Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino the alleged boss of the Philadelphia mafia took on the feds earlier this month and walked away via a hung jury.
The jury could not come to a verdict after approx 30 hours of deliberation but things may have been close enough for the feds to come knocking for a retrial. This episode of Mob Talk featuring Mafia experts George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser takes a look at the outcome of the trial and how it could affect the Philly mafia. The feds case against the flamboyant Cosa Nostra boss had its problems along the way but according to sources, the feds were deadly close to getting a conviction. Some reports had jurors locked into a 10-2 and 11-1 scenario to convict and if things were really that close the feds may be ready for a rematch. Although there also new rumors that Merlino’s lawyers may be negotiating a “possible resolution” of the case with Feds according to a recent report from Mr. Schratwieser. Both sides are due back in court on March 6th to see how this will unfold.
If things go the other way and Joey walks away there seem to be rumors that he could re-emerge on the streets of Philly and take a more active role in the organized crime family. The guys get into this and some other current mafia news from The City of Brotherly Love. The newly formed organized crime unit on the ground in Philly continue their hunt for a new case which has been rumored to include some of the still unsolved mafia murders. No one covers the mafia in Philadelphia like George and Dave and Mob Talk has long been and remains a hit! You can follow Dave here on Twitter as he reports on various news within the city.
