He remained comatose for more than 25 years before passing away two years ago. Scarfo grew up in South Philadelphia, working as a newsboy at a train station and later, though small in stature (5 feet 5, hence his nickname), trained as an amateur boxer. [8] He attended Holy Spirit High School, where he played on the school's basketball team. Philip Michael Leonetti (born March 27, 1953)[1] is an American former mobster who became the underboss of the Philadelphia crime family under his mentor, uncle and former boss, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, before becoming a government informant in 1989 after being sentenced to 45 years for racketeering. After stabbing a longshoreman to death in a bar, Mr. Scarfo was convicted of manslaughter and served six months. Only a few weeks ago, one of the other 33 people arrested and charged in that case pled guilty and agreed to cooperate against his co-defendants. [16] Between August 1982 and January 1984, Scarfo was imprisoned in FCI La Tuna for gun possession. [9][10][11] In 1979, criminal associate and contractor Vincent Falcone was shot twice and killed by Scarfo's nephew Phil Leonetti on Scarfo's orders, after making negative remarks about the company and Scarfo.[12]. But Fresolone as well as several other cooperators and many law enforcement sources point to Joey Merlino as the gunman that night. Well, many still remember. Watch. Weeks later, Caponigro faced the consequence of killing a Boss without the approval of the American Mafia Commission. Fortunately for the Merlinos, Scarfo was the focus of intense law enforcement attention at the time. He said a breathing machine was being used to help keep his lungs clear of fluids. He was the father of Nicky Scarfo Jr., a Lucchese family soldier, who was sentenced in 2015 to 30 years in prison for security fraud, racketeering, and illegal gambling. After failing to become a success in the boxing world, Scarfo joined his uncle Nicky Buck, a Philly Mob soldier, in illegal activities in Philadelphia. The trick-or-treater pulled a machine pistol out of his bag and opened fire. Simone said the hanging was a suicide attempt, and Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeffrey S. Blitz said all evidence pointed to a suicide. PhillyVoice Contributor. Mr. Testa was soon killed by a nail bomb. Nicodemo Scarfo Jrthe son of former Philadelphia mafiaboss Little Nicky Scarfohas been sentenced to 30 years on racketeering and conspiracy charges. Scarfo acted as the getaway driver. Scarfo was on full life support systems, although he was able to breathe on his own, Ursani said. SOURCE CAPTION: JSCARFO19 - MAY 18 - Nicky Scarfo Jr. in Morris County courtroom for use in Inquirer edition where it will appear with George Anastasia story. Simone gave the youths age as 17, but the hospital listed it as 18. Receive all of VladTV's hard-hitting news in our daily newsletter, as well as our exclusive interviews. Scarfo was born on March 8, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, to Philip and Catherine Scarfo, Italian immigrants from Naples and Calabria. But less than a year later, in 1989, Scarfo would get the life sentence. Cohn, dressed in a silk bathrobe, introduced Stone to the mobster and then offered to help him with the Reagan campaign. But that left his son out of the streets to deal with a crime family decimated by the violence and mismanagement of Little Nicky. The shooting happened inside Dante & Luigi's restaurant in South Philly. [citation needed], In 1989, Leonetti received 45 years in prison for racketeering charges, while Scarfo was given 55 years. Watch the latest Mob Talk report (and a previous episode) below, and, SEPTA to purchase 10 zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell buses, Bryce Harper to give command to start engines at NASCAR race in Las Vegas, Eagles name Alex Tanney QB coach, plus other coaching staff updates, The food you eat impacts the health of your eyes, Construction of Penn's Landing park over I-95 finally approved to begin, PennDOT says, Joanna McClinton becomes first woman elected as speaker of Pa. House. "Scarfo Jr. Gets Probation and Fine for Conviction in Hospital Beating. In Mobster's Obituary, Unexpected Family", "Nicodemo Scarfo, ex-Philadelphia mob boss, dies in prison", "Tyrannical Mafia boss Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo, 87, dies in prison hospital", "Her Memory Of 'The Blade' Wasn't Sharp Fed's Witness Mistakes Scarfo For Virgilio", "N.J.'s most notorious murders | The mobsters", "Book excerpt from 'Mafia Prince:' The story of Philip Leonetti's mob hit of Vincent Falcone as ordered and watched by Nicky Scarfo", "Mobster's South Philly House Up for Historical Nomination", "This Mob Shot Its Brains Out Crime boss Ralph Natale, in rare testimony against his own, tells a tale of murder--and ineptitude", "Mob Violence Is Personal For Narducci's Sons", "Too tough to fuggedabout: Notable Mafia nicknames", "Former Philly Police Captain Dies at 71", "The Story Of Sal Testa, Former Scarfo Protege", "What happened to the Scarfo crime family? Salerno, whos portrayed in the film by Domenick Lombardozzi, supplied the fast-drying concrete that built Trump Tower and other Trump properties. [21][22][23] In 1986, Caramandi was indicted for his role in the extortion case and decided to testify in court. In obtaining contracts, he capitalized on his close association with leaders of Local 54 of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union. Scarfo's youngest son, Mark, tried to commit suicide during his father's 1988 racketeering trial. Sixteen of his associates were also convicted in the racketeering case. In 1976, Atlantic City legalized gambling, and Scarfo prioritized gambling as his main source of income. [7] Scarfo's nephew, Phil Leonetti, who he had promoted to Underboss in 1986, also turned state's evidence in 1989 after a RICO conviction. Philadelphia police and FBI agents formed a task force to investigate gang murders and set about the tricky job of identifying the killers and their accomplices. He wanted his namesake to follow in his footsteps. He entered a coma where he remained until his death in April 2014. And it has been 30 years since the brazen attempted hit on mob boss Nicky Scarfo's son, Nicky Scarfo Jr. onHalloween night 1989. Continue with Recommended Cookies. He survived, but barely and remained comatose for more than 20 years. His register number was 09813050. Follow Michael Franzese at:http://www.michaelfranzese.comhttp://www.michaelfranzese.com/coachinghttp://join.michaelfranzese.com/innercircle, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa4QtL_Z28M&feature=youtu.be. He was out of the hospital in week, but the shooting effectively ended the Scarfo familys control of the Philadelphia mob. A confederate, Teddy DiPretoro, placed a nail bomb Casella made on Testas front porch and activated it remotely, mortally wounding Testa on March 14, 1981. The sons were raised in Atlantic City, where the legalization of gambling in 1976 turned out to be a windfall for what became known as the Bruno-Scarfo crime family. His death was confirmed by a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. His high school yearbook said he was out to lick the world. After graduating, he became a notoriously volatile amateur boxer before apprenticing himself to three mob-connected uncles in Philadelphia. Cash $ILee2020In this video, we will be covering the life of Mark Scarfo, son of Philadelphia Crime Boss Nicky Scarfo. He had a violent temper. The Dante & Luigi shooting came amidst a bloody power struggle that had its roots in a friendship gone bad. According to prosecutors, Scarfo Jr. "devised a plan to take over FirstPlus Financial Group, a publicly traded company located in Texas, and to replace its existing board of directors and management with individuals who would serve at the direction of Scarfo and Pelullo." Reports began to circulate in the underworld that from prison Little Nicky had put a $500,000 contract out on Merlino. Follows on from the Angelo Bruno documentary and covers characters mentioned in the Irishman film (Philip Testa and. Son of Philly mob boss charged with $12 million fraud. My uncle got him involved with trying to keep control of La Cosa Nostraand almost got Nicky killed. Testa was killed by a nail bomb under his porch in 1981, on orders of his Underboss and drug trafficker Peter Casella and Capo Frank Narducci Sr., which later resulted in Narducci being gunned down and Casella being banished from the Mob and fleeing to Florida. Salerno died in prison in 1992, but his words captured on tape live on. [3] In 1988, he was convicted of multiple charges including conspiracy, racketeering and first degree murder. [19] As a result of Salvatore Testa's murder, Scarfo gained a reputation for disloyalty, and several criminal organizations across the United States began to distrust him. He along with 33 reputed mobsters in the Lucchese family were charged with running what authorities labeled as a $2 billion dollar international sports betting operation. Even so, the indictment makes it clear that the bid-rigging occurred without the knowledge of developers. [4] Having been abandoned by his father at an early age, he was brought up by his mother. [6] He became an amateur boxer, fighting in small clubs throughout Philadelphia, earning himself a reputation for his aggressive temper in the ring. At the time, Fresolone was secretly cooperating with the New Jersey State Police. During . Mark, then only 17 years old, had been taunted for years by classmates about his father's criminal activities. Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo was born in Brooklyn on March 8, 1929, to an Italian immigrant family from Naples and Calabria. The sentence amounted to life imprisonment, since he was not scheduled for release before 2033. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. When a federal judge in Philadelphia sentenced him to 55 years in prison on murder and racketeering charges in May 1989, Nicodemo Little Nicky Scarfo just shrugged. Scarfo was a bully with a gun., Nicky Scarfo, Mob Boss Who Plundered Atlantic City in the 80s, Dies at 87, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/nyregion/nicky-scarfo-mob-boss-who-plundered-atlantic-city-in-the-80s-dies-at-87.html. Scarfo testifies at a Congressional subcommittee in Philadelphia, 1982. But by the end of the three-hour-plus movie, the nostalgia fades and so does the pinkie-ring finery. There is no guarantee that he will be released then and there is a chance that he, like his father, could die in prison. That was 1989. Every made man Scorsese introduces to the viewer is snuffed out until all thats left is Frank Sheeran (played by Robert DeNiro), a disheveled, wheelchair-bound ex-hit man whos haunted by his memories. Authorities solved 24 homicides thanks to DelGiornos information, and three years later won convictions on nine of the murders. His attorney, Robert Simone, said the trial might be postponed for several days. Where Capone had wit and panache, Mr. Scarfo had neither. Shortly after, he agreed to testify against Scarfo and the family, also admitting to participating in 10 murders; this allowed for his release after only five years, subsequently going into hiding. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. Scarfo is already under indictment for allegedly running a South Jersey gambling operation. The end of Nicky's reign almost ended his son Nicky Jr.'s life. My cousins not a gangster and never was, Leonetti wrote. He is 56 and has spent about one-third of his adult life in prison. 525K views 3 years ago The story of Little Nicky Scarfo's rise to power. PUBLISHED CAPTION: The mob boss son, Nicodemo S. Scarfo, is accused of plotting with his father over the phone. In 1983, the year Trump Tower opened its doors, the future president reportedly met the Genovese family boss. Philadelphia had never experienced this kind of carnage before with the underworld an average of six deaths per year from 1980 to 1983. The elder Scarfo, reputed to be the longtime crime boss of South Jersey and the Philadelphia area, and nine others are charged with running a criminal enterprise that included murder, extortion, drug dealing, loan sharking and gambling. Mr. Scarfo was also imprisoned for refusing to testify before a state crime commission and, in another instance, for illegal gun possession. The common thread linking Salerno and Trump was Roy Cohn, the infamous lawyer who represented both men. Scarfos life sentence in prison ended Friday, January 13, when he died, reportedly of cancer, at the Federal Medical Center in North Carolina. It was a path that would lead 40 years later to Stones conviction last month on charges of lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks. In 1979, Nicky Scarfo ordered Leonetti to murder Vincent Falcone, a criminal associate who had been underestimating Scarfo's power within the crime family; he shot him twice. Nicky Scarfo Jr. was shot multiple times while eating dinner at Dante & Luigi's restaurant in South Philly on Halloween night 1989. Scarfo had three sons. [8] He served time with boss Angelo Bruno and Genovese crime family members Gerardo Catena and Louis Manna, the latter of whom he formed a close relationship with. ", New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, "On the anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, a look at history's most fearsome mob bosses", "Nicky Scarfo, Mob Boss Who Plundered Atlantic City in the '80s, Dies at 87", "Always A Joker, Never A Rat. Junior survived. [12] So did Mr. Leonetti, Mr. Scarfos nephew and now an author, who was the familys second in command at the time and was known as Crazy Phil. Son, nicodemo S. Scarfo, son of Philadelphia crime boss Nicky Scarfo Jr. Gets Probation Fine. Keep his lungs clear of fluids Testa was soon killed by a bomb! The life of Mark Scarfo, is accused of plotting with his father over the phone 20 years met Genovese! The end of Nicky 's reign almost ended his son out of his adult life in prison 1992... S. Blitz said all evidence pointed to a suicide attempt, and Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeffrey S. said! 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Vladtv 's hard-hitting news in our daily newsletter, as well as several other cooperators many! His bag and opened fire simone, said the trial might be postponed for several.! Abandoned by his mother film by Domenick Lombardozzi, supplied the fast-drying concrete that built Trump Tower and Trump. For refusing to testify before a State crime Commission and, in another instance for! The end of the American Mafia Commission school yearbook said he was convicted of multiple charges including conspiracy racketeering... A bar, Mr. Scarfo was born in Brooklyn on March 8, 1929, to Italian... Another instance, for illegal gun possession cooperators and many law enforcement sources point to Joey as! He survived, but the shooting effectively ended the Scarfo familys control of La Cosa Nostraand almost got killed... Of Prisons father 's criminal activities Reagan campaign but the shooting effectively ended the Scarfo familys control the... 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