What's going on in Philly?

Did the Philly family retire or something? There's never any news about them anymore.

I assume you mean since the big bust in January 2011.

In April 2011, it was reported that part of an ongoing investigation into a drug trafficking operation involving the illegal sale of prescription medications such as oxycodone, percocet, etc. and loansharking, connected to Philadelphia LCN acting underboss Joseph "Mousie" Massimino, search warrants were executed at the homes of several Pagan Motorcycle Club members (such as Joseph "The Goat" Ferrari) and LCN associates (such as Nicky Volpe) and a bar where video poker machines were seized. Not sure what ever became of that case though.

In February 2012 you had that leaked law enforcement report that detailed Merlino’s activities and associates in Florida that was pretty interesting.

In December 2012 you had the DiPietro murder and subsequent indictment of Anthony Nicodemo.

In October 2013, Anthony Gifoli, Frank Tulino, Vincent Simoni (who had been involved in a 1988 LCN-connected gambling bust), and James Matteis, were indicted in Philadelphia on charges of conducting an illegal gambling businesses involving a sports bookmaking operation.

In December 2013 and May 2014 you had the cases related to Ronald Galati.

More recently you had the news about some members getting into the construction, real estate, etc business.


There were also these gambling cases, though I'm not sure of an LCN connection -

In April 2011, 8 people including Christopher Naso, Timothy Lepore, and Frank Formando were indicted in Bucks County, PA on charges of running a sports bookmaking operation that handled over $1 million a year.

In January 2014, Leonard Stango was indicted in Philadelphia on charges of structuring financial transactions and filing false tax returns involving $5 million in profits from a sports bookmaking operation.

In April 2014, Frank Medure Sr. and Frank Medure Jr. (DiCarlo Amusements, Medure ATM Service Providers) were indicted in Lawrence County, PA on charges of corruption organizations and dealing with proceeds of unlawful activity involving 74 video poker machines in 35 local bars and clubs.

In March 2015, Ralph "Sharkey" Sabatini, Valerio "Val" Ungarini, and Robert Molnar Jr. were indicted in Bucks County, PA on charges of corrupt organization, dealing in unlawful proceeds, criminal use of a facility, and engaging in bookmaking involving a sports bookmaking operation.

In May 2015, it was reported that Jacob Corropolse had pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns involving his sports bookmaking business which took in $500,000 in proceeds from bettors in 2010 and 2011.

Supposedly out of the 4 crews, only one maybe two are kicking up at all. The one guy I know for a fact isn't is Pung. Hes probably the smartest and the lowest key and the most forward thinking of all of them. Hes not gonna fight over the same dollar like the rest of them. And he spends a lot of time in Florida himself.

http://gangsterreport.com/traits-of-a-st...boxing-trainer/

I think it's interesting that at the end of this article on Steve Traitz Jr passing away, Scott mentions that the two Traitz sons have subsequently lined up behind Borgesi and thus must be at least a part of this whole group of union support that Georgie Boy has. Also makes me wonder if the Philly Mob has in some way shape or form have some sort of control over the Roofers Union. I've mentioned on the board before that there have been several things I've noticed indicating that while the Philly family might not outright control unions like they used to they have influence and backing (IATSE Stagehands, Laborers/Carpenters, and Iron Workers). Supposedly Ray Wags is a point guy down at the Convention Center and Gaeton Lucibello has some hand in the Iron Workers for starters. Ciancaglini's are involved with the Stagehands and I speculate Johnny Chang might have some behind the scenes sway there.

Get this fukin straight... Ray wag is a carpenter.. he has no sayin who works there or who don't.. he aint no point guy...The fucking guy he works for is the man in charge, GOT IT.. he is lucky to have a freakin job just like everyone else.. Gateon tied rebar for local 401.. he is lucky to have a job like everyone else.. Now Traitz sr already top man in roofers, just happned to meet nicky scrfo.. were he made a bad decision to work for the guy.. For some freakin reason Almost everyone today thinks the mob has some ties to unions... NONONONONO.. Union guys or construction workers are the ones lineing themselves up with the mobsters.. construction guys are following the mob guys.. which means they have no say in any union what so ever.. get it fucking straight the fucking government follows the union annunity an pension an other shit....they check da books.. point man down the convention center get the fuck lost.. One more thing I don't think that article said the traitz sons lined up behind ANYONE...! if so their wrong.. ...FACT.... so don't say that shit if u don't know.. Their real Fighters not any kind of mob wannabe or follower.. scarfo days were awhile ago

A lot of people make this mistake it seems;

They view this stuff like it's still the 40s or 50s, like these guys automatically just get the underworld black market handed to em on a platter, it's kinda annoying, lol....

So are the Traitz no longer involved with the Roofers Union? You tell me Marine you sound pretty confident so you must have some sort of pulse... Also what about the Statens? I know Staten Sr (past away last week also) was caught by the FBI meeting with mob guys (Billy D'Elia) and Imam, who also has connections into Merlino, in or around 2004 at the Saloon where they were trying to maneuver for city demo contracts and actually setup a company to do so. No contracts were awarded to my knowledge. You guys are right I'm not saying there's anything like the Scarfo days, just interesting connections and relationships...

I have a few friends who are pretty high up in the unions; there is no outright control. Look at it this way - Lot's of people, including construction workers (shocker) pop percocets, like to gamble and spend their checks by lunchtime on Friday. Can a drug dealer, bookie or loanshark get business from these guys? Rhetorical question.

Do these pill popping, gambling messes have any say in the unions? Another rhetorical question.

Scarfo had 2 unions he was embezzling - Bartenders and Roofers. He had understandings with other unions on who could do what, but I don't think Johnny Doc, Eddie Coryell (or his replacement in the region), or any other union labor leader is looking to the Philly Mob for what they can and can't do. The recent case with the other Dougherty and the iron workers should tell you that much.

Most people in south philly and the surrounding area have the general belief that the Philly Mob don't mess with you unless you wanna mess with them. I said it before, you can make an extra $40-$100 thousand a year Tax free being a book. It's quite a good way to supplement your regular job. Why would they jeopardize that money for the exposure they would get trying to infiltrate unions that are watched by the government like hawks? Yet, another rhetorical question...

I think Philly is building right now.....it will take a couple low key years for them to build nest eggs to make the bigger moves, but I think the raw material is there...

Ivy the two bucks county cases you refer to I dont believe are LCn connected..I know you qualified your info which is always spot on but I went to law school with one of the bucks county da's and I live around there..ran into him recently and asked about the Sabatini case he claimed they had no knowledge of a mafia connection..not sure about the other one but from what I read no blatant lcn connection

http://gangsterreport.com/reputed-philly...e-on-drug-bust/

Dafuq?

Burnstein wrote an article which didn't refer to Merlino as handsome, suave or enigmatic.

Burnstein is a fine writer and I agree wholeheartedly..His descriptions of Merlino are spot on.

Hey phl mob I dint mean to be ignorant or mean.. And are the Traitz still in the roofers I don't know.. I might ask their cousins.. parts of the article got me irritated a little.. how could they say the traitz are now lined up behind borgesi.. Without a freakin picture of one of the traitz walking with one of them or into that 11th Jackson clubhouse.. And that's for anyone acused of almost anything.. A frekin picture or sumthin.. OHH good article also.. And your right Mr Staten did meet with joey that company was supposed to b called Back alley Inc.. Ashame he died also he wasn't that bad of a man.. Good man.. And after loking up facebook names lots of these mob guys.. Some of them got regular jobs.. Yea Ray wags is carpenter cause he smart and knows his shit not cause he is friends wit joey.. I know guys who get fired for playing the wanna be mob shit.. and some guys trying to do numbers while doing concrete work... they let him go.. Now uncle joe got one kid who is a smart electrican.. the other couldn't nail a nail, so I heard..

Well well said my man, you know your shit.. Yea people always lookin for perks even still askin for cottin.. Yes where I worked lots of brick an concrete contracts came from the- Pha housing authotity, hospitals, Pgw, Alluminum alloy plant, and the rest were the schools Drexel temple penn nova swathmore.. Those students who pay their way into those schools gave me a job.. And lots of work in the mountgomery deleware n bucks counties also.. no where near the city of philly.. Maybe you worked at half these places also..

Damn...they are down to 4 crews? Thought it was more than that...hmmm I guess not.

I really could not see Joey Merlino just sitting tight if hardly any of his crews are kicking up, unless he is afraid of heat...which he never really seemed to care about that much before, but maybe prison and age has changed the way he operates...

Ask Joseph Sodano how well refusing to kick up to Merlino worked out for him

Yea I hear you on that lots of tough guys out there I agree.. But some kicled out of casinos, one guy even kicked out of the one in Bethelem pa.. Think it was battagla guy I believe.. casions are out there aware of Everyone in those joints.. everyone is using online.. Even the News papers are losing $$ cause of online shit.. So even gambling is half shot.. All they got is stealin and drug dealin I think these days.. but like I said most rely on regular jobs.. also just realized one of the baldinos face book pictures he had hard hat on wit many stikers.. After seeing that chart, that one of you put up.. Charlie ianecce I believe is in the roofers30 on his fb account.. you guys check it.. by the way great philly chart, who ever made it.. And how the hell did he know all the names of those young guys like matt zambani, doug rubino.. great chart..I believe the doug rubino kid was on jeopardy wit Alex Trebek.. Wonder if the money he won he kicked a % up to uncle Joe LOL...

I don't know about much about the philly rackets but if the real estate and construction expansion rumors are accurate then maybe they will start building up, which IMO should be their main focus . If they don't get into the quasi legit game then they will basically just be local bookies/ small time sharks with some swag, and local drug game . Basically not enough to build up or expand but enough for 20-40 guys to eat

I have to imagine the gambling scene is pretty big in philly and south jersey but I can also see the WS and gambinos breathing down their neck for the gambling game outside of south philly . Im sure those 2 have far bigger roles in the local construction and union trade then philly ever will today .

I'd be interested to know just how structured philly CN is today? My hunch is a couple big busts could clear them out for the WS and Gambinos to take most of their gambling and shy biz . An alliance w the gambinos to preserve what they got might be something to consider but today , I'm not even sure the gambinos would even take that risk . Better and safer for them to expand their legit stuff and build their gambling n shy biz off those connects and wait out for the next big pinch to move on further

This isn't the 90's

^^^^ Wasn't Solano also killed because he refused to come when called by Merlino and Natale?

Looking at the cases over the past 10-15 years, gambling is still the family's mainstay. Bookmaking and video poker machines specifically. It's gambling in the form of the numbers racket and card/casino games that seems more passe. Drugs and stolen goods are the more side, ad hoc rackets for them.



There's been limited forays by some of the NY families into South Jersey and even Philadelphia.

The Genovese even had a wire room in Philadelphia about a decade or so ago but they shared part of the profits with the Philadelphia family.

And of course, members of the Gambino and Genovese families plotted at one time to kill Ligambi, Mazzone, and Borgesi so they could expand their video poker machine rackets into the area.

I imagine there are some other examples here or there.

That said, as long as there's a viable family in Philadelphia - and there still is - thar city and South Jersey will be their territory.

Across new england there's a lot of organized books. Rhode island to Boston and every town and small city between. Its hard to imagine a huge city like Philly ain't making the big bucks. I get all these Internet's sites take bets but aren't all the banks local bookies. Like someone posted the Philly family inducted probably 15+ new members in the last 10 years. That puts them on pace like the 80tys 40+ members right?

Also don't you think when that huge bookie from Philly died uncle Joe n merlino probably sniped a bunch of customers. That guy who died in prison of cancer his customers have to go somewhere and his son and brother were indicted to.

Philly pics

More Philly

More Philly

Ralph Mazzuca

Johnny Chang and 50 Cent

That's gangsta homie. My respect for Johnny has now been restored.

Who was Pen Knife Virgilio? Nick the Blade's son? How did he die so young?

Yeah he was Nick the Blade's son and later on was in the Merlino crew and despite having Tourette's was rumored to be a formidable hit man for Merlino. Rumored to be the guy who got Anthony Turra in the late 90s.

nice pics PHL_Mob

R u kiddin'me?? Chang should have told that fuckin punk ass 2 pull up his pants & suck a real gangster's dick..fuckin rappers wish they could b a real deal like chickies kid.

Nick "the Blade" Virgilio's son..nick v. was one of scarfo sr.s oldest & dearest friends..also the 1 who whacked judge ed helfant among other things..a legend in his own right..

Dont know 'bout jr.s early death.

article on mason and merlino

http://articles.philly.com/1989-08-30/news/26149193_1_italian-mob-mob-underboss-jbm

Hoodlum : in the post above I think you are saying that The Blades kid was a friend of Nick sr. If so not the case . The daddy was but his son was not. He was excepted but that's it. I can explain if you want but penknife was a Outsider of sorts For reasons.

Same person?

The article refers to Joey as "thin Joey"....interesting

What hits was he suspected of doing? Was it ever out there in a book or article? I read blood and honor and cant recall anything

never heard too much about this fellow

Anthony Turra I know that's one... Natale called him out and they made him stand up in court

Hey Serp,long time no hear..no, i know penknife wasn't a friend of scarf sr.,,his dad was i meant ..sorry if i sounded mixed up.

I heard that he did the Turra hit, it was pretty gruesome shot the old man through the eye. I remember the day that hit went down though, and the suspect was described as stocky with a pot belly, the opposite of the pen knife.

Bet it was Mikey Lance.

Mikey or penknife as he was known was a quiet guy. When he was young 15ish I am guessing co I was older but he was always alone .

There were times when we would "not "see him for weeks then drinking age dropped to 18 it brought him into bars even if he was younger cos bars were serving everyone especially the corner bars in our neighborhood .

We would see him more he would sit alone till he or someone spoke to him. Every now and then one of Nicks guys would say hi to him or pat him on the back and say a few words.

What ever he had going on with his health was not known about back then to neighborhood people so he was look down upon sort of even a little freakish .i know he was not in the inner circle of Nicks guys or even Jr. but jr did speak to him but we're not close .

The guy put up with a lot with his dad away often and people breaking his balls constantly but I never seen him go off he never said a word. Most time someone would tell the person messing with him who he was and it would stop.

But him having that Tourette's syndrome that was not excepted and very much look down upon so he was not let into the inner circle when it came to mob stuff.

I am sure this is why he gravitated toward Skinny later he did know him from Philly and A.C. so had no problem hookiing up with him cos he was not treated right by the guys down here when Nick was on top don't get me wrong he was looked out for but not tight.

Imagine having Tourette Syndrome and being in Nicky Scarfo's inner circle. The guy would be floating in The Delaware River within days.

I don't think Nicky would take too kindly to being called a cocksucking, motherfucking, goat blowing, vaginal bloodbelching dwarf.

Or maybe he has the twitchy Tourettes?

Apparently when he didn't take his meds he twitched uncontrollably... When Natale accused Mikey Lance and him of being the shooters in the Turra hit and made him and Lance stand up in court he was apparently twitching uncontrollably and the defense was like yeah how could this guy be an effective hit man? Natale's response was he didn't twitch like that when he was on his meds he didn't twitch at all. It sounds to me like he might not have been a factor in Nicky Sr's day but for whatever reason Merlino took him and as mentioned used him in hits supposedly... Whether Merlino was just taking advantage of/using a guy who was starved for acceptance or if Merlino legitimately was accepting of him is up for debate I suppose?

No doubt PHL-MOB he was still young when it was going down here and he was just starting to meet the older guys from coming in our local bars. He was not the type to just go hang in front of the office where we would unless his old man came with him.

He would twitch violently now and then but he was always twitching when he lived a block and a half from us never knew him to attend school down here he must of gone to school in his mothers town.

I saw Lance and Borgesi doing a walk talk the other, I had to keep myself from busting out laughing, Borgesi is a weird looking guy. He is still jacked up from prison, but has a peanut head. I live close to Lance and I've walked by him countless times, but I don't think I've heard his voice.

Never seen together in the same room.

Moe have you tried calling the Howard stern show to get your fix?

Was down there eating lunch on11th and they were out near the church, door wide open because its perfect spring day but they are in there playing cards drinking and enjoying the day, some tatted up monster sitting out front w his pitbull haha

Is Borgesi juicing or pumping iron everyday? It's hard to add muscle mass when you're in your 50's I would imagine , I mean I have a hard time doing it in my early 30s....

He probably is, I saw him a few months after he got out and he looks much bigger now. It was my first time ever seeing him in the flesh (when he first got out), and mentioned here he didn't look as bad as he did in pictures. Now he is looking straight freakish.

By all accounts Borgesi was a bully before he started taking steroids.

Imagine how bad he is now with roid rage.

Mazzone pumps a ton of iron I heard, I also heard when he got out of prison his halfway house employment he went to was as a personal trainer in South Philly. It seems like that whole crew is now heavy into lifting weights in their 50s, Merlino works out everyday and Angelina is in great shape these days- he used to be a pudgy fat guy. Borgesi must work out with his brother Anthony, who was always into the weights scene....How did we get on this topic lol?

I guess Grande let his gym membership expire.....

I bet you Grande's weight gain and greying of his hair is stress related. Imagine being the known shooter of a hit were everyone and their mother knows you did it but they can't prove it and your accomplice in that hit is sitting in prison for the next 25 years while all the government wants more than anything is to have that accomplice flip? I would be stressed everyday of my life and funneling cash non stop to Nicodemo's young wife and kids....

Why is everybody always on about Grande's hair going grey?!

The guy is in his mid-thirties.

I know 22 and 23 year olds who are starting to get grey hairs.

At least the guy isn't orange and dying his hair like Steven Mazzone.

Penknife is someone who is commonly spoken about on forums like these by the "Phillyites", but is rarely if ever mentioned in articles and police reports. I just recall him being mentioned during the Natale testimony and I think he even went down in some investigation with a bunch of other Merlino guys. Think it had something to do with trucking. Not too sure on that though.

Probably got arrested in a police sting for giving blowjobs to truckers on a highway rest stop.

Did Merlino hear the tapes of Turra threatening to murder him? I believe Turra said that he wanted to throw grenades into Merlino's house and "Blow him from here to kingdom come". Crazy bastard.

I've come across some interesting chatter on other internet based threads about Joey Merlino having an interest of sorts in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton casino Mohegan Sun and other businesses which are being run by his first cousin David DeMelfi who interestingly is a councilman in the Pocono Valley (some city that starts with an N and is long). Apparently this cousin runs some of Merlino's biz interests in S. Philly and NE Pennsylvania. Apparently, Merlino has been spotted in restaurants up that way and DeMelfi has been spotted in South Philly and Boca. Incidently, this DeMelfi is a big Teamsters Union guy up in the Pocono Valley, but I'm not positive on his involvement with the union present day.

Does anyone know anything about this or has anyone heard anything about this? Sort of interesting b/c it exposes another potential pawn in this picture as well as Merlino's various business interests.

If the Blade was alive,& saw & heard u talkin' about his son that way... U WOULD NOT B ALIVE U FUCKED UP SELF PROCLAIMED COMIC ASSWIPE..everything is a fuckin' joke 2 u..why dont u grow the fuck up.

That comment reflects badly on one person and it's not me.

Poor form hoodlum...

Well, r u sayin nick virgilios son was giving blowjobs?..or am i reading this whole thing wrong?

&what comment & what person?? im confused..I am not tryin 2 start shit w/u..i've enjoyed some of ur posts in earlier days & ages.

Yeah him "trying" to be funny in every thread is getting pretty old and annoying to see in threads now.

But, its not that serious my man, simmer down a little!!

OK..done,thanx black j.,,

I just saw an article about Junior Gotti's former "friend", John Alite. Alite claims he went to South Philly in 1990's and met up with Louie Turra to discuss Alite killing Merlino. John Alite says he was the one supplying the Turra crew with their coke in Miami. Anyway, Alite said the Turra crew were "too wild and crazy for him" to deal with.

thats alite bullshitting they were getting the coke from colambiens the feds busted the whole operation. The turras had several plots to kill merlino the indictment against the turras shows it all no mention of any Albanian gangster with ties to junior gotti and you have to remember when the turras were trying to kill joey one of there top guys cant remember the guys name was wearing a wire the feds would have found out at the time if there was any truth to it. I highly doubt he was offered the contract by these guys. The feds had loads of tapes of anthony turra and louie talking about it

Anthony turra on tape said they should throw grenades into joey merlinos house when one associate said that joey family his then pregnant wife could be killed turra responded saying that she deserved to die aswell because she was with him. When Joey found out he went nuts he had anthony turra killed

Yea that's nothing new, he says that in his book.

Joey is back in town. Instagram had him with Jerry Blavat last night at some Irish pub on South street.

Yeah he's in town for Eddie wags birthday party .. Have a feeling he's gonna be around Philly a lot this summer

^^^^^

so nobody in the philly mob knows that pictures can be used against them in court

the philly mob operate like gang bangers.....posting pictures with the gang

I bet the Philly guys are spending a lot of time now in Margate/AC now....

what will the Feds do? They're not doing anything illegal in the pics.

It's no secret that these guys have been hanging around each other for 20+ years. I don't think it can do any damage at this point.

imo theyre outwardly posting all these instragram pics deliberately to show that theyre just friends like they always have been and hanging out with each other like they did as kids...thats always been a popular argument in Philly mob trials that they are friends who grew up together not the mob and the instagram pics are just visual evidence of that...not saying I buy that of course just imo if im their lawyer thatd be my thinking

I heard something today, that philly has a very active crew in Boston, ran by Shawn Vetere. Thought that was interesting.

Lol stop

I mean why wouldn't Borgesi resurrect those connections? I want to say I heard that all of the Boston connections were made through Borgesi. Scott did mention that Borgesi was meeting with guys from Boston in one of his recent articles earlier this spring I want to say and other areas trying to make moves, which might make sense if he was working with those guys?

Good old article on Vetere:

http://articles.philly.com/1999-06-29/ne...no-ralph-natale

not accurate ..or even close to accurate

Read hes close to the dinunzio brothers. Worked in his shop. Makes sense all these dudes do there federal prison bids together up at ottisville or dix or tht place in west vir. Or penn. They got to stick together or get taken apart espeslly of people know there made men. The street boss of the colombos deleo was running a crew out of sommerville but i red he was tight with limone and paid some type of tribute and relayed messages back from other nyc members of the 5 fMiles. Thats what sets the lcn n the the northeast apart there still more organized then any other white criminal syndicate.

Also bet the philly guys really got out the coke or drug biz. I dont know how strict the weed law is down there but the nyc and new england guys are into the weed cause its not a bad pinch.

not close to the dinunios at all

Is this him on linkedin? From mass...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-vetere-0b208588

He's about to get 100 "someone viewed your profile!" e-mails.

How would that even work? I doubt it too.

that's him ...next thing we gonna hear is philly is putting roofs up in boston?

That's weird bc the guys roofing my condo are from Philly.

Did Vetere really work in the cheese shop?!?!

No, he never did..he is , nor ever was, close with carmine or anthony, no more than a wave hello...and the condo is a weird coincidence..his company if u read up, is boston local and has been forever
.sometimes..as tomato..is just a tomato..and a job..is..just a job..nothing sinister in the background

Lol at borgeissi (spelling?-im so high on dabs) resurrecting 90s coke deals... Highly fuckin doubtful

Heard someone might be opening a cigar bar on passyunk ave.

Flamingo-that's interesting buddy care to elaborate who?..if I had to guess id say Joey since his SFLa restaurant closed maybe?

That's interesting... Are you implying this is Merlino opening up a cigar bar, or you just heard generally speaking that there is a new cigar bar opening up on the Avenue and you're speculating that it could be interesting timing with Joey closing his restaurant? Avenue Cafe 2.0??