoops" Licata, a North Jersey mob figure whose connection to the overall racketeering conspiracy has been tenuous at best throughout the trial.

Among other things, the prosecution has alleged that Licata was a key participant in a mob meeting at a North Jersey restaurtant, La Griglia, in May 2010. Authorities have described the lunch meeting, attended by Ligambi, Licata, co-defendant Anthony Staino and several members of the Gambino crime family as a meeting of the "board of directors of organized crime."

The meeting was secretly recorded by a mob informant who wore a body wire to the session.

But Tuesday Chris Tocci, the manager of the Kenilworth restaurant, testified that the lunch meeting took place in the main dining room and within earshot of other patrons. Under questioning from Licata's lawyer, Christopher Warren, Tocci said he had offered to set the party up in a private room, but that Licata and the others declined.

"They said they wanted to eat in the main dining area," Tocci said.

Warren then introduced as evidence photos of the main dining with dozens of tables and the private room where the mobsters could have met. The point Warren made visually -- and one he is expected to expand on verbally in his closing argument -- is that if the mobsters wanted privacy to discuss criminal business the private dining area would have made more sense.

In his opening argument, Warren, along with several other defense attorneys, argued that the prosecution had stitched together a series of unrelated charges and events to create a criminal conspiracy where none existed. The meeting at LaGriglia was one example.

During what authorities have said was a four- to five-hour lunch meeting, the food ordered by Licata, Ligambi and the others included seafood salad, cajun calamari, grilled filet mignon, yellow fin tuna, Chilean sea bass, chicken with broccoli rabe and diver scallops, according to the bill.

One mobster also ordreed the cod lunch special. Another had a half plate of linguine. And there were two orders of broccoli rabe with sausage and two orders of fricassee. Desserts included fresh berries, cheesecake and shortcake. They washed it all down with seven bottles of mineral water (at $7 each) and five bottles of wine, four 2005 Mocali (at $65 per bottle) and a 2001 Biondi Santi for $200.

The bill came to $902 with tax. Tocci said the bill was paid in cash. There was no indication of how big a tip the mobsters left.
Posted by George Anastasia at 6:09 PM
Trial: Philadelphia Mob Trial


Read more at http://www.bigtrial.net/2012/12/defense-scores-points-at-mob-trial.html#a5sirSOI42frbrKV.99

Looks like a good day for Ligambi and co...doesnt matter if they beat this case IMHO. If I was one of them I would be sweating bullets thinking whether or not Nicodemo is going to flip and if he did when the feds would file a new indictment... if he doesnt flip and they also beat this case, then they are one lucky SOB's thats for sure. Just for the record, I still think guilty across the board with only a a chance for Licata to come off scott free.

I agree and the other thing as someone on here has stated, who is gonna be the first to flip on the earlier murder case once the rumors start flying if and when nicodemo decides to cooperate...if they get him as a death penalty case..it will get hot in philly

The key guys to watch for are Borgesi and Damion IMHO. If Damion beats this case, does he turn and decide to cut a deal before Nicodemo can? If he beats this case,does he wait to see if Nicodemo flips and he gets indicted then he decides to cut a deal? Or is he going to stand up and not cooperate regardless of what happens? Obviously, this is all assuming he beats this case.

Then there's Georgie, who was wrapping up another sentence until he got re-indicted on these current charges, what happens if he loses his current case? will he cooperate with the feds against uncle joe right after being found guilty (like massino)? If he beats these charges, and nicodemo flips and implicates georgie on some crimes will georgie also flip? Or will georgie not even wait for nicodemo to flip and goes to cop a deal himself with the feds (doubtful)

All interesting and plausible scenarios IMO.

Borgesi will not rat and neither will Canalichio

neither are even remotely plausible

dapper i like you and your site but I think you are way off when it comes to philly...they are a different breed down there

not sure how you can say they are a different breed when they have a bunch of people who flipped and this guy niccodemo is maybe gonna face the death penalty and at the least life on a murder charge and it may be the first to get to the feds when the stories about what niccodemo may or may not do...him doing what he did and the way he did it has a lot of people on edge and then others like narducci cracking a smile because he may rise to #1

Thanks but like GA has said the Philly LCN is the most recorded family along with the most rats relative to their size... nowadays anything is a possibility especially regarding LCN. Fact is if you list all the Philly rats and compare them to active made guys on the street it is quite similar.

I don't understand how the testimony of a neighbor exonerates Borgesi.I mean who is this guy Jerry Davis,does he go around to trials and is known as the ''good listener friendly neighbor''.Also I agree Philly is different there are no rules there at all,if it benefits you your best friend,cousin,relative,whoever will go down if it puts you in a better place.This is not my opinion we have seen it play out over the years.