This week’s episode of Mob Talk with experts George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser takes a look at Joey Merlino and his recent guilty plea.
The alleged Philadelphia mafia boss decided against going to trial for the second time and plead guilty to a single gambling charge. His first trial ended in a hung jury but rumors indicated that the jury was a lot closer to convicting Joey than they were to acquit him. The flamboyant mafia leader would have been facing 10 years or more behind bars if convicted but now is looking at 24 months or less at sentencing according to the plea deal.
The guys also talk about some additional Philly mafia news including the active investigation in The City of Brotherly Love. According to Anastasia, we may soon see an indictment come down against the Cosa Nostra family. Alleged Philadelphia mafia capo Domenic Grande seems to be in the middle of an illegal gambling investigation in Philly and a drug investigation in New Jersey. The feds have issued subpoenas to a number of illegal bookmakers which could lead to a much larger racketeering indictment against various mobsters including Grande.
There are tape recordings in the drug investigation that captured conversations about money being kicked up within the mafia and more. These Jersey tapes were made by an undercover FBI agent and a mob turncoat which could also be rolled into a much larger case. Reports of recent meetings of the current Philadephia mafia hierarchy may be a sign that the guys also know something big is on the way and it’s time to get their ducks in a row.
