How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

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Expand view Topic review: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by TSNYC » Tue Oct 31, 2023 4:37 am

newera_212 wrote: Thu Oct 26, 2023 2:13 pm
BobbyPazzo wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:20 pm Matty madonna came home , got made, and made capo pretty quick. He was a rare breed. He just was the original dope boy when drug dealing was forbidden for real. He knew the life as good as anyone and was as stand up as they have ever come.
Another topic, but do we know if Madonna was even officially with the Luccheses before he got locked up? Or around anyone specifically? I always assumed he was, and assumed he would have been someone who would made back in the 70s when everything was opening up, if he wasn't away - but someone (I think Pennisi) said in one of his videos that Madonna got close with Amuso in prison, and that's what put him around the family and fast tracked when he was released. Now I'm curious if he's always been around the Lucchese since back in his heroin/east harlem days, or potentially around someone else

Madonna was convicted along with Sal Larca, and was referred to as connected to the mafia during his federal narcotics trial.


Wife of Witness Reported Kidnapped After a Jury Convicts 3 in Drug Case

By Arnold H. Lubasch

Nov. 17, 1976
The prosecutor in a Federal heroin smuggling trial reported yesterday that the wife of the Government's chief witness had “apparently been kidnapped” in an attempt to prevent the witness from testifying.

John P. Flannery II, the prosecutor, made the assertion to Judge Robert L. Carter in Federal District Court do Manhattan after the jury had convicted Matthew Madonna, a Bronx man reputedly associated with the Mafia, and two other defendants. They had been tried on charge of conspiracy to smuggle heroin into this country from Thailand.

Mr. Flannery said that the whereabouts of the wife, Leslie Boriello of the Bronx, remained unknown. A grand jury is investigating her disappearance.

In addition to Mr. Madonna, who 41 years old and lives at 1180 Rhinelander Avenue in the Bronx, the defendants convicted in the trial were Salvatore Larca of 2177 Mulliner Avenue, the Bronx, and Richard Klinger of Orange, Calif.

A jury of five men and seven women found the defendants guilty at the end of a two‐week trial. Four others pleaded guilty before the trial and testified for the prosecution, including Joseph Boriello, the husband of the missing woman.

Judge Carter set Dec. 21 for sentencing the three men convicted in the trial. The judge remanded Mr. Madonna and Mr. Larca to jail to await sentencing and set bail for $50,000 for Mr. Klinger. All three could face up to 15 years in prison on each count against them.

The three men were convicted of one count of conspiracy involving the illegal importation of 12 pounds of pure heroin last July from Bangkok, Mr. Madonna and Mr. Larca were also found guilty of one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute it.

A Federal prosecutor, at an earlier bail hearing for Mr. Madonna and Mr. Larca, said that they were connected with organized crime. Mr. Flannery told the judge after the conviction that Mr. Madonna was a supplier of heroin for Nicky Barnes whom he described as allegedly one of the country's major narcotics dealers.

The judge, in ordering Mr. Madonna and Mr. Larca to prison without bail, described them as “partners in a continuing heroin enterprise.” If their plans had succeeded, Judge Carter added, “a vast amount of poison would have been unleashed in New York.”

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by Mikeymike12 » Mon Oct 30, 2023 8:42 pm

Cheech wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2023 4:30 am Not sure we can use anything Natale said @B

They were making fun of him pretty good on the last show they said he took the picture for the last supper :lol:
How can they not make fun of what Ralph said.... lol. Then few years back he did a couple interviews and said so much outlandish things. The Last supper comments were great lmao

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by Mikeymike12 » Thu Oct 26, 2023 9:10 pm

newera_212 wrote: Thu Oct 26, 2023 2:13 pm
BobbyPazzo wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:20 pm Matty madonna came home , got made, and made capo pretty quick. He was a rare breed. He just was the original dope boy when drug dealing was forbidden for real. He knew the life as good as anyone and was as stand up as they have ever come.
Another topic, but do we know if Madonna was even officially with the Luccheses before he got locked up? Or around anyone specifically?
Good question

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by newera_212 » Thu Oct 26, 2023 2:13 pm

BobbyPazzo wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:20 pm Matty madonna came home , got made, and made capo pretty quick. He was a rare breed. He just was the original dope boy when drug dealing was forbidden for real. He knew the life as good as anyone and was as stand up as they have ever come.
Another topic, but do we know if Madonna was even officially with the Luccheses before he got locked up? Or around anyone specifically? I always assumed he was, and assumed he would have been someone who would made back in the 70s when everything was opening up, if he wasn't away - but someone (I think Pennisi) said in one of his videos that Madonna got close with Amuso in prison, and that's what put him around the family and fast tracked when he was released. Now I'm curious if he's always been around the Lucchese since back in his heroin/east harlem days, or potentially around someone else

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by stubbs » Wed Oct 25, 2023 6:39 pm

dack2001 wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2023 5:49 am He got locked up the first week of January in 1987 and was in custody ever sine. He was coming off a plane from Florida. He then fought four consecutive trials. I'm guessing he wasn't aware that he needed to do so until Jr. got shot in 1989.
Makes sense!

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by dack2001 » Tue Oct 24, 2023 5:49 am

He got locked up the first week of January in 1987 and was in custody ever sine. He was coming off a plane from Florida. He then fought four consecutive trials. I'm guessing he wasn't aware that he needed to do so until Jr. got shot in 1989.

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by stubbs » Mon Oct 23, 2023 8:14 pm

Why didn’t Nick Sr make Nick Jr into the Philly family before he went away for life in 88/89? Jr wouldve been in his early twenties, so young but not too young.

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by B. » Mon Oct 23, 2023 8:46 am

I agree. As long as the names are approved and the admin authorizes someone to do it, there wouldn't be an issue. Or we've even seen where people get inducted without proper authorization but they get grandfathered in and recognized later.

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by johnny_scootch » Mon Oct 23, 2023 8:35 am

B. wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2023 10:58 pm
johnny_scootch wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 3:15 pm There is no rule that says you have to be a certain rank to conduct a ceremony, as long as you're a member and you have permission from the right people you can do it. It's the same in Sicily.
DiLeonardo and interestingly Bobby Luisi have both said you need two captains to hold an induction.

Carmine Taglialatela said he was made into the Luccheses by Paul Vario who was apparently acting captain at the time and didn't mention any other captains in attendance.

I'm sure it's like the "informal" ceremonies we've heard a lot about, where they blur the rules and people just aren't supposed to mention it.
It’s hard to deny anything Mikey Scars says but we can probably name more instances of that ‘rule’ if it is a rule being broken than we can of people actually stating it’s a rule. Coincidentally in Pennisi’s latest Q&A video someone asked him that very question and he basically says what I said that normally it’s administration members conducting the ceremonies but a Captain or even a member can also oversee a ceremony as long as they have permission.

https://youtu.be/6HekwdeSyHA?si=QwAM5q11qY5RktVt

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by B. » Wed Oct 18, 2023 1:28 pm

Excellent info.

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by chin_gigante » Wed Oct 18, 2023 1:27 pm

B. wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2023 11:12 am Was any of this going on in the 1990s or did they wait until Scarfo Jr. was made?
After Natale became the boss, rumours started that Scarfo Sr was using his relationship with Amuso to put hits on Natale, Merlino, and Ron Previte. Previte recorded Natale talking about this at the time. During that conversation, Natale told Previte that Barney Bellomo had sent word to Scarfo that Natale was the only recognised boss in Philadelphia. I believe Bellomo was also incarcerated at that time. Natale at one point wanted to induct Scarfo Jr and make him a captain in Atlantic City to resolve the issue but the Scarfos turned it down.

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by B. » Wed Oct 18, 2023 11:12 am

What I wonder is how long Scarfo was trying to regain support in Philadelphia. We first hear of this in the 2000s after Scarfo Jr. is well-established as a Lucchese member but by this time his father has been in prison for close to 20 years.

Was any of this going on in the 1990s or did they wait until Scarfo Jr. was made? Some of the Scarfo era guys in prison still supported Scarfo like Joe Grande which continued into the 2000s but we also know Joe Pungitore had sided with the Merlino-Ligambi guys by that time. Where did they sit when Stanfa and Natale were in charge?

Seems there was too much chaos and Scarfo Jr. was politically too weak in the 1990s for them to have made a move like they did in the 2000s but some of this must have been brewing.

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by PolackTony » Wed Oct 18, 2023 10:48 am

B. wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2023 10:58 pm I'm sure it's like the "informal" ceremonies we've heard a lot about, where they blur the rules and people just aren't supposed to mention it.
Yeah, reading this thread I was thinking the same. What’s critical, as with the use of the abbreviated ceremonies, at the end of the day, is whether the induction is accepted and recognized by the system, even if guys are loose with some of the rules.

Re: How long was Merlino a made man before he took over the family via Natale?

by B. » Wed Oct 18, 2023 10:06 am

It was from Natale's testimony in court which is at least a bit more reliable than what he's said elsewhere. What he said about Stanfa not being recognized does seem to have truth to it based on what others have said.

--

Re: Corozzo maintaining a relationship with the Merlino regime and supporting them, I forgot about this part too from the Stefanelli tapes:

Image

Stefanelli says "my Nicky" (Corozzo) put a stop to the issues about the Merlino/Ligambi regime being recognized and having people poached by the Scarfos.

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