Who knew? Back in 2015, while Philadelphia mob boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino was dealing with mob turncoat John (J.R) Rubeo in Florida and New York and allegedly making hundreds of thousands of dollars in a lucrative pain cream insurance fraud scheme, his acting boss was presiding over not-so-secret induction ceremonies in the City of Brotherly Love.

That's what happened on October 15, 2015, according to an indictment filed by the feds in Philadelphia a few days before Thanksgiving against Merlino's reputed underboss. Also charged are an erstwhile rising star in the family, and 13 other members and associates — hit with racketeering charges of gambling, loansharking, extortion and drug trafficking.

By Gang Land's count, this is the fourth time that law enforcement has managed to record what is supposed to be the most secret rite of the secret society. And it's the second Philadelphia initiation rite to be taped. (The first one was back in 1990, so give local wiseguys some credit for keeping things tight for at least 25 years.)

Anthony PersianoThe sources say that the 2015 induction ceremony was recorded by Anthony Persiano, a New Jersey based mobster whose tape recordings in 2017 led to drug convictions in the Garden State of several mobsters who are charged in the Philadelphia case, including Joseph (Joey Electric) Servidio and Carl Chianese.

But what's most amazing about the case is that no one seems to have been terribly concerned about keeping the induction ceremony secret. Not only was it tape recorded by a family defector, but sources say there was a good sized celebratory dinner that night at a classy, aptly named eatery, the Kitchen Consigliere Café, in Collingswood, NJ.

Sources say about 10 wiseguys, who included acting boss Michael (Mikey Lance) Lancellotti, who conducted the ceremony, and underboss Steven (Handsome Stevie) Mazzone, a defendant in the case, dined at the restaurant that is owned and operated by a long time Merlino pal, Angelo Lutz.

Michael LancellottiThe party dined under the watchful eyes of Lutz, along with John Gotti, Lucky Luciano and actors Robert DeNiro, James Galdolfini and Edward G. Robinson, whose portraits are all on a large mural that overlooks the dining room.

Lutz, who owns up to being a good friend of Merlino, Lancellotti, and Mazzone, was kind enough to come to the phone when Gang Land called. He said he has no idea if some of his old friends had a small party at his place back then. Noting that Gang Land was "asking me about something that happened five years ago, if it did happen," Lutz stated that if they did eat at his place that night, he knows he "was not at the dinner table."

The loquacious restaurateur, who was known as Fat Angelo for good reason in the 1990s when he was a bookmaker, was a Merlino codefendant in their racketeering trial back in 2001. Lutz was convicted of bookmaking and extortion by a Philadelphia jury that ignored his testimony in his own defense: "I'm a cook, not a crook."

Following his release from prison a dozen years ago, Lutz opened the restaurant, and today, he is what he claimed to be back then: A cook.

Marnie Hall-Angelo LutzIf you check out the website, you can catch Lutz and co-host Marnie Hall cook up some of the eatery's classic recipes — including Pasta Franzese, a dish that Lutz named for the legendary Colombo wiseguy, John (Sonny) Franzese. You can also hear Lutz tell Hall about some dealings that they had while they were housed together at the federal prison in Milan, Michigan.

"Some of the people you mentioned eat at my restaurant," said Lutz. "The whole persona about the restaurant is built on my past, but my past is my past, it's not what I do now. I never ran from my codefendants since I came home from prison. We remain friends. They eat in my restaurant, and they get a check. And like everybody else they pay their bill."

"Everybody eats in my restaurant," continued Lutz. "The prosecutor who put me in jail eats in my restaurant. I have probation officers who eat in my restaurant. AUSAs, FBI agents, some agents who worked in my case, eat in my restaurant."

Steven MazzoneNot quite everybody though. "You wanna know who can't eat in my restaurant?" Lutz shouted. "Sammy The Bull can't! No rats and liars can eat in my restaurant. I've thrown a couple of them out. I said you gotta be kidding, you got to leave. You're not welcome here. I know what it is to have somebody sit on the stand and make up stories about you."

"Mike (Lancellotti) eats in the restaurant," said Lutz. "He's been here with his wife. I can't remember the last time I saw him — he's had some battles with his health — but Mike's a friend, and he's eaten at the restaurant."

So does Mazzone, who was also a codefendant of Lutz and Merlino in the 2001 trial. "Steve's a friend of mine, a good friend of mine. He's a patron of mine in the restaurant. And he's been a continued friend of mine."

Joseph LicataLongtime reputed wiseguy, John (Johnny Chang) Ciancaglini, also dines at the restaurant, although Lutz said somewhat wistfully that he can't recall seeing him at the Kitchen Consigliere Café in quite a while.

Sources say that during the ceremony, Mikey Lance introduced Joseph (Scoops) Licata as the crime family's consigliere to the newly inducted wiseguys, who included Salvatore (Sonny) Mazzone, the underboss's younger brother, who was also hit with racketeering charges.

Following the October 2015 induction, Steven Mazzone was heard voicing the family's plan to make a big move into Atlantic City, according to detention memos that the feds used to detain him and capo Dominic (Baby Dom) Grande as dangers to the community.

"Got to get a hold back on Atlantic City, buddy! That's what I want," Mazzone stated at one point.

Later, he emphasized the family's need to take back their old rackets. "I don’t want nobody just glomming our fucking shit. You know what I mean? You understand what I'm saying? We're gangsters. I mean, you know, I'm not going to let no sucker take that."

Dominic GrandeGrande was heard instructing another mobster to make sure to "plant the flag" of the Philadelphia bourgata "and regain control of bookmakers and loansharks" in the Atlantic City area, according to court filings by prosecutors Jonathan Ortiz and Alexander Gottfried.

Merlino, who was released from prison earlier this year after completing a two year stretch for an illegal gambling count that was part of the huge 46 defendant Manhattan case that grew out of an FBI sting at the Bronx eatery owned by Genovese capo Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello, is not charged in the current indictment.

Neither is Lancellotti, who accompanied Skinny Joey to a December 2014 Christmas party at Pasquale's Rigoletto and was introduced to Parello and Genovese capo Eugene (Rooster) Onofrio as the acting boss of the Philadelphia family.

Merlino's New York attorney, John Meringolo, teamed up with Philadelphia lawyer Louis Busico this week to represent Steve Mazzone. Meringolo told Gang Land yesterday that Mazzone is not a danger to anyone and the attorney plans to push for his release on bail while he fights the case.