You got it Mr. Vegas. I want a baker's dozen of cannoli's delivered to my door when he beats it. Maybe you can write everyone here an apology letter as well .

crazy how national joey has gone shows the ublic fascination with the mafia

crazy how national joey has gone shows the ublic fascination with the mafia

And Nicodemo isn't as tough as some people make him out to be, he folded to the Pagans back in the day.

The guy whose opinion I respect the most on that town tells me that he doesn't think Nicodemo will flip. And even if he did, that they'd have to flip Canalichio as well.

PB, I don't want to get into your business or personal conversations you've had with others, but would you be able to explain a little more about what he said about why they'd need Dame Canalichio, too? I know it's believed that Dame was one of the shooters (along with Nicodemo) for atleast the Johnny Gongs hit. Many believe that Dom Grande was the shooter for the DiPietro hit that Nicodemo is now waiting trial for. But, if Dame and Nicodemo were both there for the Gongs murder, why would they need both guys to flip?

I'm actually with Petro, for some odd reason, I think Nicodemo is going to beat this case.

Because if Nicodemo were to flip, his character would be called into question. He'd be an admitted murderer at that point. And when you're ONLY witness is an admitted trigger man, you're less likely to sway a jury. But when you have BOTH shooters (assuming they're both shooters) take the stand, a conviction becomes far more likely.

but I respectfully think you're both crazy. This is a slam dunk case.

"I really didn't want to do it," he added. But Ciancaglini insisted, 'You gotta or you gotta move.'"

Then, mob underboss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino wanted a $15,000 loan to open a mob sports book. Casolara soon realized the loan would never be repaid.

"As soon as I started that day, I knew this day would come," said Casolara. "I told John I was not going to jail for those guys."

Ciancaglini and then-consigliere Steven Mazzone told Casolara to manage Ciancaglini's book and to pay the bettors' winnings from the books of Ciancaglini, Mazzone, George Borgesi and Martin "Marty" Angelina, all defendants on trial with Merlino.

Yea I wouldn't say he is national either. My parents watch the news every single damn day and they couldn't tell you who Joey Merlino is, but both would know who John Gotti was.

Agreed. There is NO WAY he beats this case.

Just like the OJ Simpson trial was a slam dunk case too, fellas. The glove don't fit ya honor!

And I don't mean to continue speculating but I've seen people beat crazier cases.

Let's not forget that he cannot be recognized as a member of LCN in the case which means the jurors will have to look at Nico as a normal American citizen going tYo and from work everyday in busy South Philly.

Plus since this is a STATE case they just recently got rid of mandatory minimums and have set new guidelines but the prosecution isn't even offering the guy a plea

Just like the OJ Simpson trial was a slam dunk case too, fellas. The glove don't fit ya honor!

More on the court testimony and the task force watching Joey at the Restaurant and Cigar Bar. The two investigators admit to having had a drink while watching Joey but claim they only did so because Fiore was getting suspicious, they denied smoking cigars. You know these two LE guys wanted to smoke a big fat blunt with their Jamieson on the rocks and dance the night away with all the hot South Florida ladies.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/nw-ph...-prison-updated

Old Article from a bookie telling how the Merlino gang operates in Skinny joey's 2001 Trial...

Bookie tells how mob ruined his racket
Bookie tells how defendants ruined his racket

By KITTY CAPARELLA
caparek@phillynews.com

In 26 years, Michael Casolaro took action on whatever sport was in season - football, basketball, baseball, hockey - every day of the year.

He did so well, he bought a house, a car and was socking money away. And in all that time, he was arrested only three times for bookmaking. Not a bad career for a once-independent illegal sports bookie.

Then, the mob made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

In 1997, reputed mob soldier John "Johnny Chang" Ciancaglini told Casolara that he wanted to become "partners" in his sports- betting business.

"Since 1997, my life's been hell," testified Casolara yesterday in the mob racketeering trial.

"I really didn't want to do it," he added. But Ciancaglini insisted, 'You gotta or you gotta move.'"

Then, mob underboss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino wanted a $15,000 loan to open a mob sports book. Casolara soon realized the loan would never be repaid.

"As soon as I started that day, I knew this day would come," said Casolara. "I told John I was not going to jail for those guys."

Ciancaglini and then-consigliere Steven Mazzone told Casolara to manage Ciancaglini's book and to pay the bettors' winnings from the books of Ciancaglini, Mazzone, George Borgesi and Martin "Marty" Angelina, all defendants on trial with Merlino.

Not only did Casolara have to collect bets and make payouts, he also had to come up with the mob's annual "Christmas package," or extortion payment of $5,000, even though he was managing the mob's sports book.

By Christmas 1998, the mob sports book was in the red more than $200,000. And Angelina was demanding a $10,000 Christmas package, he said.

Wracked with debt, Casolara appealed to Ciancaglini, who told him, "There's nothing I can do." He turned to then underboss Merlino for a break.

"No," Merlino told Casolara. "When are you going to pay the money? Go and pay it. That's the last time I'm going to tell you."

By then, Casolara had liquidated most of his assets to pay off bettors and had to borrow the $10,000 to pay off Angelina.

Four months later, Casolara heard loud banging on his door, so he flushed all his "work" - sports bets on rice paper - down the toilet, and waited for the cops to arrest him. But his neighbors told him it was Angelina outside with a baseball bat looking for him.

Casolara asked Ciancaglini to straighten out the problem with Angelina.

It turned out to be "a comment I never made" about Angelina, Casolara said.

So when his apartment was raided and his gambling paraphernalia seized on Dec. 19, 1999, he wasn't surprised, he said.

"I was affiliated with the mob."

Under questioning yesterday by Angelina's attorney, Jack McMahon, Casolara testified that he sold his video store and another business acquired as a result of his sports business.

"That's money laundering," charged McMahon.

When did you last make book?

"Last night."

You going to book bets tonight?

"Probably not."

The next day?

"Depending . . ." *

But Anthony Nicodemo won't have the luxury of a race baiting attorney, or a predominantly Italian American jury (like Simpson had with the Blacks).

Let's just wait and see what happens .