Joseph Merlino
Encyclopedia
Joseph Salvatore "Skinny Joey" Merlino (born March 13, 1962) was the boss of the Philadelphia crime family
from 1994 to 1999, despite Ralph Natale
being officially the boss, and was said to have led it primarily in extortion
, bookmaking, drug trafficking, and loan shark
ing.
/soldier Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino (born June 29, 1939 from Ducktown, Atlantic City
) and housewife Rita (born 1940) who later divorced after Salvatore was incarcerated. Joe was raised in Southwest Philadelphia
and Ventnor City, New Jersey
. He is also the nephew of deceased former alleged Scarfo crime family Capo
Lawrence (Yogi) Merlino and first cousin of Joseph N. (Fat Joey) Merlino, a building contractor who owns Bay Shore rebar
corporation based in Pleasantville, New Jersey
and Marco Merlino, who followed his cousin and father into the construction business. He has two sisters, Natalie and Maria. His sister Maria was engaged to Salvatore Testa
until he broke it off a few years before he was murdered. He had been friends to future made man
in the Scarfo crime family Michael (Mikey Chang) Ciancaglini and his brother Joseph (Joey Chang) Ciancaglini since attending St. Thomas Aquinas grade school in Point Breeze, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. In the 1970s Salvatore owned and operated the 9M Bar at 9th Street and Moyamensing Avenue in Southwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
that Nicky Scarfo used as his criminal headquarters during his attempt to become the new boss of the Scarfo crime family. The 9M Bar would later be renamed Anthony's Bar.
In the summer of 1983, his father Salvatore starting raising tension between himself and mob boss Nicky Scarfo. George Anastasia said, "He had been picked up on a drunken driving charge in Margate, New Jersey. Merlino, who often drank more than he could handle, tried to bribe the police officer who brought him a Breathalyzer test. He offered $400 in cash and his gold watch. Merlino made his offer while he was in the police station. The cops got it all on videotape." Joe's uncle Lawrence died December 2001 following his release from federal prison three years earlier from a conviction in 1988 on racketeering charges. He lived in Washington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
as an adult. He stands at 5'3 and weighs 105 pounds. He is a huge fan of the Philadelphia Flyers
and Philadelphia Phillies
professional sports teams. Philadelphia Inquirer crime reporter and author George Anastasia said that many years ago Joseph was a horse jockey and worked in a steakhouse restaurant.
In August 1984 he was barred by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission
from New Jersey casinos. His father Salvatore would also be banned by exactly the same commission as his son for his criminal activities on May 23, 1984. Nicky Scarfo demoted his father Salvatore of underboss to street soldier because of his father's alcoholism
. Joseph Merlino has been described as a particularly vicious person, obsessed with his own public image, and another version of New York's John Gotti
. "Joey was a party guy," said mob associate Ronald (Big Ron) Previte Atlantic City Police Department cop-turned gangster-turned government witness. "He liked to go out. He liked to gamble. He liked the high life." He invited TV crews to his annual Christmas party for the homeless, and was a fixture at the city's nightclubs, restaurants, and sporting events. With longtime buddies Salvatore Scafidi, Sonny Valenti, Michael Ciancaglini, and George Borgesi, he was known to beat up people, rob people, and start fights in clubs. On October 31, 1989, it is alleged that Merlino attempted to murder the son of Nicky Scarfo, Nicky, Jr., in a Washington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Italian restaurant, Dante and Luigi's located at 762 South 10th Street wounding him several times in the chest, neck, and arm. Although police never charged anyone with the attempted murder, police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) believe Merlino was behind the shooting to avenge an earlier plot by Scarfo Sr. on Merlino's father. Another motive for the attempted hit was to send a clear message that neither Scarfo nor his son Nicky Scarfo Jr. were any longer in charge of the South Philadelphia
rackets. Fearing another Mafia war, Scarfo Sr. moved his son out of town.
In August 1989, Merlino was charged with robbing an armored car
of $350,000. He was convicted a few months later. According to mobster Ralph Natale
, he and Merlino began plotting to take over the Philadelphia crime family while they were cellmates in a federal penitentiary in 1990. Natale named Steven Mazzone, George Borgesi and Martin Angelina (an opponent of Nicky Scarfo, Jr.), all Merlino associates, as co-conspirators in the take-over plan. He was released from prison in April 1992.
Merlino and his associates started meeting with members of the Philadelphia-based Junior Black Mafia, commonly known as the JBM, which is composed of young, violent black males who specialize in the distribution of cocaine. He also enlisted the help of the Warlocks
gang for some time.
emerged as the new leader of the Philadelphia family, an all-out war broke out between Stanfa and the so-called "Young Turks" led by Merlino. On August 5, 1993, Merlino survived a drive-by shooting
assassination attempt by Stanfa, only taking a bullet in the buttocks, as Michael "Mikey Chang" Ciancaglini was killed. On August 31, 1993, in retaliation, Stanfa’s son Joseph Stanfa was shot in the face in a daring rush hour drive-by shooting on the Schuylkill Expressway
, but survived.
During the all-out 1993 mob war, Merlino dodged more than two dozen attempts on his life. In November 1993, Merlino was arrested by the FBI, charged with violation of parole
, and sent back to prison.
Stanfa was convicted to several life sentences for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
(RICO) violations in March 1994, and Ralph Natale, subsequently jailed in June 1998, and Merlino allegedly took over upon getting out of jail in November 1994. It became apparent later that Merlino was really the power, merely using Natale as a figurehead. New York gangsters offered the position to Merlino and he turned it down. Merlino believed that the FBI would target the boss of the crime family more than any other member.
In 1995, Merlino survived additional assassination attempts. In 1995, Louis Turra, a reputed Philadelphia drug lord
and leader of the South Philly Italian American
drug gang known as the 10th (10th Street South) and (West Oregon Avenue) crew situated in South Philadelphia
, was severely beaten by Merlino’s soldiers for failing to pay a Mafia street tax on his illegal earnings. Angered by the beating, Turra sought vengeance. His father Anthony Turra allegedly hosted a meeting at his house during which Anthony, Louis and his gang discussed killing Merlino. In January 1998, Louis Turra apparently hung himself in a New York City jail while awaiting trial.
In March 1998, Anthony Turra, on trial on charges of plotting to kill Merlino, was shot to death outside his home by a gunman in a black ski mask. He was shot twice, once in the eye, as he left for the federal courthouse, where a jury was deliberating in the racketeering and drug case against him and four other men. “We consider this an organized crime assassination, a mob hit,” Police Inspector Jerrold Kane said.
In the late 1990s Merlino allied himself with Steve "Gorilla" Montevergine, boss of the Pagans MC
motorcycle gang. Authorities believed Merlino would use the Pagans to help settle underworld disputes.
In March 2004 a federal jury acquitted him of August 2001 charges that he and Sonny Valenti had taken part in the 1996 murder of Joseph Sodano, a North Jersey capo. After Merlino's conviction, Joseph Ligambi
took over as standing boss.
Merlino was imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana
. He was released from prison on March 15, 2011. With the May 23rd arrest of Ligambi and Staino, it is said that Merlino wants to have Mazzone become Acting Boss and have the final word in family matters from Florida. http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/who%27s-the-new-philadelphia-mob-boss-052311
Philadelphia crime family
The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Scarfo crime family, Bruno crime family, Philadelphia Mafia, or Philly Mob, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the most active American Mafia families outside of the Five Families of New York...
from 1994 to 1999, despite Ralph Natale
Ralph Natale
Ralph Natale is a former American mobster. He was the leader of the Philadelphia crime family from 1995 until 1999, when he became the first American Mafia boss to turn state's evidence....
being officially the boss, and was said to have led it primarily in extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, bookmaking, drug trafficking, and loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
ing.
Family mob ties
Joseph Salvatore Merlino a.k.a. "The John Gotti of Passyunk Avenue" is the only son of Italian-American parents former Nicky Scarfo underbossUnderboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
/soldier Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino (born June 29, 1939 from Ducktown, Atlantic City
Ducktown, Atlantic City
Ducktown is a historically Italian American district of Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States, stretching from Missouri Avenue to Texas Avenue...
) and housewife Rita (born 1940) who later divorced after Salvatore was incarcerated. Joe was raised in Southwest Philadelphia
Southwest Philadelphia
Southwest Philadelphia is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line serving as the northern border...
and Ventnor City, New Jersey
Ventnor City, New Jersey
Ventnor City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 10,650....
. He is also the nephew of deceased former alleged Scarfo crime family Capo
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
Lawrence (Yogi) Merlino and first cousin of Joseph N. (Fat Joey) Merlino, a building contractor who owns Bay Shore rebar
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
corporation based in Pleasantville, New Jersey
Pleasantville, New Jersey
-Local government:Pleasantville operates under the City form of New Jersey municipal government, led by a Mayor and a seven-member City Council. The City Council consists of two members elected from wards to three-year terms, and five members elected at-large to four-year terms in office, all of...
and Marco Merlino, who followed his cousin and father into the construction business. He has two sisters, Natalie and Maria. His sister Maria was engaged to Salvatore Testa
Salvatore Testa
Salvatore "Salvie" Testa, , nicknamed The Crowned Prince of the Philadelphia Mob, was a Philadelphia gangster who served as a hitman for the Scarfo crime family during a period of internal gang conflict...
until he broke it off a few years before he was murdered. He had been friends to future made man
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
in the Scarfo crime family Michael (Mikey Chang) Ciancaglini and his brother Joseph (Joey Chang) Ciancaglini since attending St. Thomas Aquinas grade school in Point Breeze, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Point Breeze, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Point Breeze is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is generally bound by 25th Street to the west, Washington Avenue to the north, Broad Street to the east, and Mifflin Street to the south, although the sections between 18th Street and...
. In the 1970s Salvatore owned and operated the 9M Bar at 9th Street and Moyamensing Avenue in Southwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Southwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Southwark was originally the Southwark District, a colonial era municipality in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Today, it is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
that Nicky Scarfo used as his criminal headquarters during his attempt to become the new boss of the Scarfo crime family. The 9M Bar would later be renamed Anthony's Bar.
In the summer of 1983, his father Salvatore starting raising tension between himself and mob boss Nicky Scarfo. George Anastasia said, "He had been picked up on a drunken driving charge in Margate, New Jersey. Merlino, who often drank more than he could handle, tried to bribe the police officer who brought him a Breathalyzer test. He offered $400 in cash and his gold watch. Merlino made his offer while he was in the police station. The cops got it all on videotape." Joe's uncle Lawrence died December 2001 following his release from federal prison three years earlier from a conviction in 1988 on racketeering charges. He lived in Washington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Washington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Gayborhood is a neighborhood in downtown, or Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The neighborhood roughly corresponds to the area between 7th and Broad Streets and between Walnut and South Streets, bordering on the Independence Mall tourist area directly northeast, Market East to the...
as an adult. He stands at 5'3 and weighs 105 pounds. He is a huge fan of the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
professional sports teams. Philadelphia Inquirer crime reporter and author George Anastasia said that many years ago Joseph was a horse jockey and worked in a steakhouse restaurant.
Criminal activity
In August 1982, Joseph Merlino and Salvatore (Torre) Scafidi, son of bookmaker John Scafidi stabbed and beat two men two patrons at the Lido Restaurant in Atlantic City. In 1984 Merlino was found guilty on of two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.In August 1984 he was barred by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission
New Jersey Casino Control Commission
The Casino Control Commission is a New Jersey state governmental agency that was founded in 1977 as the state's gaming control board, responsible for administering the Casino Control Act and its regulations to assure public trust and confidence in the credibility and integrity of the casino...
from New Jersey casinos. His father Salvatore would also be banned by exactly the same commission as his son for his criminal activities on May 23, 1984. Nicky Scarfo demoted his father Salvatore of underboss to street soldier because of his father's alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. Joseph Merlino has been described as a particularly vicious person, obsessed with his own public image, and another version of New York's John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
. "Joey was a party guy," said mob associate Ronald (Big Ron) Previte Atlantic City Police Department cop-turned gangster-turned government witness. "He liked to go out. He liked to gamble. He liked the high life." He invited TV crews to his annual Christmas party for the homeless, and was a fixture at the city's nightclubs, restaurants, and sporting events. With longtime buddies Salvatore Scafidi, Sonny Valenti, Michael Ciancaglini, and George Borgesi, he was known to beat up people, rob people, and start fights in clubs. On October 31, 1989, it is alleged that Merlino attempted to murder the son of Nicky Scarfo, Nicky, Jr., in a Washington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Washington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Gayborhood is a neighborhood in downtown, or Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The neighborhood roughly corresponds to the area between 7th and Broad Streets and between Walnut and South Streets, bordering on the Independence Mall tourist area directly northeast, Market East to the...
Italian restaurant, Dante and Luigi's located at 762 South 10th Street wounding him several times in the chest, neck, and arm. Although police never charged anyone with the attempted murder, police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) believe Merlino was behind the shooting to avenge an earlier plot by Scarfo Sr. on Merlino's father. Another motive for the attempted hit was to send a clear message that neither Scarfo nor his son Nicky Scarfo Jr. were any longer in charge of the South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
rackets. Fearing another Mafia war, Scarfo Sr. moved his son out of town.
In August 1989, Merlino was charged with robbing an armored car
Armored car (valuables)
A common meaning of armored car is as an armored van or truck, used in transporting valuables, such as large quantities of money . The armored car is a multifunctional vehicle designed to protect and ensure the well being of the transported individuals and/or contents...
of $350,000. He was convicted a few months later. According to mobster Ralph Natale
Ralph Natale
Ralph Natale is a former American mobster. He was the leader of the Philadelphia crime family from 1995 until 1999, when he became the first American Mafia boss to turn state's evidence....
, he and Merlino began plotting to take over the Philadelphia crime family while they were cellmates in a federal penitentiary in 1990. Natale named Steven Mazzone, George Borgesi and Martin Angelina (an opponent of Nicky Scarfo, Jr.), all Merlino associates, as co-conspirators in the take-over plan. He was released from prison in April 1992.
Merlino and his associates started meeting with members of the Philadelphia-based Junior Black Mafia, commonly known as the JBM, which is composed of young, violent black males who specialize in the distribution of cocaine. He also enlisted the help of the Warlocks
Warlocks Motorcycle Club
The Warlocks Motorcycle Club refers to two totally separate and unaffiliated groups. Both founded in 1967, one is based out of Florida and the other based out of Pennsylvania.-Pennsylvania Warlocks:...
gang for some time.
Mob wars
When John StanfaJohn Stanfa
Giovanni "John the Dour Don" Stanfa is a former acting boss of the Scarfo crime family. Convicted of multiple charges in 1995, Stanfa is currently serving five consecutive life sentences.-Early life and Mafia member:...
emerged as the new leader of the Philadelphia family, an all-out war broke out between Stanfa and the so-called "Young Turks" led by Merlino. On August 5, 1993, Merlino survived a drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
assassination attempt by Stanfa, only taking a bullet in the buttocks, as Michael "Mikey Chang" Ciancaglini was killed. On August 31, 1993, in retaliation, Stanfa’s son Joseph Stanfa was shot in the face in a daring rush hour drive-by shooting on the Schuylkill Expressway
Schuylkill Expressway
The Schuylkill Expressway , locally known as the Schuylkill, is a freeway through southwestern Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia, and the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania...
, but survived.
During the all-out 1993 mob war, Merlino dodged more than two dozen attempts on his life. In November 1993, Merlino was arrested by the FBI, charged with violation of parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
, and sent back to prison.
Stanfa was convicted to several life sentences for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
(RICO) violations in March 1994, and Ralph Natale, subsequently jailed in June 1998, and Merlino allegedly took over upon getting out of jail in November 1994. It became apparent later that Merlino was really the power, merely using Natale as a figurehead. New York gangsters offered the position to Merlino and he turned it down. Merlino believed that the FBI would target the boss of the crime family more than any other member.
In 1995, Merlino survived additional assassination attempts. In 1995, Louis Turra, a reputed Philadelphia drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
and leader of the South Philly Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
drug gang known as the 10th (10th Street South) and (West Oregon Avenue) crew situated in South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
, was severely beaten by Merlino’s soldiers for failing to pay a Mafia street tax on his illegal earnings. Angered by the beating, Turra sought vengeance. His father Anthony Turra allegedly hosted a meeting at his house during which Anthony, Louis and his gang discussed killing Merlino. In January 1998, Louis Turra apparently hung himself in a New York City jail while awaiting trial.
In March 1998, Anthony Turra, on trial on charges of plotting to kill Merlino, was shot to death outside his home by a gunman in a black ski mask. He was shot twice, once in the eye, as he left for the federal courthouse, where a jury was deliberating in the racketeering and drug case against him and four other men. “We consider this an organized crime assassination, a mob hit,” Police Inspector Jerrold Kane said.
In the late 1990s Merlino allied himself with Steve "Gorilla" Montevergine, boss of the Pagans MC
Pagans MC
Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply The Pagans, is a one-percenter outlaw motorcycle gang and an alleged organized crime syndicate formed by Lou Dobkin in 1959 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States...
motorcycle gang. Authorities believed Merlino would use the Pagans to help settle underworld disputes.
Imprisonment
In June 1999, Merlino was indicted on charges he conspired with the Boston mob to purchase and distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison on December 3, 2001, on racketeering charges, including extortion and illegal gambling. He was acquitted of murder charges, attempted murder, and drug dealing. "Ain't bad," Merlino said. "Better than the death penalty."In March 2004 a federal jury acquitted him of August 2001 charges that he and Sonny Valenti had taken part in the 1996 murder of Joseph Sodano, a North Jersey capo. After Merlino's conviction, Joseph Ligambi
Joseph Ligambi
Joseph Anthony "Uncle Joe" Ligambi is an American mobster and current boss of the Philadelphia crime family. Ligambi is known among law enforcement circles to have a more "old school" approach, in sharp contrast to the former boss, Joseph Merlino's, flamboyant, high-profile style...
took over as standing boss.
Merlino was imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. He was released from prison on March 15, 2011. With the May 23rd arrest of Ligambi and Staino, it is said that Merlino wants to have Mazzone become Acting Boss and have the final word in family matters from Florida. http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/who%27s-the-new-philadelphia-mob-boss-052311
External links
- The Philadelphia Crime Family
- The Philadelphia Family
- "A New Nickname, A New Mob: Philly Police Focus On Alleged Mafia Boss," 3/1/99
- State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation Report, "The Changing Face of Organized Crime in New Jersey," May 2004
- "Skinny Joey's Victory Party; Mob Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, 11/17/04