"Now there's a flip-side to that coin" - easy trivia quote
Did the meeting at Fat Ange's Restaurant happen? No one was talking about it on the street. And if you live in this area, people have big mouths. None of the regular reporters talked about it. I don't think it did but I wouldn't be invited anyway.
I am not knocking Scott Burnstein, I liked Phils book and I know for a fact that alot of it was truth. But, some of his articles are regurgitations and speculative add-ons of OLD OLD OLD stories.
On to Merlino as boss from Florida - I speculate - NO WAY. Why?? No way any of those Scarfo guys are going to kick up to him while he's in Florida. I'm sorry but he's gotta be present. I can't even see Borgesi accpeting Merlino being king from Florida.
I can't see him able to hold on.
I think Serp will agree with me on this, the old heads aren't gonna tolerate a flashy, cocky boss, who isn't present. Flashy/cocky got them locked up in the first place.
Philly is volatile and there ain't shit going on around here but drugs/gambling/ and a little shylock. Nothing big.
And LCN Philly doesn't have their arms around it like they did with the street tax. A ton of independent agents/dealers/books in this day. And why deal with the mob, which brings heat on everyone, when you can go through other channels.
I only see this ending one way - a body. Either one of the old Scarfo guys are gonna get banged out to send a message to the others, or One of the young turks are gonna get it.
And remember, there are a few bodies that aren't accounted for over the past few years. All it takes is one slip up, one bust; and one knowledgeable person to roll over. Then, that whole regime goes bye bye.
This isn't NYC. These fuckers are crazy cowboys who were raised up with people shooting each other in broad daylight, public places, in front of their moms, etc. So, don't think they wouldn't drop each other on the street.
Again, this is all speculation....
joey merlino obviously doesn't give a fuck about life in jail but do his cohorts
he could've ran shit from florida or just fucking retire
That's why he's back in Florida. There is no evidence that Joey is going to be coming back to Philly full time. He's smartened up over the years. He's positioned his life long friends at the top, guys like Stevie Mazzone and Johnny Chang that he knows he can trust to run the day to day affairs on the street without needing his consent on everything. Plus, he still has the final say on any major decisions from Florida while he tries to give the appearance of an everyday "working man" at his restaurant. I don't believe the meeting that Scott reported about at Fat Angelo's restaurant was necessarily just to talk mob business, I think it was more of just a welcome home party for Joey now that he's finally free of prison and parole restrictions for the first time in 15 years.
Nearly the entire family is back out on the street, and I think Joey realizes if he plays it right and works with guys he may not like (or they may not respect him, either) that there is very good money to be made. It's not the crumpled organization anymore that he wrestled away from Stanfa or took complete control of after Natale flipped -- they have more strength in numbers now and he's got heavy hitters and real earners back on the streets. If the reports about the three man ruling panel while Joey was in prison were true, then I think that shows right there that Skinny is willing to work with guys like Narducci; not just to avoid potential violence, but he knows the earning potential.
The bottom line is this: the federal government won't stop coming after Joey until they have him tucked away in a tiny cell somewhere for the rest of his life, and that's been said a thousand times on this forum and many other similar boards. However, he knows he has a better chance to stay on the streets longer if he stays in Florida, appears to work at his restaurant, and is the ultimate shot caller from afar. Sure, law enforcement will still be all over him in Florida, but if he returns to South Philly, the feds are going to put on a full court press the minute he touches down in the city with the intention of staying for good.
