George Borgesi has been one of the more interesting characters within the Philadelphia Mafia over the last several years.
He became a made guy in the mid-1990s and has long been a trusted friend and associate of mob boss Joey Merlino. He was part of the “Young Turks” crew along with Skinny Joey that fought to wrestle control of the Philly Mafia away from former boss John Stanfa. In 2000 he became the Cosa Nostra families acting consigliere under Merlino and underboss Steve Mazzone. But his rise up the ranks was cut short when he was convicted in 2001 in a racketeering case along with Merlino. He was sentenced to 14 years behind bars and was finally released in January of 2014. Now rumors abound that George Borgesi may be in line to be or may already be the next acting boss of the mafia family.
“Dominic Grande, George Borgesi, Steve Mazzone”
According to various sources, the recent birthday bash held for longtime boss Joseph Ligambi was also a retirement party. The 80-year-old wiseguy has reportedly stepped away after decades of service many of those years spent as the families acting boss. Recent reports had pegged Michael (Mikey Lance) Lancelotti as Merlino’s new acting boss. But rumors have been circulating of late that reoccurring health problems may have caused Lancelotti to take a step back. It seems Ligambi may have stepped back in momentarily to fill that void.
So along with his official retirement from the life may come a potential leadership void and Borgesi could very well be the beneficiary. It’s still unclear as to how accurate these recent rumblings are but it presents an interesting possibility. George had some bumps in the road along the way since getting out of prison but his stock seems to be back on the rise. After smoothing over some rough patches he has been actively working his way back up the ranks. He has re-established himself as one of the families captains and has reportedly pulled back together the Philly mob’s New England satellite crew.
He made plenty of connections while behind bars and has reportedly had recent meetings with mobsters from other families outside of Philadelphia. He has also diversified into some very lucrative legit business including construction, real estate, and stock investments according to reports. While he was known for having a penchant for violence and being sort of a hot head in his early years he has seemingly transformed that into a much more low key approach. Borgesi was frequently seen with Merlino meeting with attorneys and chauffeuring him to court appearances in Manhattan during his most recent case.
If Merlino is going to make or has already made the call on a new acting boss/street boss it seem Borgesi would be a logical choice. Over the years he has certainly paid his dues and earned those stripes. If George Borgesi finally gets his shot at the top spots even in an acting capacity it will be interesting to watch and see if it leads to any changes in how the mafia in Philadelphia does business. Merlino is only months away from being back on the streets but will certainly have the feds looking over his shoulder watching every step he takes as always.
If he finally decides to call it quits himself while unlikely it could put Borgesi in yet an even more advantageous position if he gets a bump up. While the Philly crime family may not be as active as years past it remains an interesting source of Mafia News!
