The one-time South Philadelphia celebrity mobster had a nearly packed courtroom for is probation violation hearing this morning. Friends, family members, law enforcement officials and more than a dozen members of the media showed up for a 90-minute proceeding that revolved around mundane technical issues and that offered all the drama of a first year law school seminar.
After the session before U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick ended without any resolution, Merlino, 52, attracted a swarm of television and newspaper photographers as he exited the building at Sixth and Market Streets.
