Joseph Servidio a soldier in the Philadelphia mafia pleaded guilty this week to drug trafficking charges.
The 59-year-old mobster was busted back in 2018 on multiple charges including dealing cocaine, drugs, and meth. Servidio known on the streets as “Joey Electric” will be facing up to 12.5 years behind bars at sentencing which is scheduled to take place sometime later this year. According to reports, the Jersey-based Cosa Nostra wiseguy is part of a North Jersey crew run by longtime captain Joseph (Scoops) Licata. The case against Servidio was built around recordings made by former mobster turned informant Anthony Persiano and an undercover FBI agent. The mafia snitch had been working with the feds since back in 2015.
“Joseph Servidio”
The conversations recorded by Persiano were damning and it didn’t seem like Servidio was going to have much of a chance in court. During these various recorded conversations, Joey Electric talks about everything from kicking up to his mafia superiors to murder. He talked about how he washed the money made from mob rackets through his construction company. He even talks about wanting to make a move into Atlantic City taking over protection rackets taxing bookmakers and drug dealers. Although according to the transcripts Philly Mafia leaders put a stop to those plans.
Here are some of the conversations recorded by the informant that was laid out in transcripts included in the 60+ page indictment: (CS-1 identified as Persiano)
Planning a hit
Servidio and Chianese hung around outside a drug-dealing associate’s home for three hours, waiting for him to be alone in his house so they could gun him down, the indictment says. They apparently were seeking revenge because the associate, only identified as “Individual 3,” was “suspected of talking openly and disparagingly about Servidio’s criminal activity.”
Servidio allegedly was caught on tape July 6, 2017, discussing how he and Chianese would leave no trace of their involvement.
“Me and Carl got two phones, just (exclusively) for this, you know. … The thing is everything is away. I’ve been leaving my phones home. I made him (Chianese) leave his E-ZPass home. We paid cash, you know.”
Paying tribute
In the Philadelphia crime family, like in other organized crime organizations, there is a process known as “tribute.” Essentially, an earner has to “kick” money up the ladder to his superiors.
In a meeting on Oct. 18, 2016, in Philadelphia, authorities say, an unidentified member of the Philly mob lays out that process to a cooperating witness.
“I mean this from my heart … but whatever I do, you get a piece of it, doesn’t matter whether it’s legitimate, illegitimate, whatever I do,” an unnamed confidential informant explains to a member of the Philly mob.
The anonymous Philly mob member responds, “Yeah that’s our business. … Believe me, whatever I do, it goes up, and all this is, is structure. … What you do (kick proceeds up the hierarchy), I do the same thing. I do it on a weekly basis.”
‘Making my bones’
On Dec. 2, 2016, authorities say, CS-1 called Servidio to arrange a meeting in Atlantic City about handing off 60 cartons of stolen cigarettes.
“During a recorded phone conversation Servidio discussed ‘making my bones’ at age 19. … The phrase ‘making bones’ signifies the committing of a murder, and that Servidio was claiming to have killed somebody when Servidio was 19 years of age,” the indictment states.
No shells, no evidence
Revolvers don’t leave casings after they are fired. No shells, no evidence. Authorities say that’s why Servidio, in a phone conversation on Dec. 31, 2016, was interested in purchasing a revolver.
“Does he got any revolvers … like a .32, .38 (caliber) ?” an undercover agent said. “… Just like something you put on like a foot or something to just have?”
Servidio said, “Well not, not to just to have, to use it and throw it the f— away. … Don’t want no cases (casings) to come out. … A revolver, it’s better off.”
‘I like to spend money’
Servidio loved to spend money, he told CS-1. Selling drugs was a way to make sure the cash kept flowing, he allegedly said. So there was no love lost when a friend’s son died from a drug overdose and he was confronted by a grieving mother.
On the recording, Servidio said: “His wife, when I talked to her, she said, ‘You’re the only person that ever sold drugs that I love. I despise people because my son OD’d. … She said, ‘Joe (Servidio) please stop what you’re doing (selling drugs), you hurt people, people like you hurt people.’ ”
“You think she’s right?” CS-1 responded.
“Yes,” Servidio said.
“What’s wrong with us?” CS-1 asked.
“It’s the most money I can make (selling drugs), I like to spend money,” Servidio responded.
‘I’m a criminal. Everything I do is criminal.’
It’s not every day investigators catch someone on tape copping to being a criminal. In one of the recordings, Servidio explains where he cleans his cash made from illegal activity. He also admits to robbing an armored car just “to break even,” the indictment said.
“We need something (income) legitimate. I’m a criminal. Everything I do is criminal, I got to get out of it. … I need like $250,000 a year, or two, to break even. That’s what I need,” Servidio said.
“So I got to do other (criminal) things, ’cause I don’t make enough money. Ninety percent of my (remodeling/renovation) work is for friends and family, for free. … I laugh, what did I tell you, why do I keep my company going? ‘Cause I got to put the cash (from criminal activity) somewhere. I have to show it (income). How am I paying the mortgage, how am I paying my car payment, how am I paying my insurance, how am I paying my business insurance, how am I paying all these other bills? … Last year I robbed an armored car to break even. What am I gonna do this year?”
‘I make money every day, illegally’
Aside from his remodeling business, Servidio talks about showing legitimate income by making a power move into Atlantic City.
“We don’t want, we’re not looking to take over the whole town, people don’t know, need to know who the f— we are (Philadelphia LCN). Only if they give us a hard time, then we tell them who we are, we push our chest out.”
Later in the conversation Servidio said, “there’s nothing better than making money. I make money every day, illegally. I don’t want to do this shit.”
During yet another recorded conversations Joseph Servidio says “almost all the eyewitnesses get the wrong person, you can beat that, you know what you can’t beat? Tapes. Tapes with you saying it right there staring back at you.” Well, it seems like Joey Electric was spot on there as the tapes proved to be something he just couldn’t beat.
While the case against Joey Electric may be coming to an end it remains to be seen if there are more indictments to come. The informant was able to record conversations with other Philadelphia mob members as well. There is one conversation from Atlantic City that included a Philly Mafia captain that sources believe was Domenic Grande. During that meeting, approval was given for drug operations in Atlantic City. So there may be some Philly wiseguys waiting for the other shoe to drop. Although that seems to be par for the course when it comes to the mafia in Philadelphia.
