The ongoing saga between the feds and alleged Philadelphia mafia boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino has had its share of twist and turns along the way.
But according to recent reports from veteran investigative reporter Dave Schratwieser who closely follows the Philly mafia the feds case against Merlino may be in jeopardy of falling completely apart. There is some speculation that the Feds could drop the case before it even makes it into a courtroom according to Schratwieser. Merlino reportedly turned down a plea deal which would have sent him to prison for between 1-2 years a drastically smaller sentence than he was originally facing. He has since been preparing for trial including the recent hiring of John Meringolo a high-profile defense attorney.
“Joseph Merlino”
Skinny Joey was busted along with 40 other alleged mafia members and associates on various crimes associated with what the Feds labeled as the East Coast LCN Enterprise. The Feds claimed that Merlino along with Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello and Eugene (Rooster) O’Nofrio both capos in the New York mafia were leaders of the organized crime enterprise. A probe into potential misconduct by two FBI agents and a supervisory agent involving the handling of a cooperating witness and evidence he collected led prosecutors to change the direction of the case. The Department of Justice agreed to over plea deals to the defendants letting them plead to lesser crimes by dropping the more damaging racketeering conspiracy charge. The 40 other defendants in the case have all reportedly agreed to plea offers except for Joey.
Merlino decided to play hard to get and take the Feds to trial instead of taking their plea offer and admitting to any wrongdoing. The majority of the evidence against him seems to have been collected by the cooperating witness in question and could very well be compromised. If the case goes to trial Joey could potentially be facing 20 years behind bars but as speculation continues to mount it seems like his gamble could very well pay off and in a big way. It now seems like the chances of him walking away scot-free have increased dramatically over the last few months. What was once considered to be a major blow against Cosa Nostra from Philly to New York has turned out to be nothing of the sort.
3rd time!!! John slipping big time
Ha! You are on top of your game Cedz.
What a kick to the balls this would be if the feds have to end up dropping this case and Joey gets to walk away a free man without even having to gamble at trial. This case has really really become a complete mess for the feds and prosecutors and its a black eye they won’t soon forget esp if Merlino walks away smiling.
the real case has not come down yet john and the feds never forget merlino ligambi these guys they will never rest till they finally take them down
Yeah there def seems to be a case in Philly that may eventually come down and bite Joey and some of those other guys in the ass. But for now it looks like Joey will be the one smiling.
They will definitely come at him harder then ever after this one! They clearly already have a major hard on for him as it is but as we have discussed here at length, the Feds cannot afford more egg on their face. If he beats this one they will do whatever it takes to make an example out of him. The Feds have proven many times in the past that they are not above using questionable cutthroat tactics to achieve their goals. The flip side is that they would be smart to play it straight and strictly by the book. Their own behavior has created a lot of their negative public image. I’m no personal fan of Merlino but I would definitely prefer to see the governments resources being spent on chasing down radicals and extremists for sure. I feel like a lot of average Americans would be on the same page. I honestly cant see Mom and Pop Middle America being too concerned with Joey Merlino or the Mob in general. These guys don’t affect them in any direct way but these people have sons and daughters fighting abroad in The Middle East. I’d say that’s what concerns them the most and where they would like to see the Feds focusing their attention.
If this does get tossed, and it likely will, Joey looks like smartest one. Everyone else doing time and Joey keeps being joey. Well played Joey, smarter than I thought, and huge balls. Ofcourse Feds now go after him even harder.
Personally, I’d rather those resources go to fighting the real criminals.
you have to remember that the real indictment has not come down yet the feds in philly have been building a case against merlino and others for years now this case was weak from the start joey was not the target of this Parello was joeys greed got him dragged into this indictment it was really a case against the Genovese family.
This is embarrassing for the FBI but the real indictment that the FBI in philly have been building has not come down yet and in this joey merlino ligambi all of these guys are being targeted they want revenge they will not rest till joey is dead or doing life and I am making a predication when it comes down joey will end up doing serious time
As for more resources going to fight other criminal groups I agree but then again I don’t like merlino much he has screwed a lot of good people do respect that he has balls and does not back down but he has ruined some guys who really did not deserve it because of his greed karma will come around it always does his time is coming
Is there a Superseding Indictment that you’re referring to or just a whole other case all together that is still being put together against the Philly LCN? If its a case of a totally separate case against the Philly guys I would have to agree with you that one may be the hammer dropping on these guys. The question is how many quality informants does the FBI have inside that family. Also will they be wired for sound or just their testimony which as we’ve discussed here is becoming less reliable these days. It makes me laugh when you got guys already in Witsec being charged with Homicide and other heavy Felonies. I never understood that when these dudes already have either total immunity or at least very light sentencing plea deals with the Feds. What is the benefit of trying to hide those past crimes only to have it come up later and bite those guys in the ass. Why take such a huge risk when there is already a Sweetheart Deal in place? Is it just deception and hustling being part of their DNA or would they not be eligible for these deals if they have a bunch of murders on their resume? Shit, Sammy the Bull had all kinds of Murders in his jacket and skated for the most part. Of course he did his very best to find his way back to prison.
Word has been floating around for a while that the feds in Philly are building a case against Merlino and perhaps other members of the family there. But in the end its hard to know what they have and if they are anywhere near an actual indictment etc but one thing is for sure if Merlino walks from this that target on his back won’t be any smaller.
a different indictment all together this case was built by the FBI in New York and Florida merlino was not one of the targets in this case his greed got him dragged into it. The real case is a separate case the FBI in philly are building they were furious when merlino got Indicted in this case because they wanted merlino on the streets and that they never shared any of this cases information for example according to capeci merlino mikey lance and dom grande went to a Christmas party in New York with Parello and others feds in philly never knew if they had been told this information it could have helped with this current case they are building. Geogre A said this indictment they are targeting merlino and the administration and some of the recent murders under merlino and ligambi
As for rats I know why the feds use them because without them the mafia would have never collapsed like it did guys cases guys like scarfo gigante amuso gotti might have never been convicted without them. However I agree with you I think some of the deals being offered are ridiculous gravano the most famous example I cant stand rats if you choose to be in that life then accept the consequences no one forced you to join
Who did he ruin that didn’t deserve it?
innocent bookies who he bet into and ruined there businesses these guys were already paying street tax but his greed made him keep betting into these guys books till they went bankrupt. Guys like billy veasy killed because his brother was a rat billy was not even a mob guy did nothing to deserve it just had the wrong second name. He also had guys like john Sodano real street guys killed and replaced him with scum like caprio and his paedophile associate casale who that loser natale wanted to let become a made guy. Yes Natale played a big part in this but merlino was the real power he was just as involved.
There was other things I have heard he has done which were disgusting but i wont talk about it on here out of respect. He had balls and a stand up guy i respect him but i don’t like him
Ron Previte was one of those bookies, and that was the Feds money! That was well played by Joey. As far as Veasy he might have been a civilian but his brother was a rat , and his brother killed Mikey Chang. Supposedly Johnny Chang was the shooter on that- brother for a brother. Sodano didn’t want to recognize the new administration and kick up so he got wacked, that was his choice. Joey’s not perfect but he’s true Cosa Nostra and he’s been doing a good job rebuilding the family.
I am not talking about that fat fuck or any of the other mob guys including his best friends who bet into the fact guys like bobby lusi previte even got in shows the state of his and ralphs running of that family. I am talking about guys who are not involved in that life bookies who paid there street tax even screwed over family members but joey ruined them no other mob bosses in history has been so idiotic even gotti paid his debts this guy has no idea how to run a family
So what if his brother was a rat billy veasy was not involved in the life that does not make it right. Sodano was a real gangster joey and natale were nothing compared to this guy and that does not take away from the fact that joey and ralph put a joke in charge of that crew and wanted a paedophile as a made guy that’s hardly Cosa Nostra
Joey true Cosa Nostra jesus I have seen some ridiculous things what has he done for the life ever he was a soldier who rebelled against the leadership made a nobodoy and put him as boss of the family that does not sound like Cosa Nostra to me. Cosa Nostra died after scarfo era now its something different joey and natale are responsible for that. How has he rebuilt anything everytime that guy is around there is an indictment after the case in 2001 that family nearly collapsed New York were going to move in Ligambi saved that family.
He has balls and is a standup guy but true Cosa Nostra all of that merlino does not represent that he never followed the rules watch when he ends up getting a life sentence because it will happen eventually
It does seem fucked up when these bookies are paying their street tax and then having the so called boss himself punking them out. Defeats the entire purpose of the street tax. I think Merlino and his gang at the time were just young and simply didnt give a fuck. Its one thing for them to act that way when they were coming up but to be the Administration of a family and running amok like that took away from their credibility as a Family. Sure they were tough guys and stand up but what is all that good for if they collapse in on themselves as a group.
merlino was always doing this stuff 80s he was doing the same the crow and leonetti both talk about it because of chuckie and Lawrence merlino people had to ignore it but your right him and his crew were never really taught LCN its why a lot of them struggled to earn the scarfo guys grew up and were schooled by the real mafia they were taught how to earn but merlino and his guys were never told the entire scarfo organization was taken down at once no one was there to teach them they had been outsiders only kids during the scarfo era they had seen all the betrayal the killings most had older family members involved but they had not been taught the life the meaning of it. Guys like joey pung the whip narducci who are similar age to merlino understand the life because they were taught it and were involved when it really was a powerhouse.
These guys found themselves with power over night they were not prepared or knew how to take over merlino did not know anyone chuckie had to tell him who to approach. These guys are street guys they will never rat but there loyalty is more to each other and there familys than to LCN to be honest that probably died during the scarfo era but by the merlino/natale leadership it was over
Yea I remember reading about Merlino betting heavy with guys and then simply not paying. I get the whole “Being in the Life” concept and having to accept the package deal that it comes with. That being said it still seems kinda lame not squaring up when he was losing bets. That Natale seems to be an absolute joke. He is all over the web doing interviews claiming he will volunteer to kill Terrorists and other nonsense! His whole story about being secretly made by Carlo Gambino and Angelo Bruno? Completely ridiculous and unbelievable! His stories change every week now and he is lapping up his minute of fame. Speaking of Previte, he claimed to have been made by Stanfa. Now I guess that may have happened but I wonder did other Wiseguys around Philly or especially New York recognize him as a fully made guy on account of him being an ex cop and all. Granted he was corrupt but I thought his past employment would be a straight up deal breaker? Or is he just another one claiming to have been inducted but just making shit up when it suits him?
He dident really become a made guy stanfa told him he was a made guy never had the would not surprise me if that joke made it all up. The stuff about New York is rubbish thats just him trying to portray himself as this bigtime wiseguy. He was an earner thats why he got in that family they were at the time with merlino and natale caring little about the rules they were changing them all the time if they were willing to induct casale into that family who was a former peodophile then it does not surprise me they were willing to deal with a ex cop.
As for previte himself he was never a tough guy I have heard stories about this guy which he no surprise did not include in that book lets just say New York did not respect him and he was not as tough as he likes to potray
I have been playing the Horses for years and enjoy wagering and with that said ,I definitely at this point would say its a safe bet that Joey walks away with his famous crooked smile free and no conviction and possibly no trial and chalk up Joey’s legal luck continues on….But Law enforcement will be heavily focused on him and he must be smarter in the future about his choice of business partners and introduction’s to new people
I know this won’t happen,but if this case is dropped Merlino should ask/have everything about it not be used in next one. Especially since some think another case is being brought in Philly most likely. Anyway, as some have said Merlino is smart and free b/c he makes Feds earn their Convictions against him
It doesn’t work that way. Now if indicted again his lawyers can argue to have certain things tossed or surpressed. But as a whole you can ask or have anything precluded from future cases unless you were to be granted immunity, which you don’t get for getting a case dismissed.
One thing Ive always been curious about. Was Stanfa so bad as a boss? I’ve read various books about Philly LCN and all the f*****g characters in that family but never saw much in depth written about Stanfa. Did these guys simply not wanna take orders from a Zip or was he a shitty boss. Like was he excessively greedy. Like I said I dont know too much about him but he seemed like a low key type of guy. Or was it a simple power vacuum with Scarfo getting put away? I figure some of you Philly experts on here would have better knowledge about Stanfa then I do. Me being from San Francisco also keeps me out of the East Coast loop. SF was always a very Irish and Chinese city. Never had a large Italian population. Had a very small low key family with about 25 guys tops. Lanza was the boss but he stayed way below the radar. Lots of people even native San Franciscans had no idea there was a Mob Family here until recently with that book that came out. Basically all we have now is a Hipster Mafia that intimidates people in their skinny jeans!!!!
he was not the best of bosses but it is unfair to give him too much blame he had an impossible job he inherited a organization that could never work misfits old guys and younger relatives of scarfo guys led by merlino who were never going to listen to anyone other than merlino. He was not a shocking boss his problem was his guys kept messing up hits so many times they missed or couldent finish the job he had his crew bigger than merlinos and if the feds had not come down merlino would have probably lost most of the streets were actually siding with stanfa even merlino guys like tory scadfi switched sides to stanfa he also had New York backing him. Stanfa did not lose the war the feds ended it that indictment took down everyone
I will try and find this article from 95 that geogre A wrote about it he put in all the tapes really good insight into the stanfa organization crazy how much the feds got on tape them talking about merlino murders even guys like tommy Gambino (frank calis cousin Rosario gambinos son became a made guy in LA family in the 90s apparently still out there by all accounts if he is still active would probably now report to new York no one else left out there)
I’m sure you’re right about him reporting to NYC. The little families in San Francisco and San Jose seem to have been completely defunct since the early 90’s and I don’t think there is much left of the LA Family if at all. Those places simply had no one to fill the void as the old guys died off or went to the joint. SF was one of the few spots on the West Coast that even had any semblance of an Italian neighborhood and it was a small one at that. If you look at the bios. Of a lot of the West Coast Wiseguys and see that most of them were not local themselves. Quite a few of them came from the East Coast or Midwest cities and some of them were actually zips who were born over there but had grown up in the USA. The LA Family especially seemed like a hodgepodge of Italians from all over the US. A bunch of them appear to have been related to Midwest guys unless they just had names in common… They just didnt have the numbers out here though. There were definitely a handful of tough straight up gangsters but so much competition from the start. The Asian groups pretty much had SF all sewn up from the beginning.
all those familys are dead LA family all of them there might be some old guys still earning but there is no organized family out there. I know there is some guys from New York in LA gambinos guys like joe isgro some colombos and Bonannos. Charles stango the DeCavancte capo was operating out of Nevada before the recent indictment. So there is some guys who are probably active out there but its not organized its an open state in mafia terms anyone can operate out there. Some Outfit guys active out there probably aswell