Joseph Merlino the alleged boss of the Philadelphia mafia has agreed to a plea deal according to recent reports.
Merlino squared off against the feds in the East Coast LCN Enterprise case and walked away with a hung jury. The outcome wasn’t exactly a win for Merlino because the jury was seemingly closer to a conviction than an acquittal on some charges. It seems now the flamboyant mafia boss and the feds may have agreed to a plea deal in an effort to avoid a retrial. According to a recent report from mob insider, Dave Schratwieser Melino is expected to plead guilty to gambling charges. Joey Merlino is scheduled to be back in court on April 27th for a change of plea.
It seems the other charges against Joey would be dropped as part of the plea agreement. Merlino could be facing up to 24 months behind bars and possible house arrest if agreement moves forward. It seems like the prosecutors may have made the Cosa Nostra leader an offer he couldn’t refuse! Even though the case had its problems and his defense team did a solid job of challenging the credibility of key witness JR Rubio and the majority of the evidence a retrial seemed like a risky proposition.
Merlino has maintained his innocence at least until now but a conviction at trial would have certainly led to an extended stay behind bars. This would be the first time in his long career in organized crime that Joey Merlino pleads guilty. It will be interesting to see if this stretch behind bars has any impact on the mafia in Philadelphia.
