Joseph Licata Detention Memo - Interesting Notes

[brianwellbrock]

Wow people give Staino props for making it to his 50's without even an arrest but the Feds had him in 01 and by 05 had him dead to rights. The only thing that kept him on the streets is they were trying to get Ligambi also.

[Chucky]

They had Ligambi well before 2011 too, but my guess is they were trying to tie a murder into the case, and pinch Merlino and a few of his guys.

[brianwellbrock]

Youre right Chucky now I went and reread the Staino memo. Ligambi was just as implicated way back also. It seems after Merlino and gang beat the murders that they wanted to make damn sure they had enough evidence on everyone as well as a murder.

It seems that the feds were well on their way to take everyone down by 02 but the Long John murder probably made them change their agenda and made them try to connect it to them.

[Pogo The Clown]

In retrospect they should have dropped that indictment in 2001 right on the heels of the Merlino indictment. Had they done so they probably could have more or less finished off the Philly family.


Pogo

[Chucky]

They didn't have enough in '01 outside of the poker machines, but it seemed by 2004/05 they could have dropped the hammer, but I remember Anastasia saying the feds put it on the back burner for a while and that bought these guys another 5 or 6 years on the street.

[brianwellbrock]

Those 5-6 years was crucial because all the Merlino guys got out. And Merlino was even in a halfway house for 2 months before it dropped. I believe they already had an indictment on Staino in 09 but didnt add most the others until January 11. Also I believe Anastasia said that Philly was supposed to have the arrests on mafia takedown day but their was a beef between the FBI and the USAG office.

[Chucky]

A bunch of Scarfo guys got out during that time as well and yeah, the indictment was ready to go by January 2011, but they held off til May of that year.

[B.]

Staino became one of Ligambi's top guys and I would connect him with Ligambi above all else, but he was with the Merlino group in the mid-90s before Ligambi got out of prison. I don't know what role he played during the Stanfa war, though from that transcript it sounds like he was with the Merlino guys at that time.

[Chucky]

Staino was kicked out of local 54 in '91, not long before shit hit the fan with Merlino and Stanfa, so maybe it was right after that where linked up Merlino and his people? But yeah he's been around a while. He must have had some relationship with Scarfo's people given who his uncle was and his position in local 54.

[brianwellbrock]

By the time case went to trial it seems all the rats and bugs and taps were 7-8 years old already. A jury this day and age wont convict with that. Looking in retrospect you knew that indictment was weak when Mazzone wasnt added to it. Staino seems to be a shrewd guy going from high lev legit work to the mob.

[Chucky]

Well Mazzone was laying low outside of that christmas party shit, he's had only been out of prison for three years by that point and was on supervised release the whole time. I thought it was shit because somehow Nicodemo, who ended up burying himself, wasn't pinched when he was making more moves than anybody and was throwing his weight around everywhere, even the burbs.

[brianwellbrock]

Yeah that was a little surprising too. Seems like they didnt focus too much on him and Lance. But you mentioned once that the state police were putting a case on Nicodemo before the 2012 hit? I know theyre kicking themselves because he served himself up on a platter to them and they still didnt get him to roll.

I assume in early 13 the feds and staties were at the jail regularly asking to speak with him ready to offer him something. I know Nicodemo is a tough SOB but it seems like the feds were hoping to bury Canalichio and thinking hed roll first. It was a big chess game and the feds kept getting stalemated.

[Chucky]

Yeah I mentioned that a couple years ago, I've known a guy in the 1st district for years and he said the state had a big gambling & drug case directed at him. He had the most juice on the street at that time other than Ligambi, hands down, not including Mazzone or John Chang because of their restrictions, but he and Grande had their hands in everything and Nicodemo was a stone killer.

I said it at the time he wouldn't roll, the guy is as tough as they come. Canalichio and him were cut from the same cloth, both were very close to Mazzone when they were coming up.

[brianwellbrock]

All that work the state was doing to get him got thrown out the window on that one. You were right he didnt roll. How do you feel about Grande if he got caught? Hes a real young guy and he looks to be aging fast.

The feds fucked up the past 10 years where they had a real good shot of wiping them out. 2012-13 was a real intetesting time. The feds had a lot of shots that they missed. It seems theyfwere hoping on either-or Borgesi and Canalichio to roll, which I dont see why theyd think Borgesi would. Nicodemo obviously was a separate thing at first than the feds probably saw a godsend of having him fuck up like that.

[Chucky]

I don't know what Grande would do personally, don't know enough about him. I don't think he's aging that fast though, I had a bunch gray hair by 26, so for a 30-something to have a lot of gray hair isn't uncommon. He should drop some weight though, still young enough where it should come off.

If the feds thought Borgesi would roll, they're certifiable, and Canalichio really got nailed at that trial...not guilty for everything, but guilty on the conspiracy charge.