The economy in Philly has consistently suffered over past 30 years. Of course these guys aren't making bread Scarfo guys did in the immediate post AC reboom or guys in NYC do. Have they failed to look at long term racketts ? Yes but when FBIs been on your back since 89 mite change way you think just saying.

But it isn't like he didn't try to make money because the feds were breathing down his neck. He didn't care, he still came up with what he thought were money making schemes with his guys, he'd sign off on hijackings brought to him by Previte & others, but then wasn't able to move the goods. He tried to make money, he just wasn't able to. Because he wasn't good at it. To this very day, I don't believe anything he has is in his name. According to various reporters and articles his Florida lifestyle is being provided for by Stanley Stein. He's still the same old Joey. And idk about Johnny Chang, but George Borgesi certainly knew it was Joey betting into his books, losing, and then not paying up. He laid off his action to Ron Previte because he wasn't able to cover the losses thanks to Joey, never paying his losses, but sending his proxies to collect whenever he won. He complained about this to Previte, but what could they do? They weren't going to whack out the Underboss whose also a childhood friend. Merlino & Natale were greedy and stole everything they had. When one of their guys were making a lot more money than them, they kept raising the kickbacks, to the point where some guys refused or did it but wouldn't meet with them out of spite. Then they'd whack the guy, and place one of their men into the dead guys rackets, then that racket would proceed to go down the tubes with the others, ala Joe Sodano. Gangsters? Hell yeah. Earners? They were not.


And @ Dante, I see your point, but I find it hard to believe Joey Merlino thought that much into it, and there's no supporting evidence of that, the most he probably thought was "it's halloween, lets get a mask and candy bag and hit him right in D&L's." I don't think he considered his height and all that as a factor. But who knows.

NYC rackets aint what they used to be either, though.

The Philly guys never had the scope of NY when it came to construction rackets anyway. Scarfo kind of got lucky with the concrete and casino boom, then he had that bartenders union thing going too

I think some of the Philly guys are into some stuff with real estate though. I wonder if they still got a bunch of joker poker machines all around Philly still

. Not just that there was not many guys on the street to show them the way . And all the guys in place throughout the Tri-state did not know the guys left on the street ,so they carried on with there own things till they were approached , but most never were .

The highjackings gangsterreport mentioned were a case of the family forcing a partnership (basically taking a cut) from some guys running a stolen goods ring. It was more of a street tax thing than a scam like betting into a book with no intention of paying any losses.

The 2004 New Jersey OC report stated that the Philadelphia family lacked the wherewithal to really expand into legitimate interests. And cases since then have largely born that out. Ligambi, for example, was said to have investments in real estate, a towing company, as well as his 50k a year no show job with the garbage company. I imagine some other members have legit interests too. But, in terms of the organization as a whole, it seems to be a street operation at this point. The bulk of it centered around gambling, ie bookmaking and video poker machines.

SERP- sorry to always bother you with questions but this got me thinking. Did Chuckie ever bust out bookies or "offer partnership" to guys? From what I picked up Skinny and Mikey started around when Scarfo and company went down. Is this true or were they at it before? Something I read said they'd loan guys to start a book then either bet with and keep stiffing them through 3rd parties collecting when they won or when the bookies have no other option become partners and do same thing and just completely draining a guy out. I read him and Mikey started with books in NE but later did in SP and did some internal damage. Again sorry to always put you on spot.

The guys running the stolen goods ring were deep in collusion with Big Ron Previte, after Merlino paired him up with Ralphie Head. These were scams Previte brought to Merlino, Merlino signed off on, in hopes of moving the goods after, and then not having the capacity to move said goods, sometimes Merlino & Abruzzi thought of these schemes, claiming they would be bonafied money makers. If you read Prevites book, it has nothing to do with street tax. Just a money earning scheme that never worked out outside of one time with TV's & Computers. Betting into books with no intention of paying is something Joey Merlino is known for and did to his own guys. Two different examples of the guy being unable to earn the way the typical underboss/boss, should. For example, Previte mentions a scheme Merlino came up with of hijacking a truck load of nickels, half a million dollars worth of nickels, Merlino claimed they could make up to between two hundred and twenty thousand dollars and some change, by offloading these silver dollars to a guy he knew in the check cashing business. All that was good and well, problem was five hundred thousand worth of nickels equates to about a hundred thousand pounds of nickels, they had no way to offload that many nickels. Mind you, this was Merlino's idea reportedly. They still went along with it, but the truck full of nickels was never found by Merlino or his guys. Another waste of time with no money earned.

Merlino and his guys was young rebeling against outsiders trying to take over thier city...this is a different older and wiser merlino,he will take the family to the next level...allegedly he already have a florida crew...something ligambi never had..he was seen in a.c. getting those guys in order things will get interesting

Forming an alliance with perna is pretty freakin smart

How about when they stole the struck of Baby Formula and couldn't move it so they just left it on the side of the road somewhere. Ralphie Head isn't a bad guy though.

Not for nothing but Ligambi rebuilt that family back from nothing after the Merlino trial. They did it quiet and smart and are still on the street. Only Mousie got caught up and thats cause hes been in the can more than out. Ligambi had the no show job, the comapny in his name, stocks, etc. Joey takes peoples money. Just like he is doing with Stein. He is a manipulator. Hopefully he did grow up a little though but he is everywhere these days.

There's no mobster out thier that will refuse a handout, all of them are greedy son of a guns

He still is basically a street corner punk all grown up & the equivalant to a purse snatchin', gold chain grabbin' little wanna be tough guy thug .

Don't no any purse snatchers that have a private lawyer fly down to Florida to talk. Or fly personal jets or have a nice restaurant down Florida named after him. Just saying.

That is right,but if it wasn't for his old man...that's what he was ..why u stickin' up for this punk anyways?..just askin'?

By the way ..he's just a fixture in the restaurant..not his..only name,for publicity & save face w/l.e. purposes. Wont last long ,mark my words....

That's because he has taken advantage of an old man with a couple of screws loose in his head.

His lifestyle is being funded by other people.

He doesn't have any money of his own.

Wow, you really are the biggest Merlino fan boy on earth, it's worrying how anyone could leap to his defence as much as you do, he's a scumbag.

Could you imagine him betting into someone like Narducci or Punge book, they'd have fucking buried him, he took advantage over his so called best friends books, that's just fucked up.

pmac is firmly in the Merlino fan club as well, maybe Joey taught him how to spell?

Not sticking up for him just stating the obvious. I get the guys robs for a living or hustles how ever you look at it. The purse thing was extreme. But hay we all have a opinion.

Yeah i'm in the merlino fan club because thier was'nt enough room in the genovese fan club, sorry

Alot of us who are giving Joey credit would do same if we met him face to face. Something tells me the guys who call Joey a street punk wouldn't be doing so in same circumstances.

The guy is a degenerate criminal, an unrepentant killer, a bully and the male version of a gold-digger with the way he is taking advantage of idiots like Stanley Stein.

I wouldn't approach him full stop whether it be to castigate him or to feed his ego.

These guys can't settle any thing like real men.

The tales of these guys using guns to fight their battles for them and ganging up on people in nightclubs are legion.

They are deadbeats and if they were black, Mexican or Armenian then people wouldn't be flocking to their hangouts to get a look at them.

They would see them for what they are - but hey this is what happens when these people are glorified and glamorized.

Moe, i think i have to agree with those statements.

thank you Tommy...I could have not said it any better..some of these presumptious young ones are going to feed into skinnys ego as well as his fat thug head

A FUCKIN MEN

Phill narducci think he's a syreet punk too, but who is he kicking up to? Case closed

If he's such a street punk why don't narducci grow some balls and take over the family right now?

Whatever else Merlino lacks, and one can argue he lacks a lot, he does have a loyal following. Another way he's like Gotti, I suppose. Besides, I'm not sure either the Scarfo era guys or those that came after really want to have another war. Not worth it at this point. To quote one female relative of one of those guys, "they would be fighting over caskets or prisons cells." Probably true now more than ever.