He was the father of Nicky Scarfo Jr., a Lucchese family soldier, who was sentenced in 2015 to 30 years in prison for security fraud, racketeering, and illegal gambling. We want to hear it. Everybodys dead, Mr. Sheeran, one agent says. He remained comatose for more than 25 years before passing away two years ago. [7], During the trial, Scarfo's son Mark Scarfo attempted suicide on November 1, 1988. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. All rights reserved. They allegedly directed FPFG to buy worthless companies that they created. When a federal judge in Philadelphia sentenced him to 55 years in prison on murder and racketeering charges in May 1989, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo just shrugged. Phil Leonetti, Little Nickys nephew and underboss, said it best in the book Mafia Prince which he co-authored with Scott Burnstein. The judge had been killed execution-style in a restaurant as he dined with his wife. A surgeon at Thomas. Mr. Scarfo had a volatile temper and a penchant for wanton violence and vengeance as he rose to become head of what was known as the Bruno-Scarfo crime family. He was charged last summer with committing bank fraud and other related offenses in relation to the First Plus Financial scam. He was resuscitated by paramedics, Ms. Spatz said. My cousin owes my uncle absolutely nothing.. "The scheme to defraud FPFG," said the indictment, "ultimately resulted in a loss to FPFG and its shareholders of at least approximately $12 million." This documentary is used for education. [7] Scarfo's nephew, Phil Leonetti, who he had promoted to Underboss in 1986, also turned state's evidence in 1989 after a RICO conviction. Anyone can read what you share. PUBLISHED CAPTION: The mob boss son, Nicodemo S. Scarfo, is accused of plotting with his father over the phone. This led to another bizarre, dark comedic twist to the Scarfo-Merlino saga. There were some political ads that would run in the local newspaper every day in the last week before election, and the lawyer didnt want them to run. The Dante & Luigi shooting came amidst a bloody power struggle that had its roots in a friendship gone bad. Reports began to circulate in the underworld that from prison Little Nicky had put a $500,000 contract out on Merlino. Scarfo Jr., also known as Junior, Nick Promo, and Mr. Apple, was one of more than a dozen individuals named in the indictment, along with his wife, alleged Lucchese family mob associate Sal Pelullo, as well as officials of FirstPlus. This led Caramandi, a notable and feared hitman, to cooperate and testify against the organization. 14 years imprisonment, 55 years imprisonment, This page was last edited on 4 February 2023, at 20:17. His cement contracting company "Scarf, Inc", which was shared with his nephew, received business as developers built new casinos in Atlantic City; Scarfo would intimidate businesses into buying from his company. His future as a Mob leader brightened in 1980 when longtime boss Bruno was shot and killed on March 21, 1980, on orders from New Yorks Genovese family, which for years had affiliated with Brunos crime group. In obtaining contracts, he capitalized on his close association with leaders of Local 54 of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union. The Biden story isnt in the movie. After Scarfo and his nephew Leonetti beat the Testa murder charges, Goodman said he tried to make good on a bet he made if they won, he would jump naked into the fountains outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. As a young adult, bookmaking served as his entry to Phillys underworld. Scarfo's youngest son, Mark, tried to commit suicide during his father's 1988 racketeering trial. Succeeding Mr. Testa, Mr. Scarfo muscled in on the casino boom through his company, Scarf Inc., pouring concrete for the foundations of several gambling palaces, including one that opened as Harrahs Trump Plaza. All Rights reserved. He moved to South Philadelphia at the age of 10, and started working as a young laborer. He prepared lists of people to target in Riccobenes sphere for murder. And it has been 30 years since the brazen attempted hit on mob boss Nicky Scarfo's son, Nicky Scarfo Jr. onHalloween night 1989. Watch the latest Mob Talk report (and a previous episode) below, and, SEPTA to purchase 10 zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell buses, Bryce Harper to give command to start engines at NASCAR race in Las Vegas, Eagles name Alex Tanney QB coach, plus other coaching staff updates, The food you eat impacts the health of your eyes, Construction of Penn's Landing park over I-95 finally approved to begin, PennDOT says, Joanna McClinton becomes first woman elected as speaker of Pa. House. A confederate, Teddy DiPretoro, placed a nail bomb Casella made on Testas front porch and activated it remotely, mortally wounding Testa on March 14, 1981. ", New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, "On the anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, a look at history's most fearsome mob bosses", "Nicky Scarfo, Mob Boss Who Plundered Atlantic City in the '80s, Dies at 87", "Always A Joker, Never A Rat. Putting him in harms way, apparently, was not as important to Little Nicky as holding onto the reins of power. His father was Philip Scarfo, a laborer who worked at an Atlantic City hotel and who, according to Mr. Leonetti, was 100 percent legit. His mother was the former Catherine Piccolo. In 1983, the year Trump Tower opened its doors, the future president reportedly met the Genovese family boss. Increasingly despondent over his father's possible imprisonment, Mark Scarfo hanged himself in the office of his father's concrete supply company in Atlantic City. But Fresolone as well as several other cooperators and many law enforcement sources point to Joey Merlino as the gunman that night. But the prosecutors offices major crimes unit was investigating before ruling out a homicide attempt. Mark Scarfo was discovered by his . Scarfo had three sons. Nov. 1, 2011 — -- The son of a Philadelphia mob boss infamous for his violent reign was indicted today for a bloodless, white collar crime: a scheme to defraud a Texas financial firm out of $12 million. The hit is believed by many mob sources to have been carried out by mobster Joseph Merlino as a message to the elder Scarfo that he no longer had control of the mafia in Philly. But by the end of the three-hour-plus movie, the nostalgia fades and so does the pinkie-ring finery. Scarfo seized the top position for himself, promoting Salvatore Merlino as his Underboss and Frank Monte as his Consigliere. However, his tenure as Boss would be a short one. Scarfo was convicted and served time. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Capone supposedly said, You can go a long way with a smile; you can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun. Mr. Scarfo preferred just the gun. If, as Mr. Anastasia suggested, the Scarfo familys credo was kill or be killed, Mr. Scarfos management style was grounded in greed (he imposed a tax on even petty criminals operating within his turf) and paranoia (even an unwitting sneer could provoke him to take violent revenge). [6] He moved to Ducktown, the Little Italy of Atlantic City, New Jersey shortly after, where he was protected and supervised by his uncle and other Scarfo members. Salvatore Chucky Merlino, Joeys father, had once been a close friend of the elder Scarfo. ", At a press conference Tuesday in Camden, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said "the defendants gave new meaning to 'corporate takeover' by looting a publicly traded company to benefit their criminal enterprise. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Salerno also controlled the local concrete workers union, and when a strike shut down construction in Manhattan in 1982, the one of the few buildings that wasnt affected was Trump Tower. Testa was killed by a nail bomb under his porch in 1981, on orders of his Underboss and drug trafficker Peter Casella and Capo Frank Narducci Sr., which later resulted in Narducci being gunned down and Casella being banished from the Mob and fleeing to Florida. [2][3][4] At that time, he was the highest-ranking member of the American Mafia to break his blood oath and turn informant. For many, a shooting like that would have been viewed as a warning and seen as the opportune time to walk away. He was discovered by his mother, and paramedics were able to resuscitate him. When a federal judge in Philadelphia sentenced him to 55 years in prison on murder and racketeering charges in May 1989, Nicodemo Little Nicky Scarfo just shrugged. Nicky Jr. was hit multiple times in the arms and torso but miraculously escaped serious injury. Salerno arranged things so his concrete company got a $7.8 million contract at Trump Plaza. The sentence amounted to life imprisonment, since he was not scheduled for release before 2033. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. His time at the top was one of the bloodiest in underworld history. Then in November 1986, two of Scarfos thugs, Nicholas Nicky Crow Caramandi and Thomas Tommy Del DelGiorno, who believed they were in danger from the violent Scarfo for what they knew, went to the feds, agreed to tell all and testify about it. [4], It was in 1978 that he gained the moniker "Crazy Phil" from a local radio talk show host. He was found shot dozens of times in a car trunk and $300 in bills were jammed in his mouth and anus as a sign of his own greed. PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDY RITCHIE Manage Settings Every made man Scorsese introduces to the viewer is snuffed out until all thats left is Frank Sheeran (played by Robert DeNiro), a disheveled, wheelchair-bound ex-hit man whos haunted by his memories. His nephew, Philip Leonetti, later wrote that the family had strong ties to the Mafia in Italy.. The elder Mr. Scarfo idolized Al Capone, a fellow transplanted Brooklynite, but hardly resembled him. [11] A year later, he would be initiated as a made man. Some of that blood was spilled by his son. Anastasia says the attempted killing of Scarfo represented a power shift in the Philly Mob. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, Trumps buildings and his casinos attracted underworld figures like Fat Tony Salerno, the Fedora-wearing, cigar-chomping boss of the Genovese crime family. Mr. Testa was soon killed by a nail bomb. [3] Between 1987 and 1989, Scarfo was convicted three timesfor conspiracy, racketeering, and first-degree murder, being sentenced to consecutive prison terms of 14 years, 55 years and life, although the life sentence was later overturned. Trump wasnt the only one who knew the people in the world of The Irishman. Copyright 2021 JerseyMan Magazine. Email blog@themobmuseum.org. Crazy he even got away with that murder when an eye witness testified against him. Reputed Mobster's Son Found Hanging, In Critical Condition. Pinterest. Michael Franzese on Philly Mob Boss Nicky Scarfo's Son Hanging Himself (Part 9) Watch on Part 10: Michael Franzese on Bribing Manuel Noreaga $50K a Month -------- In this clip, Michael Franzese spoke about his relationship with former Philadelphia mob leader Nicky Scarfo, whose son committed suicide while Nicky was embroiled in a federal trial. One person who knew the real-life mob families that show up in The Irishman is President Donald Trump. When Philadelphias Fox 29 television reporter Dave Schratwieser and cameraman Brad Nau asked Merlino about the report, Merlino looked into the camera and replied, Give me the half-million dollars and Ill shoot myself.. Thirty-two years ago, this monthHalloween night 1989Nicky Jr. had just settled in for dinner at Dante & Luigis, a popular restaurant on 10th Street in South Philadelphia when a man wearing a mask and carrying a trick-or-treat bag walked up to his table. His trial was met with damaging testimonies of several informants, who had carried out his murders. [9] Leonetti did not like the nickname and was not referred to as such by his mob peers. Nicodemo "Nicky" Scarfo, Jr., whose imprisoned father was an LCN crime boss in Philadelphia, was sentenced in July to 30 years in prison for racketeering, securities and wire fraud, and other . Cohn, the heavy-lidded henchman to Senator Joseph McCarthy, introduced the two men in his Manhattan townhouse, according to the late journalist Wayne Barrett. Nicky Scarfo Jr. was shot multiple times while eating dinner at Dante & Luigi's restaurant in South Philly on Halloween night 1989. [28][29][30], Sheehan, Kathy. Now 52, he had survived an assassination attempt at 24 by a gunman wearing a Batman mask. "Scarfo Jr. Gets Probation and Fine for Conviction in Hospital Beating. Michael Franzese on Bribing Manuel Noreaga $50K a Month, http://join.michaelfranzese.com/innercircle. He wore a body wire to record conversations and his phones were tapped. Watch the latest Mob Talk report (and a previous episode) below, andsubscribe to the YouTube channelto view past and future episodes: In Episode 34 of Mob Talk, mob experts George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser detail the Philadelphia connection to the so-called "Operation New Connection," an international takedown of 18 alleged Mafia figures in Sicily in July. In 1979, Nicky Scarfo ordered Leonetti to murder Vincent Falcone, a criminal associate who had been underestimating Scarfo's power within the crime family; he shot him twice. Nicky Scarfo in 1982. Prosecutors allege the FPFG fraud began in 2007. He was charged last summer with committing bank fraud and other related offenses in relation to the First Plus Financial scam. Scarfo bided his time in the crime family throughout the 1970s. In 1976, Atlantic City legalized gambling, and Scarfo prioritized gambling as his main source of income. He was just 17 when he hung himself. To go with that, he was also serving a 14-year stretch he got in 1988 for extorting a developer to pay a $1 million bribe to a Philadelphia city councilman, who was to give a share of it to Scarfo. Scarfo was a mob boss for the 1980s, a greedy, ruthless despot whose family coat of arms could have been a pair of crossed .357 magnums mounted on a blood-red shield embossed with the words Kill or Be Killed, George Anastasia wrote in Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob the Mafias Most Violent Family (1991). Where Capone had wit and panache, Mr. Scarfo had neither. Witnesses to the slayings were afraid to talk, fearing retribution. The book is full of characters who didnt make it into the movie, but they did surface in Trumps world. So Sheeran set up a picket line outside the newspaper, and he knew the Teamsters union drivers who delivered the paper wouldnt cross it. Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, the tyrannical mob boss who ruled the Philadelphia underworld in the 1980s, has died while serving a 55-year prison sentence at a federal medical center in North Carolina. [19] As a result of Salvatore Testa's murder, Scarfo gained a reputation for disloyalty, and several criminal organizations across the United States began to distrust him. Nicky Jr. has been convicted twice in federal court on racketeering and gambling charges, emerging from prison in 2005. He wanted his namesake to follow in his footsteps. [24][25], Scarfo began his sentence at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. When he and 16 others in the Scarfo gang were convicted in November 1988 in a racketeering conspiracy involving 13 murders, jurors found Scarfo guilty of directly participating in eight of the slayings, as well as loansharking, bookmaking, drug dealing and 17 cases of extortion. [16] Between August 1982 and January 1984, Scarfo was imprisoned in FCI La Tuna for gun possession. Murderous Philadelphia Mob boss dies in prison. [5] As part of his cooperation, he served just five years in prison, and later authored a book about the mob. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. The Merlino brothers were demoted, taken down to the rank of soldier and Scarfo was threatening to kill them and their families. The father is the late Nicodemo D. Little Nicky Scarfo, the notorious Philadelphia mob boss who died in prison four years ago while serving what amounted to a life sentence following convictions on racketeering and murder charges. The FBI had uncovered the concrete bid-rigging scheme at Trump Plaza by secretly bugging Mafia homes and hangouts, including the Palma Boys Social Club, where DeNiro and his rabbi Russell Bufalino, played by Joe Pesci, sit down with Salerno in Scorseses film. Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., 50, of Galloway--son of jailed Philadelphia mob boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo-- was convicted in July 2014 on more than 20 counts of mail, bank and wire fraud and. Only a few weeks ago, one of the other 33 people arrested and charged in that case pled guilty and agreed to cooperate against his co-defendants. After stabbing a longshoreman to death in a bar, Mr. Scarfo was convicted of manslaughter and served six months. In 2013, he published a book about his criminal life, Mafia Prince: Inside America's Most Violent Crime Family and The Bloody Fall of La Cosa Nostra,[15] which details accounts of the Five Families, the American Mafia Commission and other crime families across the United States.[16]. [12] By the early 1980s, Leonetti was already a millionaire and controlled a lucrative trade of racketeering, illegal gambling, loan sharking, extortion and skimming from the Atlantic City casinos. He was 87. It was a path that would lead 40 years later to Stones conviction last month on charges of lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks. Rouse immediately informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation. [13][14][9], Shortly after Leonetti was released from prison, he married the former girlfriend of Vincent Falcone, whom he had murdered in 1979. In 1963, Scarfo pleaded guilty to manslaughter for fatally stabbing a longshoreman; he spent about six months in prison. He had a violent temper. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the public understanding of organized crime's history and impact on American society. No one has ever been charged with the Dante & Luigi shooting which ranks among the most audacious in Philadelphia mob underworld history. A made man Atlanta federal Penitentiary [ 4 ], Scarfo was convicted of manslaughter and served six months prison., one agent says 's restaurant in South Philly on Halloween night.. 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