His name in a different thread got me thinking about this guy.

He killed for three bosses in Philly he was a associate through the 60's ,and a killer then.
I am just guessing he was not made in the 60's and part of the 70's possibly because of the books being closed.
He was killing for the boss in the 70's

I don't know if Philly went along with the freeze like NY , but Bruno was a stickler for the rules.

He went on to be a under boss and I think a skipper . I am not sure because I am going off memory and I just don't remember.

He was born in Atlantic City but moved to Philly around ten give or take.
His father was a gangster also and was feared in his own right.

Just don't know why we don't hear much about his life ,and his fathers besides Chuckie being under Scarfo.


Any info would be great ..

I know he was faithful to Scarfo ,he was making trips to AC often.

I did not hear things in the early years until Nick moved up .
Everything in the early years down here were not let out like after Nick became boss.

This is why I ask.

@Serp: some of this you know and may not know but I read that in the 70s he was having an affair with the neice of the Marconi brothers and they proceeded to find out about it and immediately disapproved of it for whatever reasons they had. The Marconi's in turn went to Bruno and asked for permission to have Chuckie killed and Scarfo went to the table in Chuckie's defense and had him spared due to Ange not wanting to upset the Piccolos. But this incident seemed pretty serious and might have affected Chuckie's prospects for getting made on top of the fact that no one was made in the 70s due to Bruno not opening the books to anyone, which incidentally was another major point of contention and one of many factors for breeding discontent within Bruno's facticous underlings. It wasn't until Testa became boss after Bruno was killed that people started getting made and they initiated that big group almost right after Testa became boss. Bruno didn't want to make anyone supposedly because people felt he was greedy and didn't want to share anything more than he had to nor did he really need to make anyone else as he was all set as far as he was concerned. My impression is Phil Leonetti was Scarfo's real power in AC and Chuckie was his real power in the streets in Philly hence his swift rise behind Scarfo. As far as Chuckie's history before being made goes I wasn't aware that his father was a made guy? Was he made under Bruno as far as you know? I thought that was always from Philly and he was so tightly entrenched with Scarfo that he literally followed him to AC when he went there in the 60s but was sort of also based in Philly as Scarfo's guy in Philly (Joey and his mom and sisters all grew up on 9th & Jackson and I was under the impression never left?). I thought it was Yogi and his family that was the Merlino that actually moved to AC with Nicky and settled down there, but I could be wrong on all of that?

Also Serp, on a side note, I remember in Leonetti's book he mentioned that Scarfo taught Chuckie the life and brought I'm up through it as he was a bit younger than Scarfo. The reason I mention this is because I think it's sort of significant in that if Chuckie's father was in the life then why wouldn't he have learned all about LcN from him instead of Scarfo and furthermore one would think that he would be more around and under his father as opposed to predominately being mentored by Nicky... Just a thought...

I am on the road ,but real quick . This is why I asked . I His dad may have been hit ,he could of left or just passed.

But know doubt he was around the life,don't think he was made cos it would be out there.

Chuckie was around many killings ...

I feel Chuckie is definitely over looked and written off as a drunk more then he should be. History of Philly fam would be very different if it wasn't for him. Does anyone know story about him and Pagans? Heard he ran into a bike or guy on a bike and basically said go f urself. They wanted him but it was worked out with money and thru long John somehow?

And thank you for mentioning Marconi story. Had mentioned it in another thread yesterday and could remember who's daughter/niece it was.

Maybe he really was wasted drunk 24-7?

Any info on the marconi bros? Never heard of them

I haven't heard much on Marconis other then that Chuckie story. I know a generation or two after a Marconi who was associate of skinny got shot and his son was and possibly is in on a stabbing incident. Hard to find info on capos and soldiers from phillys Bruno days, not like now or past twenty to thirty years have been.

I use to think Salvatore Merlino had an affair with Frank Terri niece, but Alphonso Marconi nickname was also Funzi. Al was a Capo during Ida rule if I remember correctly. Their father was a soldier in the Newark family before moving to Philadelphia, they also had strong connections to Camden New Jersey. One brother was a big bookie in Philadelphia and the other brother was big in Narcotics. One of their kids was involved in Phil Testa murder.

What does the Nickname 'Funzi' mean? Is it Italian for 'Frank' perhaps?

Alphonse = Phonse = Fonzi = Funzi (get the drift)

But yeah @mchang you're right on that. They were both Ida/Bruno guys and considered along the same lines as the Piccolos. They [Marconi's] had a son named Guarino 'Gino' Marconi who was hit in like '98-99ish one of the last Merlino era hits, but little has come to the surface on it. Basically, he was a low/mid-level associate with Merlino and he met a hit team camped out in a van with a hunting rifle (someone there read the Riccobene chapter on Frank Monte hit chapter of Blood & Honor!) outside his Girard Estates home and shot he and his girlfriend coming out of the home as they were on the way to dinner (girl survived though, Gino did not). Gino Sr not to be confused with his son of the exact same name who was involved in a stabbing recently after his father's hit though. Anyways, not much known about what Gino Sr's involvement was exactly but was said to be involved with drugs for most part, and moved a lot of pot in the city. Looks and smells like a OC hit but like I said earlier not much else is known or has come out in testimony etc. I digress though, as far as Chuckie goes I know he was originally charged with Scarfo in the Oregon diner stabbing, which was in the 60s so he was definitely getting down with Scarfo that far back... I've got a couple good Chuckie pics from back in the day if anyone is interested although too late right now I'm taking my 5AM piss right now....

SP : if I am not mistaken Chuckie he has been on every hit with SCARFO except for the judge and Vince F. This goes back to 1962 .

That is very correct, as far as my knowledge goes,& chuckie would have died at the hands of joe rugnetta if it was not for scarfo.

From little I read about chuckle him and scarfo were housed at some fed pen together on the same block for awhile but had hardly any interaction. It said chickie was a gambler in jail sports cards ect and scarfo never only lcn politics. But at there Frankie flowers retrial they talked and made fun of witnesses while Joey sat in the courtroom watching. That must of been awkward but what the hell could scarfo do.

That's crazy would love to have seen that. That was good bit after the Halloween incident, correct?

At what ceremony was Chuckie made , and the guys he was made with ?

On June 8, 1980 Phil Testa held a Cosa Nostra initiation ceremony at the South Philadelphia home of mob captain John Cappello. At the ceremony, Phil inducted Scarfo's nephew Phil Leonetti, Salvatore (Chuckie) Merlino, Robert (Bobby) Lumio, Anthony (Blonde Babe) Pungitore Sr., the father of future Scarfo soldiers Michael and Anthony, Salvatore (Wayne) Grande, Frank (Little Frankie) Narducci Jr., Anthony (Tony) Casella, the brother of drug trafficker Peter Casella and Phil's only son, Salvatore. In January 1982, at the same induction ceremony of Tommy DelGiorno, Francis Ianarella, Pasquale Spirito, Felix (Little Felix) Bocchino, Joseph (Joey Pung) Pungitore,

Thanks bean had the two mixed up . The Philly mob, love how guys move up so quick and others don't like Chuckie was doing work for18 plus years and still was not made.

You're welcome Serp. Also add these name to the January 1982 induction..

Eugene (Gino) Milano, Albert (Reds) Pontani, Michael (Micky) Ricciardi, Gerald (Jerry) Fusella, Joseph Sodano and Happy Bellina, his son Salvatore was promoted to captain by Nicky Scarfo

serp, he had to know sal testa was real popular with the ladies.do you think if sal reimbursed him in any money he put out on that wedding,would it made a difference or was scarfo too far gone on wanting sal dead?. regina rucci stated in her book that sal had all kinds of chicks chasing him, his daughter had to know that too.

Satch : Yes everyone knew and he had a girl in Philly and AC-Ventnor girl.But he would show her while he was with Chuckie's kid.

I know in that life they do there lady's bad ,but to put it in front of her brother and uncles and father come on !

No as far as paying ,it was embarrassment,disrespect. I don't think that Scarfo was going to kill him just for that .Cos he disrespected his ladys also.
So Chuckie needed a different angle ,and that was drugs with the blacks.
And yea he had cash and he was good looking and he was "Italian" , what more do you want.

As far as what Nicky wanted I am sure he did not want the kid dead . He did have people in his ear . That life is treacherous ,those guys wanted Salvie's shit period .
So they all seen Chuckie was hot and they started with a angle ,thats whats it's all about. Dam shame.

I think most people think Nicky just wanted to kill Salvie ,I don't think so .But who knows in these crazy fucks minds.

He and his wife Mimi was salvie's god parents . But Nicky was so crazy that if his wife liked something he would take it away.
He was the same way to his sister.

I wonder what was nickys relationship with the piccolas like. Philip said that nicky did not like them because nicky felt they held him back in the mob. But that does not make sense to me because the piccolas (to be fair skinny razor helped) got nicky made, saved nickys life after he killed that irsih guy and nicky made one of them I think Anthony is consgliere then street boss

I don't understand why he would dislike them

I only know what I seen down here and in the early years they would not be seen together.
If the families were down ,you seen everyone but Nick.

But when Nick moved up a little they would be seen together.

I dont know about all the stories from back in Philly ,but there was something to them .

I know when there was card games Nick was never around and the Pic loved to play cards.
They knew so many people down here .I would see them up on Texas ave by the boardwalk down a ally playing cards on a table right in the ally.

But like I said as years went by someone gave in cos they would be out front and in the courtyard talking and laughing.

Would he have been released by now if he was alive. That sucks to do 25+ years and die in the home stretch. How pissed would old scarfo be if chickie was rolling around philly with his kid in the rolls well his kid just got 30. I say the changs are the winners in philly lcn wars but one kid died the other turned cripple. Guess that guy Charlie white and his kids are all reunited.

There is no winners in that life , just stress and looking over your shoulder and prison food.
And you bet Scarf would have been pissed if Chuckie made it out to be a boss.
But he may have been the only one to calm that kid of his down.

The bodies that are falling in Philly are not coming out of the sky.

Serp-Ive always wondered if Salvie and Skinny Joey got along while Salvie was alive. I know theres a bit of an age difference but I just had to ask

I dont know anyone to say a good word about him but jr when they were young teens.

Salvie was a rich kid and I don't think he was even seen around Chuckie other then when he had to .

But stranger things have happend. Skinny was like 23 when Salvie was hit.So it looks like the age was to much .

Salvie was smooth and hung with different guys . Like owners of car dealerships and bars and white collar guys.

Now dont get me wrong he got his hands dirty with the guy from his crew ,but to hang with Skinny that may be a stretch.

There is a shot time when he was doing his sister and may have gotten a ride to the corner store or to a movie..