Mike Mancuso put a contract on Cammaranos

[SonnyBlackstein]

I’m sorry. Why can’t we criticize Scott? Some of you telling others what they can and can’t do is ridiculous. If you don’t like what people are saying don’t read the thread or add something intellectual that argues against it. But to say tone it down or lay off Scott comes off a bit tacky and privileged. If you are going to curate outlandish tales of going to the mattresses and “potential” firebombings and houses shot at. With not one of the incidents confirmed. As a journalist you should be prepared for backlash when you make claims of such nature. Not one other credible source is able to verify the story. Mikey Nose is under fbi watch for associating with known criminals. But he is also meeting with Barney and Lorenzo? Firebombing’s, shootouts and going to the mattresses sounds like Godfather 2. All these things happening in the biggest city but NO ONE else is reporting. Tom L couldnt find anyone that knew anything about it. Jerry hasn’t written anything on it.
All signs point to it not being a real story yet some of us want to give benefit of the doubt. Why? Cause he wrote a book you liked?
I think some of you won’t go against him because he is a fellow mob enthusiast and the other half just want something mob related to occur.
But save me the “stop bashing Scott” crap. It comes off very unbecoming.

Yup.

[gohnjotti]

If this Bonanno story is completely bullshit, which is currently what it seems to be trending towards (i.e. no other reporting/coverage of the alleged incidents Scott discusses, increasingly bizarre and outlandish plot points) then I'll honestly feel bad for Scott that a source, or a group of sources, were able to string him along. I don't think Scott would mislead anyone intentionally.

[Antiliar]

Rick made it clear his info on newer Chicago members was hearsay and researchers on here found interesting connections involving the names, nothing more. But Wiseguy held it deep in the pit of his stomach, just waiting to vomit it back up in an unrelated disagreement about Scott.

It became related once people started talking about their sources.

Please explain how it's related. What was your point in bringing it up?

My criticism is the reporting, not Scott personally, though I can see where the line between the two isn't always clear. And some would say there really is none.

Most of the time, in these situations with his more controversial reporting, I don't think Scott is completely inventing things out of whole cloth, but rather I think Scott will take some element of truth and blow it waaaaaaaaay out of proportion. Maybe where "sensationalism" ends and editorializing/BS begins is a question for the historians.

But there are some times where I do think he makes stuff up. The invented dialogue has been pointed out. Also, having observed his charts and reporting for 15 years or so, I've become convinced he often will just assume guys are made and plug them into whatever position makes sense to him at the time.

I also think he has an extremely looooow bar, to a fault, when it comes to recognizing active mob families. An 87 year old, inactive member in Timbuktu could roll over and fart in bed and Scott would have a full writeup on the family, complete with current hierarchy and activities, etc. two days later. And I get it. Multiple families still alive and active, and working together around the country, is more interesting than the LCN basically being down to the NY metro area with some other activity in literally a few areas elsewhere.

But I do want to thank Scott for the shoutout on the OG podcast about "Keyboard gangsters live in Utah and Wyoming." It's good to see he doesn't forget about the little people.

If you want to bash Scott here - or anyone else - the place to do that is the Graveyard section, not the main section. Because that's what you and several others are doing. You're not just criticizing his recent articles, but going back years on claims irrelevant to the topic.

You claim he makes up dialogue, but you don't provide any evidence for it. You claim he has a low bar with his recognition of mob families. On the other hand, it could be said that your bar is unrealistically high. There could be an active mob family of five members and dozens of associates, but unless the FBI, Dept of Justice, the CIA, the NSA, and the United Nations signs off on multiple indictments you don't think it exists.

This reminds me of another poster here who said that Scott has a burden of proof to show evidence, but then he refuses to say what that evidence would consist of. It's like a man being put on trial and the judge says he won't be allowed to put on a defense. B verified that the "comeback" shirt is real and confirmed, but his testimony gets ignored. So from my point of view most of the bashing is just bad faith attacks.

[Pogo The Clown]

You claim he makes up dialogue, but you don't provide any evidence for it.

Th evidence is self explanapetory.


If such a private meeting between Anothony Nicodemo and Joey Merlino to discuss killing Gino DiPietro did take place (an event itself in all likelyhood fabricated by Scott since it was not mentioned at all during the murder trial or all the extensive coverage of it by GA and DS over the years) then only 2 people on earth know the exact words they used and neither of them are telling Scott.


Also, as has been pointed out by several others, his quotes in general sound made up. Like dialogue out of a bad B movie.


Pogo

[CornerBoy]

an avowed racist and another whose only glimpse of a new yorker was in Deer Valley.

Pofo if his name was Burns not BurnSTEIN your take would be different.

Stay miserable, who cares

[Pogo The Clown]

No surprise that Corneyboy is one of the few who actually buys this story. Hell even those defending Scott can't bring themselves to actually say they believe this reporting at this point. Tells you all you need to know.


Pogo

[Uncle Pete]

I mean Capeci did report on a fight (that occurred in public mind you) involving a shelved guy that left 3 ranking made guys bloody and battered and with the official boss of a NY crime family with egg on his face. I have no difficulty at all believing there has been / could be some sort of violent retaliation.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about Scott’s history like other posters do but it’s really not hard to believe. There has been countless acts of violence that occur even in the modern mafia that we don’t hear about until indictments come down or rats speak about it on YouTube. Some of you all are acting like it was Mancuso that ordered the Chinese spy balloon shot down and not an order to shoot up the house of a shelved guy that broke one of the most basic rules in Cosa Nostra and put hands on made guys.

[Pogo The Clown]

You just nailed it. Capeci reported on a scuffle at a funeral home involving these guys but not a word in a month on a drive by shooting and a firebombing of a former Acting Boss, multiple hit teams roaming the city with "kill on sight" orders, high level meetings involving the NY bosses and the FBI bring down the heat on the 5 families as a result. Not only nothing from Capeci but no other media outlet in all this time? Doesn't that say it all?


Pogo

[Antiliar]

You just nailed it. Capeci reported on a scuffle at a funeral home involving these guys but not a word in a month on a drive by shooting and a firebombing of a former Acting Boss, multiple hit teams roaming the city with "kill on sight" orders, high level meetings involving the NY bosses and the FBI bring down the heat on the 5 families as a result. Not only nothing from Capeci but no other media outlet in all this time? Doesn't that say it all?


Pogo

That's called an argument from silence. It's a logical fallacy. Another possible reason is that Capeci and Scott don't have the same sources.

As for the Merlino-Nicodemo conversation, I don't know enough about the story to respond to it. Philadelphia isn't one of my areas of interest so I tend to skip anything related to it. If that's your issue I can ask him about it. If you're mind is already made up then there's no point and it's just another bad faith complaint.

[Pogo The Clown]

You just nailed it. Capeci reported on a scuffle at a funeral home involving these guys but not a word in a month on a drive by shooting and a firebombing of a former Acting Boss, multiple hit teams roaming the city with "kill on sight" orders, high level meetings involving the NY bosses and the FBI bring down the heat on the 5 families as a result. Not only nothing from Capeci but no other media outlet in all this time? Doesn't that say it all?


Pogo

That's called an argument from silence. It's a logical fallacy. Another possible reason is that Capeci and Scott don't have the same sources.

Yeah I'm sure that's it. But wait Scott says that the Feds are well aware of this plot and are bringing down the heat on the 5 families. You'd figure Capeci or anyone else who covers the NY mob would have gotten a whiff of this huge story by now.

As for the Merlino-Nicodemo conversation, I don't know enough about the story to respond to it. Philadelphia isn't one of my areas of interest so I tend to skip anything related to it. If that's your issue I can ask him about it. If you're mind is already made up then there's no point and it's just another bad faith complaint.

Or w can all read it and judge for ourselves.

At that time already a suspect in multiple mob executions, Nicodemo, per the sources, sought and received permission from crime family administrators to kill DiPietro as retribution for his disrespect. Two sources claim Nicodemo discussed the issue with Philly Godfather Skinny Joey Merlino, who relocated to Florida following his release from a dozen-year stay federal prison in 2011 and was in town for his father’s funeral in October 2012, and Merlino sanctioned the job, telling Nicodemo to “handle it anyway you want.”

Incredible how Scott, and no else covering Philly, knows the exact words Merlino told Nicodemo in a private meeting about a murder they were going to commit. Funny how only Scott has mentioned this meeting between Nicodemo and Godfather Merlino. You figure it would have come up in Nicodemo's murder trial.

“Gino told Tony Nics (Anthony Nicodemo) to go fuck himself and he did it in front of a bunch of people,” a source recounted to Gangster Report of the beef. “Nics just stood there and smiled for a while and then he kicked him out….they were both yelling. Gino called him a wannabe and Anthony said yeah, you’re gonna wanna be in another country in about two seconds if you don’t kick bricks. Anthony ain’t someone to trifle with. Everyone knows that. Gino just didn’t care.”

Yeah this doesn't sound like dialogue out of some crappy direct to video mob movie or anything. Also funny that in all the years that GA and DS have been covering this murder they never once mentioned this incident (or the meeting between Godfther Melrino and Nicodemo) as a motive for the murder. Nor did it come up in the extensive coverage that this murder and the subsequent trial got in Philly. In fact it was confirmed that DiPietro was an informant and that was why he was killed. Thankfully we have Scott's "sources" to tell us the real score.


Pogo

[Ivan]

Philadelphia isn't one of my areas of interest so I tend to skip anything related to it.

You're missing out. The Scarfo stuff is every bit as weird-crazy-funny as Chicago in the 20s.

[Wiseguy]

Please explain how it's related. What was your point in bringing it up?

The original question was over the validity, if not outright existence, of Scott's sources. You then brought up your own sources as a defense of Scott, which I thought is rather ironic considering at least one of them is telling you...online...about guys who have been made in the Outfit relatively recently.

Somebody...in a position to know who's been recently inducted in Chicago...coming on the internet to tell people about it.

You see any problems with this scenario? No offense but it sounds about as legit as Scott being privy to a private conversation between a boss and soldier in the Philly mob. Honestly, you're usually one of the more level-headed people on the forum and it surprises me.

If you want to bash Scott here - or anyone else - the place to do that is the Graveyard section, not the main section. Because that's what you and several others are doing. You're not just criticizing his recent articles, but going back years on claims irrelevant to the topic.

You claim he makes up dialogue, but you don't provide any evidence for it. You claim he has a low bar with his recognition of mob families. On the other hand, it could be said that your bar is unrealistically high. There could be an active mob family of five members and dozens of associates, but unless the FBI, Dept of Justice, the CIA, the NSA, and the United Nations signs off on multiple indictments you don't think it exists.

This reminds me of another poster here who said that Scott has a burden of proof to show evidence, but then he refuses to say what that evidence would consist of. It's like a man being put on trial and the judge says he won't be allowed to put on a defense. B verified that the "comeback" shirt is real and confirmed, but his testimony gets ignored. So from my point of view most of the bashing is just bad faith attacks.

Evidence submitted by the prosecution goes to his overall credibility, your honor. And how much benefit of the doubt, excluding any additional information, he should be be afforded on the Cammarano issue.

Beyond that, I don't think some of you are really being honest about this and choosing to look at Scott's reporting through rose-colored glasses at the expense of objectivity.

That's called an argument from silence. It's a logical fallacy.

Now that's bad faith. If what Scott has reported is actually happening and nary a peep from Capeci or anyone else on any of it? C'mon.

Another possible reason is that Capeci and Scott don't have the same sources.

That's clearly the case.

[Newyorkempire]

All if the sudden "Wise"guy is thinking about men jerking off while eating pizza. His credibility has really gone down now if thats what his days consist of. These are dangerous times. Who will he think about jerking off next????

Him and Pogo. Huge cuckolds.

I was also the recipient of one of these odd insults that just sound gay. Is this like a shtick or does he really not get it?

Nah. Hes into the gay stuff. Its a pattern. Imagines guys jerking off and then uses it as a basis of ridicule not knowing hes the joke. "Wise"guy and Hobo have become the King and Queen of this forum that nobody listens to anymore and they cant stand that.

P.S. Close your blinds at night, they will try and peak in to see if you are eating pizza with one hand and jerking off with the other. Youve been warned!

[Newyorkempire]

Now its if Capeci doesnt report it. It never happened. Lol. Two weeks ago it was how dated Capeci is and he doesnt report anything worthwhile anymore and he should hang it up.

They talk out both sides of their mouths so they can never have a real stake. If Capeci is wrong they never said he was right. If Scott is right they never said he was wrong. If the FBI misrepresents thing they were right if they dont they were also right. They cherry pick articles as if they are competing journalists. Again, cuckolds, gaslighters and regurgitators. Nothing more.

[Antiliar]

Philadelphia isn't one of my areas of interest so I tend to skip anything related to it.

You're missing out. The Scarfo stuff is every bit as weird-crazy-funny as Chicago in the 20s.

I probably am, but I've already got a full plate.