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| Nicodemo Scarfo | |
| Born | March 8, 1929 New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Italian |
| Spouse(s) | (name of first wife unknown) Domenica Scarfo |
| Children | Christopher Scarfo Nicodemo Salvatore Scarfo Jr Mark Scarfo |
'Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo, also known as "Little Nicky" (born March 8, 1929), was an American mafioso who eventually became the Boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the death of Phil Testa. Scarfo was arrogant, nepotistic and full of avarice.
Scarfo orchestrated a particularly ruthless regime and ordered over a dozen murders during his time as boss. He was often described by informants as cold-hearted and narcissistic. He enjoyed the celebrity gangster life style and was an admirer of Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone. Scarfo would scan newspapers for his name and made sure his soldiers carried out murders in public to create a constant atmosphere of fear. Scarfo had very few scruples and approached organized crime activities such as drug trafficking to generate millions, which many other bosses avoided. It was these methods which ultimately led to Scarfo's downfall. Though Scarfo's reign may have made him a rich man, in the long term it almost destroyed the Philly mob that he dominated for a decade.
Contents |
Family
Scarfo was born on March 8, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York. The son of a made man in the Genovese crime family and Catherine née Piccolo, sister of Nicholas, Joseph and Michael Piccolo who were made men in the Philadelphia crime family. His family was of Calabrian descent.
Scarfo's sister Nancy later gave birth to a baby boy in 1956 and the boy's father abandoned them soon after. Nicky took on the responsibility of raising the boy as he would his own son. The man that boy eventually became under Scarfo's guidance was Phil Leonetti.
Early career
In the late 1940s during his late teens, Scarfo tried boxing, but didn't have much success. He then got a job as a valet parking cars. He soon found his true calling in Philadelphia.
In the early 1950s, Scarfo was introduced into the Philadelphia crime family by his uncle Nicholas "Nicky Buck" Piccolo, who was a caporegime. Piccolo gave Scarfo a bookmaking operation to run. He was soon nicknamed "Little Nicky" due to his short stature (five feet six, 1.67 m).
Scarfo soon became a made man in the family's Calabrian faction. At the time the Family was being led by Joe Ida. The family controlled criminal activities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Delaware,Baltimore, Maryland and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In the late 1950s, Scarfo befriended Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino who hadn't turned 20 at the time, but was a promising associate to the Mob.
The Bruno regime
In 1959 Angelo Bruno became the Boss of the Philadelphia family with the help of Gambino boss Carlo Gambino to take over after Joe Ida left for Sicily. Antonio Pollina was forced from his position by Gambino and Bruno; Bruno became the official head of the Philly Mob.
Around this time,Scarfo was approached by consigliere Joe Rugnetta. Rugnetta wanted Nicky to marry his daughter. But Scarfp sarcastically refused and implied the reason was the girl's ugliness. Rugnetta was offended and wanted to kill Scafro, but Brun wouldn't sanction the hit because Scarfo was Piccolo's nephew.
In the early 1960s, Merlino was having a sexual relationship with the niece of made men Alfonse "Funzi" Marconi and Guarino "Mark" Marconi. When the Marconi brothers discovered the relationship, they demanded that Merlino be killed. Rugnetta arranged a sit down with Scarfo, Dominic "Mickey Diamond" DeVito, and the Marconis. Scarfo supported Merlino's false claims that he wasn't having an affair with the Marconis' niece. This soured Scarfo's standing with Rugnetta even more.
In 1963, Scarfo stabbed a longshoreman to death in a Philadelphia diner and served less than a year in jail for involuntary manslaughter. He became a problem that could only be resolved by an order from the Boss.
Upon his release from prison in 1964 Little Nicky was sent to Atlantic City to run the Family's criminal operations in that city. Bruno had banished Scarfo to resolve the problem peacefully to avoid a long destructive inter-family war with Nicky Buck's crew. If it had been up to Rugnetta, Scarfo would've been killed. However, at the time Atlantic City was a shadow of its former glory where even criminals had trouble making a living.
Atlantic City
There in Atlantic City Nicky ran a bookmaking and loan sharking operation. He invested in an adult bookstore owned by Alvin Feldman. He moved into an apartment owned by his mother Catherine. He was soon joined there by his sister Nancy Leonetti and her 8 year-old son Phillip. Scarfo raised a family in the house with his second wife Domenica who gave birth to Nicodemo Salvatore Scarfo Jr and Mark Scarfo. Soon Scarfo's first son Chris was living with them as well.
In 1971 Scarfo met Nicholas "the Crow" Caramandi, a con man with connections to DeVito. The two began running scams together, two of which made $15,000. Scarfo was later incarcerated for contempt. During his incarceration he heard that Feldman had been stealing money from him; upon Scarfo's release from prison Feldman disappeared.
"You won't see him no more..." - Nicodemo Scarfo on Alvin Feldman
Caramandi kept in touch with Scarfo and every once in a while would run a scam with him. But Scarfo was struggling to survive in Atlantic City let alone rebuild his reputation within the Philly Mob. Though his conviction for contempt had proven he could keep his mouth shut.
In 1972 Scarfo attempted to arrange a lenient sentence for Nicholas Virgilio who had been convicted in a murder case. Scarfo went to Edward Helfant and gave him $12,000 to reduce Virgilio's sentence. But Virgilio got 12 years, hardly the lenient treatment he and Scarfo were expecting.
Scarfo's fortunes changed with the legalization of casino gambling in 1976, which brought Atlantic City new prosperity and soon made Scarfo a Mafia powerhouse.
He soon established close ties with Local 54 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HEREIU). Scarfo's long time relationships with Frank Gerace (former local president) and Frank Lentino (former union business agent) gave him access to Atlantic City mayor Michael Matthews. Scarfo turned Local 54 into a cash cow for the mob. He began receiving monthly payments of about $20,000 from the union.
Around this time many members of the Family began to suspect that Bruno was allowing members of the Gambino crime family to engage in drug trafficking activities throughout New Jersey in exchange for a cut of the profits. This was in contradiction to Bruno's zero-tolerance policy towards drug trafficking among his soldiers.
In 1977 Rugnetta died and was succeeded by Tony Caponigro as consigliere. Caponigro was the captain of the Newark branch of the Philadelphia crime family.
In 1978 Nicky Virgilio was released from prison after serving 6 years. Scarfo helped arrange for Virgilio to be able to get revenge on Helfant. Not long after Virgilio's release, Eddie Helfant was shot 5 times as he sat in a bar with his wife.
Soon the first casinos were opening in Atlantic City and money was soon pouring into the City. Scarfo took full advantage and set about squeezing the casinos of their income. As the City once again began booming, the Heads of the Five Families became interested in the City. But Bruno had made it clear that Atlantic City was and will always be the Philly Mob's territory.
In 1979 Scarfo helped arrange the murder of Mickey "Coco" Cifelli, a known drug dealer who was no longer "welcome" in Philadelphia. Coco was gunned down in a restaurant in South Philadelphia. Coco's murder had been sanctioned by Bruno, but it wasn't long until Scarfo would kill without permission.
By that time Scarfo, Leonetti, and and the Merlino brothers set up a concrete company Scarf Inc. This was a way for them to insure that their families would get a "piece" of both the legitimate and illegitimate world. Vincent Falcone began belittling Scarfo and Leonetti behind their backs. It wasn't long until they found out about Falcone's "loose lips".
Scarfo watched with glee as his beloved nephew Phil Leonetti took out a 38 and shot Falcone in the back of his head. Scarfo mocked Falcone's body calling him a "cocksucker" and a "no good motherfucker". Scarfo then lent down and listened to where Falcone's heart would've been beating if he were alive. Scarfo then suggested that Leonetti shoot him once more and Phil did as told; he shot Falcone in the chest. Merlino helped Scarfo and Leonetti dispose of the body. But not long after Falcone's body was discovered stuffed in the trunk of a car.
Genovese Boss Funzi Tieri began to try and gain a cut of the lucrative bookmaking operation Caponigro was running in New Jersey. The operation made $2 million a week. Bruno defended his consigliere's propriety rights at a meeting with Funzi and the other heads of the New York families, who ruled in Bruno's favor. Funzi humbly accepted the decision, on the surface.
The end of an era
In 1980 Bruno was shot in the head as he sat in a car driven by John Stanfa just outside his home. The shooter was Alfred Salerno acting on orders from Caponigro. Caponigro was attempting to seize control of the Philadelphia family by force; he was planning to promote Frank Sindone to underboss and to kill off Phil Testa, Scarfo and Frank "Chickie" Narducci.
Caponigro thought he had gained the backing of the Five Families through Tieri and would be elevated to head of the Philadelphia underworld. Caponigro and Salerno were summoned to a meeting in Manhattan expecting to meet with the heads of the Five Families and be elevated to Boss. Instead, Bananas and Salerno were greeted by Vincent Gigante and his crew. The crew brutally tortured Caponigro and Salerno then left their bodies in the trunks two separate cars parked three miles apart.
Rise to power
The Commission promoted underboss Phil Testa to Boss of the Philadelphia crime family. Testa promoted Scarfo to consigliere and Peter Casella to underboss. Ironically, being banished to Atlantic City had been a blessing in disguise for Nicky Scarfo. Once a disgraced soldier, he was now a success story and had risen to the rank of consigliere in the Philadelphia crime family.
Though being indicted for the murder of Falcone was a sobering event in the lives of Scarfo, Leonetti and Merlino. The guilty trio were acquitted of the murder.
Testa decided it was time to "open the books". Salvatore Testa, Leonetti, Salvatore "Wayne" Grande, Chuckie and Lawrence Merlino were all made official members of La Cosa Nostra.
The new administration began putting Caponigro's loyalists in line. Felix Bocchino was the first to defect along with Dominic DeVito. Joseph "Chickie" Ciancaglini defected after Testa and Scarfo interrogated him at gunpoint in a garage about his involvement with Caponigro.
Scarfo had plans to kill DeVito . But their mutual friend Nick Caramandi stood by DeVito and Scarfo wouldn't have DeVito killed out of respect to Caramandi. John Simone and Sindone weren't as lucky. Both met grisly ends at the trigger fingers of hit men sent by Testa and Scarfo.
John McCullough, president of the Philadelphia Roofers Union, Local 30, began infringing on Scarfo's Atlantic City rackets and refused to stop his labor racketeering activities. McCullough was shot to death by a hit man posing as a deliveryman.
On March 15, 1981 Testa was killed by a nail bomb detonated beneath his porch. The murder was intended to look like retaliation by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, with which McCullough had close ties as well as the Roofer's Union as evidenced by usage of roofing nails. The truth was that the killing was in fact done by members of Scarfo's own crime family. Peter Casella had hoped to ascend to Boss by having Testa killed. Frank "Chickie" Narducci was in on the plot as well and Rocco Marinucci was the man who personally detonated the bomb by remote control.
The Scarfo regime
Pete Casella called a meeting with Scarfo soon after Testa's death. Casella told Scarfo that at a meeting with Paul Castellano and Fat Tony Salerno he had been made the new Boss and that Narducci was to be the new underboss. But Scarfo was suspicious and set up a meeting with the two New York Bosses the next day. At that meeting Scarfo discovered that Casella had been lying.
Scarfo gave the Gambino and Genovese families permission to operate in Atlantic City in exchange for their backing for him to become Boss. With their backing, Scarfo easily took over the Philadelphia family; he promoted Frank Monte to consigliere and Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino to underboss.
Little Nicky forced Casella into "retirement" in Florida and promoted Leonetti, Salvatore Testa, Lawrence "Yogi" Merlino and Ciancaglini to captains of their crews. When Scarfo became the Boss he wanted to unify the organization and dreamed of running a smooth criminal empire.
Scarfo soon installed a mob practice somewhat alien to Philadelphia criminals. The "street tax" was enforced by soldiers like Tommy DelGiorno and associates like Nick the Crow Caramandi. The tax was paid by any criminal working independently from the Mafia. Drug dealers, bookmakers, pimps and guys running numbers in the territory that Scarfo deemed his own were forced to pay his "street tax" weekly. The money was then divided between the guys collecting the tax (who got 50%) and their caporegimes or bosses.
In April of that year Scarfo was convicted of possessing an unlicensed firearm. But sentencing wasn't until August of next year. So Nicky continued as normal.
Chelsais Bouras was enjoying a meal in a restaurant with his girlfriend Janette Curro and several other friends including Ray Martorano, when a man entered and motioned for Martorano to get out of the way as he took aim. The hit man opened fire killing Bouras and his girlfriend Curro. Scarfo ordered the death of Greek Mob Boss Chelsais because he had been horning in on the methamphetamine trade in Philadelphia and not paying Scarfo's "street tax".
Johnny Calabrese and Ciancaglini walked from Cous' Little Italy, a restaurant owned by Tommy DelGiorno who bought it from the Piccolo brothers. As Calabrese and Ciancaglini walked Tommy DelGiorno and Frank "Faffy" Iannarella ran up behind them. When the shooting started Chickie casually walked away. Four bullets killed Calabrese and his killers escaped in a car driven by Pat Spirito. Johnny Calabrese was a loan shark and drug dealer who operated through a chain of pawn shops in Atlantic City. Calabrese had refused to pay the "street tax". Scarfo was more than pleased with how DelGiorno and Iannarella had handled the assignment.
"Jesus Christ, that was great. These guys are fuckin' great."-Nicodemo Scarfo, Boss of the Philadelphia crime family (1981-1991)
After Calabrese was left dying in the gutter by Scarfo's hit men, Frankie Flowers D'Alfonso was brutally beaten by Salvatore Testa and Joey Pungitore for refusing to pay the "street tax".
In 1982 Tommy DelGiorno, Faffy Iannarella and Pat the Cat Spirito were formally inducted into the Philadelphia crime family. The ceremony was held at a secret location in Vineland, New Jersey.
Chickie Narducci's borrowed time finally ran out when Scarfo gave Salvie Testa permission to kill him. Narducci was shot half a dozen times in the chest and face by Testa and Joey Pungitore. Narducci's bullet riddled corpse was left in the gutter.
"I wish that motherfucker was alive so I could kill him again." - Salvatore Testa on Frank Narducci
Nicky Scarfo wanted Dominic DeVito aka "Mickey Diamond" dead, but couldn't have him killed because of the friendship DeVito had with his friend Nick Caramandi. Finally, Scarfo decided that he'd have DeVito killed and anyone that didn't fall in line afterwards. He gave the contract to Funzi and Mark Marconi to test their loyalty to him. They proved to be loyal and shot DeVito in the head, then left his body in the trunk of a car.
In the aftermath of the hit Pat the Cat was promoted to captain. Nick Caramandi acquired DeVito's loan sharking books and began collecting from the debtors. He gave DeVito's girlfriend $6,000 to pay for the funeral, but Caramandi made sure that every other penny went directly into Scarfo's pockets. Nick the Crow had clearly shown who he was truly loyal to.
It had been one year since Phil Testa's murder when Salvie Testa shot Rocco Marinucci to death in a parking lot. Testa had finally got his revenge for his father's death. The police later found three unexploded firecrackers lodged in Marinucci's mouth.
The Riccobene war
By August 1982 only one man stood in Little Nicky's way. 70 year-old Harry Riccobene was the leader of a crew that were heavily involved in loan sharking, gambling, vending machines and methamphetamine distribution. In the old days the Riccobene faction would send Bruno a cut once a year at Christmas and they were both content with that set up. Harry would've been happy to continue the tradition with Little Nicky, but he wanted a weekly tribute as opposed to a yearly cut and lip service.
Harry the Hunchback balked at Scarfo's demands and Little Nicky put contracts out on Harry and his half brothers Sonny and Bobby. Chuckie Merlino began spreading rumors that Harry was an FBI informant; Frank Monte and Nicky came up with a plot to kill Harry. The plan was to persuade Sonny Riccobene who didn't get along with Harry to set up the Hunchback.
Frank Monte went to Sonny Riccobene and attempted to persuade him to help set his half brother Harry up. But Sonny ran to his half brother and told him of Scarfo's intentions. The Riccobenes decided to strike first. Not long after Frank and Sonny's meeting, Frank Monte was shot dead by a niper named Joseph Pedulla. Pedulla was a hit man working for Harry Riccobene.
The day of the sentencing for Nicky's gun conviction came up in August. Little Nicky planned to run things from his prison cell through his beloved nephew Phil Leonetti. In their last meeting Nicky gave Pasquale "Pat the Cat" Spirito the Bobby Riccobene contract. Nicky received two years in prison for possessing an unlicensed firearm.
Whilst in prison Nicky passed orders to his new consigliere Nicholas Piccolo and underboss Chuckie Merlino through Phil Leonetti. Salvie Testa took on a big part in running the Family in Scarfo's absence and was going to marry Chuckie's daughter Maria.
Harry Riccobene was making a call in a phone booth to his 23 year-old mistress when he was shot five times by Wayne Grande. Harry survived and attacked Grande, eventually taking his gun away from him. Harry recovered but it wasn't long until he would become a target again.
In retaliation Harry ordered the murder of Salvie Testa; he used Victor DeLuca and Joseph Pedulla again. DeLuca and Pedulla drove past a candy store where Salvie was sat outside eating raw clams. A shotgun blast from their van hit Testa and almost severed his arm. But Testa survived the shooting with his arm intact.
Harry was sat in his car when a man in a jogging suit ran past and opened fire. Harry ducked down under the dash board and the hit man only succeeded in shattering glass. A hit on Frank Martinez also went awry when he some how survived when Nick the Crow, Charlie Iannece and Gino Milano riddled his vehicle with bullets. The media] began to call Nicky's organization the "Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight"; this enraged Scarfo.
Drug dealer Robert Hornickle was later killed; when it became apparent that Pat Spirito was "talking treason" about Nicky Scarfo and his friends he was also marked for death. Spirito was shot in the back of his head twice by Charlie Iannece. Iannece and Caramandi became proposed members after that murder. Riccobene associate Sammy Tamburrino met his end in a candy store at the hands of Scarfo's hit men.
Little Nicky handpicked the target that would hurt Harry most and made it clear that there was no room for error. Four hit teams each consisting of three or four hit men were sent to kill Bobby Riccobene. Faffy Iannarella was the hit man who found Riccobene with his mother. Faffy knocked Mrs Riccobene down with the butt of his gun and then shot Bobby dead with a shotgun as he tried to flee the scene.
Harry's nephew Enrico Riccobene later shot himself when he thought he was being stalked by Scarfo's hit men. After these events Harry Riccobene gave up the war with Scarfo and surrendered his territory and operations to Scarfo's men. Harry was later convicted of arranging the murder of Frank Monte.
With the war over Scarfo could relax in his prison cell in Texas and his hit men could turn their attention from killing to making money. At the time methamphetamine was the drug of choice in Philadelphia. Tommy DelGiorno and Nicky Caramandi began "taxing" drug dealers. In one such case they found meth dealers were importing gallons of P-2-P known as oil in from Europe and using the "oil" to produce methamphetamines. Tommy Del and Nick the Crow "taxed" the smugglers $2,000 per every gallon they imported. Salvie Testa began lending money to some drug traffickers in West Philadelphia.
Downfall
In March 1984 Nicky Scarfo was released from prison and was greeted at the prison gates by his nephew Phil Leonetti who was leading an entourage of young mobsters. Scarfo spent the day partying at a hotel. The next day he flew to Atlantic City where the celebrations continued. Little Nicky was at the height of his power.
Scarfo was the undisputed Boss of the Philly Mob. But the Riccobene war had left him paranoid and when Chuckie Merlino began to complain about Salvie Testa. Testa had recently broke off the engagement to Merlino's daughter and Merlino was determined to have Testa killed. He began telling Scarfo that Testa was trying to put together his own criminal organization, that he was using drugs and was going into business with an African-American street gang in West Philly.
Salvatore "Salvie" Testa had virtually led the Scarfo crime family during the war with the Riccobene faction, for most of the war Little Nicky was in a prison cell in Texas. Salvie had even took a bullet for Scarfo during the Riccobene war. Salvie survived and nearly lost his arm. Salvie Testa was loyal and the epitome of La Cosa Nostra, his father Phil had taught him well.
Salvie had accomplished more in the last four years than most other mobsters in the Philly Mob. Testa at 28 was a caporegime in the Scarfo Mob. He was a millionaire thanks to a successful real estate deal with Donald Trump. He owned a boat and lived in a mansion. He had great leadership abilities; he was charismatic, confident, popular and loyal.
In April Scarfo had made up his mind and gave the order that Salvie Testa had to die. Despite the qualities Testa possessed, Scarfo clearly was convinced that he was a major threat to his position. It's possible that he may have feared a Testa/Merlino alliance and was only too happy to arrange the murder of such a popular and ambitious individual.
Tommy DelGiorno and Faffy Iannarella were put in charge of supervising the Testa murder, Nick Caramandi and Charlie Iannece were going to be the shooters. But it was difficult, Testa was a professional hit man and knew all the tricks of the trade. He was extremely cautious and checked everyone who hugged him for a gun. The job seemed almost impossible and Little Nicky was getting restless.
So Tommy and Faffy brought Salvatore "Wayne" Grande and Joseph "Joey Pung" Pungitore into the conspiracy. Pungitore was Testa's closest friend and would only go along with the job if he didn't have to pull the trigger. Wayne Grande on the other hand jumped at the opportunity to put a bullet in Testa.
Joey Pung arranged a meeting with Testa. At that meeting in the back of a candy store Salvie greeted Wayne who was sitting on a coach in the back room. Salvie then turned to talk with Joe Pung; Wayne took out a gun from under the cushions on the coach and shot Testa in the back of his head. Wayne stood up to shoot Testa once more. Nicky the Crow, Charlie Iannece and Joe Grande helped clean up the scene and get Testa's corpse out of the store. Salvie's hogtied remains were found at the side of a dirt road in Gloucester Township, New Jersey.
Nicky Scarfo had Nick Caramandi, Charlie Iannece and Joe Grande made official members. He promoted Tommy Del and Faffy to acting Capos. Wayne Grande was given 25% of Testa's business and Nicky took a third of the profits made by a major bookmaking operation Testa had put together with DelGiorno and Pungitore.
Mayor Matthews and Lentino were indicted for corruption. Matthews received 15 years in federal prison. In 1984, the New Jersey Casino Control Commission removed Gerace from his position at Local 54. Scarfo escaped charge for his labor racketeering activities. Nicky soon had a new friend in City Hall and business resumed as usual.
That same year Nicky and Phil Leonetti used Nick Caramandi and Charlie Iannece to cheat two casinos in [Atlantic City out of $2.7 million dollars. By now Nicky was getting a reputation for greediness. He began to divide his time between Fort Lauderdale and Atlantic City, but began to spend much less time in Philadelphia.
By 1985 Little Nicky was a target of the New Jersey State Police in a major gambling investigation. But their wiretaps were useless because Nicky never talked business on the phone] and very rarely in his home. He preferred face-to-face conversation in regards to business usually in public places like the boardwalk in Atlantic City.
Frank "JR" Forlini was found dead in his pickup truck near a K-mart in Marple Township, New Jersey. He had been shot five times. Many including Scarfo believed that the killer was Tommy DelGiorno, who had been feuding with Forlini for months over the drug trade.
Nicky Scarfo decided to settle an old problem and send Frankie Flowers D'Alfonso one last message. He put Tommy Del in charge of overseeing the hit. Tommy used the Milano brothers and the Narducci brothers to execute Frankie Flowers. D'Alfonso was shot 5 times by two hit men who dumped their weapons and fled in a car driven by two other men.
In 1986 Nicky Scarfo's world began to slowly unravel. His underboss Chuckie Merlino's drunken behaviour had gone too far, he was arrested for drunk driving and attempting to bribe the cop who pulled him over.
Little Nicky called a meeting of his top associates and at that meeting he stripped Chuckie Merlino of his rank, reducing him to a soldier. Phil Leonetti replaced Merlino as underboss and capo Lawrence "Yogi" Merlino was demoted simply because he was Chuckie's brother. Nicky then promoted Tommy DelGiorno and Faffy Iannarella to official captains of their crew.
Nick the Crow set up a large drug deal that profited $2 million. Caramandi was also involved in a bookmaking operation that made $60,000 a week and had a sports betting operation that could make up to $300,000 a week during football season. The shakedowns were making $200,000 a year. Caramandi and his friend Charlie Iannece had $500,000 invested in a loan sharking operation. They had made $150,000 from their shark business so far and had made a $375,000 from a methamphetamine] deal. And Scarfo got a cut of it all.
Nick Caramandi later estimated that he generated somewhere between $5 million and $7 million dollars from 1982 until 1986. Scarfo got his cut of everything his soldiers made. Scarfo's hacienda style mansion in Fort Lauderdale was worth nearly $750,000. He kept $3 million in cash hidden behind a wall.
In June Nick Caramandi was arrested attempting to extort $1 million from Willard Rouse III and had failed to get a penny out of Penn's Landing. A drug dealer who had been ripped off by members of the DelGiorno/Iannarella crew was threatening to go to war with Scarfo. Now Nicky regretted promoting Tommy Del to capo. So Little Nicky demoted Tommy Del to the rank of soldier and gave Faffy all the responsibility of captain of that crew.
Whilst Nick the Crow was in prison Nicky Scarfo began talking of arranging his murder to avoid indictment himself. But a friend of Nick's warned him that Scarfo was mad at him. Caramandi became an informant.
Nicky Scarfo was later indicted on extortion charges. But when he listened to the wiretaps the prosecution had made and had given to his defense attorneys he heard the voice of Tommy DelGiorno, belittling him and Phil Leonetti. Scarfo put Tommy Del at the top of his list, but DelGiorno disappeared into the Witness Protection Program and had become an informant.
The convictions
On May 6, 1987, Scarfo was convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion of the waterfront developer Willard Rouse III. DelGiorno and Caramandi testified against him in court. From his prison cell Scarfo continued to exercise authority over his men. Piccolo and Leonetti began to run things for him as he passed orders to them during visiting time in jail.
Scarfo experienced a brief moment of triumph when he was faced with federal drug conspiracy charges but was later acquitted on December 12, 1987. That moment didn't last very long at all.
Things got worse as Scarfo was indicted on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges that including drug trafficking, loan sharking, extortion and murder. The murders of Helfant, Cifelli, Falcone, Narducci Sr, Calabrese, Spirito, Tamburrino, Riccobene and Salvatore Testa. Charges of attempted murder of Riccobene, Martines, Salerno Sr and Vento Jr.
On November 19, 1988, Scarfo was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Merlino became an informant and gave damning testimony against him.
In 1989 Leonetti became an informant after being convicted of RICO charges and receiving a 55 year prison term. In February of that same year Piccolo died, but Scarfo continued to run things from prison and promoted his cousin 78 year-old Anthony "Tony Buck" Piccolo to acting Boss.
Scarfo's son Nicky Jr swore that he would find a way to kill Leonetti. But he didn't and instead had to flee Philadelphia for New Jersey after being shot eight times by Joey Merlino as he sat in Dante & Luigi's Italian restaurant. Scarfo Jr luckily survived the shooting. Although police never charged anyone with the attempted murder, police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation believed Merlino was behind the shooting to avenge an earlier plot by Scarfo Sr. on Merlino's father. Another motive for the attempted hit was to send a clear message that neither Scarfo nor his son were in charge of South Philadelphia any longer.
Already serving 14 years imprisonment for extortion and 45 years for violating numerous RICO predicates, when he was eventually convicted on April 5, 1989. In Common Pleas Court of first degree murder in the 1985 death of rival mobster Frank D'Alfonso, with six of his lieutenants, and sentenced to life imprisonment]. Eugene "Gino" Milano, Tommy DelGiorno and Lawrence Merlino testified against him. He was convicted and received another life sentence.
Scarfo managed to keep control through Piccolo who made sure that Scarfo's wife Domenica was taken care and that Mark's medical bills were paid. But in 1991 Piccolo at the age of 80 stepped down as acting Boss and allowed the Genoveses and Gambinos to install John Stanfa as Boss of the Scarfo crime family. It's doubtful that Scarfo would have been able to stop the bosses in New York.
Prison time
He managed to overturn his life sentence and got transferred to the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, where he still is residing as of April 2008. His scheduled release date is January 2033, effectively a life sentence.[1]
References
- Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob - The Mafia's Most Violent Family by George Anastasia, 2004, ISBN 0-9410159-86-4
- Mobfather: The Story of a wife and son caught in the web of the Mafia by George Anastasia, 2006, ISBN 0-940159-99-6
External links
- Drunken Jamie; La Cosa Nostra State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation 1989 Report, The Bruno/Scarfo Family
- Organized Crime Syndicates: Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo
- Federal Bureau of Prisons - Inmate Finder
- The Philadelphia crime family
- (Youtube) Tommy DelGiorno interview, Mob Stories (1993)
- (Youtube) The Scarfo Mob
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 11 November 2008, at 22:29.
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