I think in AmericanCrime's own way he was contributing......mentioning some known/ unknown hangout spots, etc

uh-huh.

he probably made ligambi acting boss because everybody respected him

philly is disfunctional and i doubt too many guys honor merlino

Philly dysfunctional to a degree . If they were that bad you would know who is in each crew.

You would know who the skipper of those crews are and what that crew and skippers rackets are .

You would have wire taps like crazy with the world of Technology that we live in cos you bet theses guys are using the technology that would put them away if they were so dysfunctional.

The fact that they have so many young guys . I been hearing five guys were made a few years back and at least five guys have been made just recently .

So maybe just maybe they do have there shit together above the dysfunctional level.
It looking like they have a good system to keep the info that needs to be herd passed around well.

And they are not getting week and using phones and talking in places that can be bugged.

The Technology the Feds and LE have I am stunned that the guys are doing the right thing. The made guys and the associates are sticking to the rules that have been told to them.

Because if they were slipping just a little there would be indictments coming every six months.

I for one am very surprised at the way they have been able to do business in the open and keeping all else not on tape!!!

There a possibility that there are 58 - 61 made guys in that family .

Anyone have any idea who these guys are? I can't imagine these are competent street guys.

true anatasia said in his latest article 5 guys got made recently


Unsolved Murders Still On The Feds' Philadelphia Agenda

It's a Yogi Berra moment in South Philadelphia.

Déjàvu all over again.

Members of both the Nicodemo (Little Nicky) Scarfo and Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino factions of the dysfunctional Philadelphia crime family are back on the streets after spending most of the past two decades in jail for racketeering.

The Scarfo crew includes guys like Phil Narducci and Joe Pungitore, shooters from the 1980s who have returned home over the past three years. The Merlino faction is headed by George Borgesi, Stevie Mazzone and John Ciancaglini, all of whom were convicted with Merlino in 2001, the last big mob trial in Philadelphia to end with convictions and substantial prison terms for many wiseguys.

Acting boss Joseph (Uncle Joe) Ligambi's got a foot in each camp. He was a shooter for the Scarfo group, but returned home before most of the other members of that organization when his conviction for the 1985 murder of Frank (Frankie Flowers) D'Alfonso was overturned and his retrial led to his acquittal. Ligambi fell in with the Merlino group in 1999 and took over as boss when Skinny Joey and his top associates were jailed a year later.

Now, everybody's back in town.

As reported by Dave Schratwieser on Fox 29 in Philadelphia last month, federal and state investigators are tracking the activities of the key players. Borgesi and Ligambi appear to be operating out of a new clubhouse across from the Epiphany Roman Catholic Church at 11th and Jackson Streets in the heart of South Philadelphia.

"Makes it easier to get to confession," quipped one longtime underworld observer.

But there really isn't much new to confess.

"They're strictly legit," said one friend of the family.

Borgesi and company are making inroads into the home rehab and mortgage refi businesses. Pungitore is also in the construction business which is booming in certain neighborhoods where gentrification has taken hold.

David Fritchey, the former federal prosecutor who headed the Organized Crime Strike Force in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia for many years, said old habits die hard.

It doesn't speak well for their rehabilitation, he said, if wiseguys are back hanging around with former co-defendants. That, said the ex-prosecutor who retired back in July, is a formula for "recidivism."

But defense attorney Edwin Jacobs, who has represented both Merlino and Ligambi, told Fox 29 that there is nothing unusual about friends getting together. As he has argued to juries in the past, Jacobs said authorities are overplaying the associations.

"It's good to have a wide circle of friends," Jacobs said as the TV cameras rolled. "Federal law enforcement authorities look at The Godfather, one and two, as a text book. It's not a text book. It's a screen play."

Some might argue that the movies are actually training films for the next generation of wiseguys, the 20- and 30-something sycophants who now congregate at the new clubhouse. Two or three generations removed from the immigrant experience, these Americanized wannabe mobsters have to have someone show them how to act.

While Jacobs argues that the local mob is a shell of what it once was, federal and state authorities are now focusing on what they believe is the resurgence of the crime family.

"You have to admire their resilience," said one investigator familiar with the history of wanton violence, turncoat testimony and racketeering prosecutions that since the Scarfo era have left more than 30 members dead and that led to significant jail time for at least 30 others.

"They have a long and successful business model" that involves "violence and intimidation," said Fritchey who dismisses the argument that the one-time convicts have paid their debt to society and ought to be left alone. "If they're not doing anything wrong, then they shouldn't be worried about who's watching them."

It may not be the present, but rather the past, that gives Merlino, Ligambi and some of their top associates the most concern.

While investigators are tracking the new business ventures, they also have begun to revisit the cold case files involving the murders of mobsters Ron Turchi in 1999, Raymond (Long John) Martorano in 2002 and John (Johnny Gongs) Casasanto in 2003.

Authorities are also aware that at least five new members were formally initiated into the crime family in October, a move that would appear to run counter to defense attorney arguments at the racketeering trials of Ligambi and Borgesi two years ago. (Both Ligambi and Borgesi beat the charges, but four others were convicted). Among other things, the defense contended that while the defendants might be members of Cosa Nostra, the organization was no longer relevant.

'If that were the case," asked Fritchey, the retired federal prosecutor, "then why are people interested in getting made? You don't see anyone lining up to join the Knights Templar

they are still looking at the johnny gongs and marananto hit if they ever solve those murders nicdmeo is fucked

Twin Smoke Shoppe* excuse me gentlemen.

Streets of Philadelphia music video and Stanfa-Merlino mob war are now forever intertwined in my mind.

Can't watch that video now without thinking of Stanfa, Merlino, Ciancaglini and Veasey.

American - can you expand at all on the spider w/ the pagans reference?

Any idea how much time the older narducci brother got for violating his parole for meeting with other mobsters and how come he's the only scarfo guy getting in trouble by parole arnt they all on it. Like the old man Chang he's taking pics with guys.

Found the answer looks like he was released in Nov 2015 so they gave him a 90 day violation. So he's probaly off parole and back in the mix.

There basically is 4 factions. None of them big and try consist of a few made guys and a handulmat most of associates. And most associates are people with very close family or friend connections who want that life or guys who are good earners and are hung up on being a member and third the guys who kinda get sucked in cause was making money and they kinda scared but they was probably making good change. But as I've said a billion times, there are a ton of independents and if you stay under the radar on all fronts and keep to yourself ot also have some connects of thrynown and they let them do it on their own as long as they help each other n do favors n shot your fine. Some people, especially drug dealers, who can finance themselves. Are inxepemdent. Also a lot of lower scale local bookies and loan sharks don't Pay a tax or anytnimg.

My point being these crews dont have many associates in the way it might appear. There are more made guys in a crew than associates. There only a couple and then they may have a nephew run errands or drive for them at times but that's just a mob groupie doing anything to look like a part of a crew.

I know a guy, mousies half brother, who use to be a crack head but always was cool with the guys. He dies his own little thing but nothing major and he OlDs a lot of cards n gambles n does little shot. His son does same thing. But they dont want his money. They talk about him. He a decent dude but I think Philly mob getting smarter as well and i think its oartlu cause joey has grown up and is also out of town a lot. They dont just deal with anyone. Sorry for tins long message and if messy cause im on my phone. But Philly has a ton of independents that the mob would t do shot about. Its not like 1 captain, 5 buttons and 10 associates. It could be 1 captain and/or a administrative member and like 3 to 5 made guys and 3 to 5 associates at most and that's including the little nephews n shit doing nothing so really more like 3 associates. Just a random guess from what I know and understand!

What are they? And why not just call them crews instead of "factions"? Factions to me sounds like unusual splits in a family which resulted from conflict. Just trying to understand the structure, and if there really is anything behind this common usage of the word "faction" when talking about the Philly family.

On a slightly unrelated topic but was always curious bein from Philly why do you guys think the Philly LCN was never really involved in truck hijackings outta pžhilly intl airport?

Unless im mistaken i don't recall reading any accounts that Ida, Bruno, Scarfo ever were involved in truck hijackings outta the airport? I mean for those not from here South Philly the LcN home turf is about a 10 minute drive to the airport.. I ask also in relation to NY whereby the Vario crew and the Fatico crew as well as Massino crew to a lesser degree all were heavily involved with truck hijackings outta JFK as they were in close proximity to the airport as well as having inside connections

Is it just simply another example of the philly lcn not having neary the strength, influence, and connections as even the weakest nyc fam or is there another reason the more knowledgeable guys here can shed some light on?

Also just curious but at say Newark intl did the decavs or the nj branches of the 5 fam ever have airport cargo hijackings rackets? How about other fams like the Patriarcas in the tiny Providence airport? Or even Logan in beantown?! How about other mid western families? Or again was this strictly a nyc thing? Sorry to hijack this thread but always wondered bout this, thanks fellas

Good question.

Chicago have any issues back in the day at Ohare with hijackings?
Or was this simply a NY phenom?

I don't know if they ever had a organized high jacking crew .
But they did have guys on the loading docks and at the Convention center in Philly and A.C. That would wait for the shows to end then they would heist what they wanted or what was in demand .

At one point it got so bad that they almost lost the shows here in A.C. So it was slowed so the Conventions would continue .

Joey and some of his guys were all busted as part of that 2001 RICO indictment for truck hijacking. It was out of the rail yard as opposed to the airport, but the Rail yard/Port of Philadelphia are both also in S. Philly so they might just have more connect in that area. That was the whole baby milk, track suits, bikes, computers, TVs, crates of nickels, cigs, vodka, toy car sets, etc were some of the loads they stole I think the aggregate figure he Feds came up with was like ~$1.5M of cargo...

Thx gents

$1.5m of cargo my ass.

Good article.

Appreciate the post.

I really want to see Anastasia do a 1990-present philly LCN book.

I was skeptical of the 1.5m figure and, after the article, I still am.

He did, it's called "The Last Gangster" it's Ron Previte's account of the 1990s Philly LCN scene with Merlino

The preview is horrible. I think Anastasia has about 100 pages he'll just copy into any book about Philly.

Also, what is UP with these guys and describing how dashing and handsome Merlino is? It's bizarre.

That was published in '04 and probably including little after say '02.

Not exactly current.

Appreciate the response PHL, thats interesting never heard of that case...I wonder why Bruno back in the day when cargo hi-jacking was much easier to get away with because of the lack of technology never really took off in Philly? I mean like I said the airports right there, and its right off of 95 ud think there would be opportunities there?

What I had in mind was a sort of "End of Merlino - 2016" book. It would be a nice end piece in George Anastasia's 40 year journalistic affair with Philly LCN. Started here - , then went down to here _ , now possibly back to here - . He could cover Johnny Gongs, Long John Martorano slayings, the Ligambi trial, and the return of everyone to the street. Ralph Natale or to a lesser extent, Bent Finger Lou could advise on 2000's to current LCN status.

He is probably waiting for a real high profile rat. I wonder who'd know the most icluding the 90s that could conceivably flip.