Free Like A Bird Once Again: No More Federal Oversight For Skinny Joey, Philly Mafia Don Let Off Parole

[Pogo The Clown]

He flipped in 2000 because he thought he was going to be killed when he was released from prison.


Pogo

[Teflon Dom]

Merlino is a lost smarter than a lot of people give him credit for.

[TallGuy19]

Merlino is a lost smarter than a lot of people give him credit for.

He's tough and very lucky, but I don't know about smart.

[furiofromnaples]

Merlino is a lost smarter than a lot of people give him credit for.

He's tough and very lucky, but I don't know about smart.

He was lucky that apart Scafidi the other childhood friends didnt betray him. So he made only 12 years and not life. The only 2 smart things he did is to use Natale as front boss and keep him in the dark about many activities especially the murders so that his testimony could not cause too much damage and choose Ligambi as street boss for rebuilt the family.

[davidf1989]

Merlino is a lost smarter than a lot of people give him credit for.

He's tough and very lucky, but I don't know about smart.

He was lucky that apart Scafidi the other childhood friends didnt betray him. So he made only 12 years and not life. The only 2 smart things he did is to use Natale as front boss and keep him in the dark about many activities especially the murders so that his testimony could not cause too much damage and choose Ligambi as street boss for rebuilt the family.

Is Scafidi still alive? Ligambi was the right choice for street boss because he is a low key, intelligent
guy and related to Borgesi

[furiofromnaples]

Merlino is a lost smarter than a lot of people give him credit for.

He's tough and very lucky, but I don't know about smart.

He was lucky that apart Scafidi the other childhood friends didnt betray him. So he made only 12 years and not life. The only 2 smart things he did is to use Natale as front boss and keep him in the dark about many activities especially the murders so that his testimony could not cause too much damage and choose Ligambi as street boss for rebuilt the family.

Is Scafidi still alive? Ligambi was the right choice for street boss because he is a low key, intelligent
guy and related to Borgesi

For me Ligambi deserved to be the boss not Joey. Anyway Scafidi is still alive.

[davidf1989]

Thanks and is Scafidi in witness protection or something like that?

[Tonyd621]

Ligambi is probably one of the smartest street guys I have read about since I became a member of this board. His ability to be unselfish while maintaining self-preservation is a dichotomy that 99% of the time ends in internal strife

[Ravens410]

Ligambi wasn’t smart when he did that interview with the Philly magazine which after he had to have an immediate sit down with the Gambinos. Dante can can confirm and give more info.

[Tonyd621]

Ligambi wasn’t smart when he did that interview with the Philly magazine which after he had to have an immediate sit down with the Gambinos. Dante can can confirm and give more info.

I didn't know he did that. Your right regarding that.

[LAfarmer108]

https://www.phillymag.com/news/2009/07/ ... hilly-mob/

[Pogo The Clown]

Ligambi wasn't low key at all or all that smart either. Just incredibly lucky like Merlino.


Pogo

[Tonyd621]

Ligambi wasn't low key at all or all that smart either. Just incredibly lucky like Merlino.


Pogo

How so? He got arrested one time and beat the case?
I think he operates low key and smart to be not get caught on very little wiretaps.

[NJShore4Life]

Ligambi didn’t outright give an interview to Philly Magazine, he thought he was doing The Geator a favor by meeting this guy from the magazine who then quoted him in his article. Uncle Joe was just doing a favor for The Geator and it backfired. Supposedly he wasn’t too happy about it either.

-Dante

[Pogo The Clown]

Ligambi wasn't low key at all or all that smart either. Just incredibly lucky like Merlino.


Pogo

How so? He got arrested one time and beat the case?
I think he operates low key and smart to be not get caught on very little wiretaps.

Pure luck as he was cought on a wire with Massimino and Staino talking about the video poker business. Massimino and Staino both went down and he lucked out with a hung jury. Not to mention all the informants he delt with (Caprio, Monacello, Stefanelli, etc)


And he was hardly low key. He was constantly out and about and in the press. Going to Merlino's trail with a crew of wiseguys around him, going to mob funerals and weddings with a crew around him, ordering several high profile murders, showing up to the funeral of the murdered Johnny Gongs with wiseguys around him, talking to reporters, etc.


He may have been low key compared to Scarfo and Merlino but in the 2000s he was the most covered Boss in the US with the exception of Massino (because of the Donnie Brasco tie in).


Pogo