Merlino Trial thread

[Rocco]

if he walk they will just keep going after him till they get him like Gotti. and jr Gotti's strategy wont work for him because guys that have left the mob aren't seen recently in nyc hanging with the westside talking about killing guys...

Well in Merlino case it’s quite obv he’s guilty and he never left the mob
Gotti on the other hand was not on tape and actually did quit

Correct-a-mondo.. I think a NY jury might convict Merlino. I think he is dumb to go to trial. But hey he like the attention.

[Rocco]

Dave had this post on his twitter feed "Philly Mob Soldier Damion Canalichio moved from Philly prison to Brooklyn NY fed lockup"
Any idea why they moved him to Brooklyn..? That is not where they send people to do their time unless they are from NY and are serving under a year or two.

[dack2001]

My point is that the recording backs up Joey's theory of defense instead of the state's argument. Merlino says he is no longer with the mafia, just likes to bet. Saves guys now instead of killing them. I'm not arguing what's truth, just pointing out the consistency of the position.

[dack2001]

Jacobs is great with these tapes. Joey was not bashful about "borrowing" money from Rubeo, lol, I'm sure he wasn't.


Suspected Philly mobster accused in racketeering conspiracy is just a 'degenerate gambler,' lawyer says

BY
Victoria Bekiempis

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS


Tuesday, January 30, 2018, 5:17 PM


He’s a gambler, not a goon.

Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino is just a “degenerate gambler” - not the Philadelphia mob boss portrayed by prosecutors, his lawyer claimed Tuesday in court.

Merlino, 55, faces a Manhattan Federal Court trial in relation to an alleged racketeering conspiracy stretching from South Florida to Springfield, Mass. — reputedly involving the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Bonanno and Philly crime families.

Edwin Jacobs, who along with John Meringolo reps Merlino, claimed the government's three cooperating witnesses are sliming his client to save their own skins.

One cooperator, John Rubio, befriended Merlino and surreptitiously recorded him. But these recordings didn't reveal a single smoking gun — and showed Merlino’s relationship with Rubio was largely based on his own debt, Jacobs said.

Shortly after Merlino got out of federal lockup for a racketeering rap in 2011, he decided to settle down in South Florida. He hoped to open a restaurant and didn't want anything to do with crime, Jacobs said.

But Merlino had a ‘weakness” — gambling.


“He’s a (lifelong), self-described, degenerate gambler,” Jacobs said.

“He wasn’t bashful about asking friends to borrow money,” Jacobs said. “Rubio offered Joey money, and he took it.”

Merlino promised to pay Rubio back.

“When my restaurant makes it big, I'm going to turn the tables, I’m going to take care of you,” Merlino said, according to Jacobs.

[SonnyBlackstein]

"Merlino, wearing a knit hoodie, gold chain and dark loafers"

WTF is this guy wearing.
Fuck I hope there are pics.

[JCB1977]

if he walk they will just keep going after him till they get him like Gotti. and jr Gotti's strategy wont work for him because guys that have left the mob aren't seen recently in nyc hanging with the westside talking about killing guys...

Well in Merlino case it’s quite obv he’s guilty and he never left the mob
Gotti on the other hand was not on tape and actually did quit

Correct-a-mondo.. I think a NY jury might convict Merlino. I think he is dumb to go to trial. But hey he like the attention.

Bingo Rocco! He’s in love with himself. A fucking disgrace to old school LCN. This guy is a fucking asshole, I hope the Feds get this douchebag off the streets and he gets a long prison sentence that is “for good.” Either way, his life is shit.

[dack2001]

Looks like Lovaglio was only called to say that Joey was a friend and member of La Cosa Nostra. No tapes. Only remembered two months ago though.


Prosecutors: Reputed mob boss orchestrated insurance fraud

The Associated Press
By TOM HAYS
Posted: Jan. 30, 2018 7:00 am Updated: Jan. 30, 2018 4:36 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — A reputed Philadelphia mob boss who reinvented himself as a restaurateur relapsed into a life of crime by orchestrating a health care fraud that made a fortune for an East Coast crime syndicate, a prosecutor said Tuesday in opening arguments at his federal trial.

Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino was a tough-talking "fixer" in a widespread scheme to collect insurance payments by bribing doctors to write bogus prescriptions for a pain cream, Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Nicholas told Manhattan jurors.

Merlino "called the shots and he always called them in favor of taking and keeping money," Nicholas said.

The prosecutors said Merlino also sought to collect gambling debts for the syndicate, adding that the jury would hear recordings of him fretting over whether any "rats" and "stool pigeons" were lurking.

In his opening statements, defense attorney Edwin Jacobs said Merlino was framed by cooperating criminals with incentives to lie to save their own skins.

"Joey is accused of a bunch of crimes he didn't commit," Jacobs said.

Merlino, wearing a knit hoodie, gold chain and dark loafers, listened as Jacobs described how, after a stint in prison, his client moved to Florida to "live a normal and new life" with his family and four pet dogs. But he couldn't shake a gambling problem that made him vulnerable to manipulation by a wire-wearing mob turncoat named John Rubeo, who gave him tens of thousands of dollars to feed his habit.

"Joey's weakness is gambling," the lawyer said. "He bets frequently and beyond his means."

Merlino, 55, was among nearly four dozen defendants arrested in a 2016 crackdown on the syndicate that prosecutors say committed crimes including extortion, loan-sharking, casino-style gambling, sports gambling, credit card fraud and health care fraud. It operated in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey.

Most of the defendants pleaded guilty to lesser charges, with Merlino the only one so far to go to trial on conspiracy charges. He's free on $5 million bond.

The government plans to use cooperators as witnesses, including Rubeo, an associate with the New York-based Genovese crime family.

Another admitted gangster, Bonanno crime family captain Peter Lovaglio, was one of the first witnesses on Tuesday, testifying that he and Merlino became friends in 2015 at a time when Lovaglio agreed to let federal authorities tap his cell phone to monitor conversations with other gangland figures. On cross-examination, the defense sought to attack Lovaglio's credibility by getting him to admit he never recorded any phone calls with Merlino, and that he first told investigators about the relationship only about two months ago.

Merlino once controlled the remnants of a Philadelphia-south Jersey organized crime family that was decimated by a bloody civil war in the 1980s and 1990s. Federal authorities say he was frequently targeted by murder plots after rivals put a $500,000 murder contract on his head.

He became a main suspect in a failed hit on another mob figure on Halloween 1989, but was never charged. He also served time for a $350,000 armored truck heist that same year.

In 2001, a jury acquitted Merlino and six co-defendants of three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder that could have put him in prison for life. He was convicted of lesser racketeering charges and served 12 years in prison before being released in 2011.

Merlino claimed that he retired from the mob for good by running an upscale Italian restaurant in Boca Raton. The since-closed restaurant was called Merlino's.

In a 2013 interview, he said that life in the Mafia wasn't worth the stress of being double-crossed.

"Too many rats," he said. "I want no part of that."

___

This story has been corrected to show the last name of the assistant U.S. attorney is Nicholas, not Nicolas.

[newera_212]

lol. lovaglio seems like hes gaming the feds

[gohnjotti]

lol. lovaglio seems like hes gaming the feds

Gaming the feds? The poor guy (granted he's a despicable, wife-beating, drunk) was told by his FBI handler to hold out and not plead out in the assault case he was facing. Lovaglio held out, the handler tried to pull some strings which amounted to nothing, and Lovaglio was hit with an eight year sentence DESPITE his longtime cooperation. Petey Bullshit's not gaming the feds he was screwed in his ass and now he's testifying against everyone and anyone to try and lower his sentence. If he wasn't such a miserable sack of shit you could almost feel bad for the guy.

[BobbyPazzo]

Dave had this post on his twitter feed "Philly Mob Soldier Damion Canalichio moved from Philly prison to Brooklyn NY fed lockup"
Any idea why they moved him to Brooklyn..? That is not where they send people to do their time unless they are from NY and are serving under a year or two.

See mayo face is a piece of shit for this. Dame is solid from anyone I've ever heard that would know better. He's on his way back from philly and they make a stop in Brooklyn during transit. After mayo put that up someone asked if he flipped in a comment and his wife cleared that shit up in the next comment. He's about to be home anyway.

[newera_212]

lol. lovaglio seems like hes gaming the feds

Gaming the feds? The poor guy (granted he's a despicable, wife-beating, drunk) was told by his FBI handler to hold out and not plead out in the assault case he was facing. Lovaglio held out, the handler tried to pull some strings which amounted to nothing, and Lovaglio was hit with an eight year sentence DESPITE his longtime cooperation. Petey Bullshit's not gaming the feds he was screwed in his ass and now he's testifying against everyone and anyone to try and lower his sentence. If he wasn't such a miserable sack of shit you could almost feel bad for the guy.

LOL i forgot about that. thats right. when it came time for sentencing for that assult they banged him out LOL. I think he got pulled over for a DUI and told the cop he was a Bonanno Capo too? smfh

i meant gaming the feds as in its obvious he doesnt know shit about joey and hes just trying to get whatever he can get...but whats more obvious now is what you just said...the feds are gaming him

[Rocco]

Dave had this post on his twitter feed "Philly Mob Soldier Damion Canalichio moved from Philly prison to Brooklyn NY fed lockup"
Any idea why they moved him to Brooklyn..? That is not where they send people to do their time unless they are from NY and are serving under a year or two.

See mayo face is a piece of shit for this. Dame is solid from anyone I've ever heard that would know better. He's on his way back from philly and they make a stop in Brooklyn during transit. After mayo put that up someone asked if he flipped in a comment and his wife cleared that shit up in the next comment. He's about to be home anyway.

Mayo Face? On his way home? I thought he got 11yrs in 2013? What am I missing here?

[Rocco]

if he walk they will just keep going after him till they get him like Gotti. and jr Gotti's strategy wont work for him because guys that have left the mob aren't seen recently in nyc hanging with the westside talking about killing guys...

Well in Merlino case it’s quite obv he’s guilty and he never left the mob
Gotti on the other hand was not on tape and actually did quit

Correct-a-mondo.. I think a NY jury might convict Merlino. I think he is dumb to go to trial. But hey he like the attention.

Bingo Rocco! He’s in love with himself. A fucking disgrace to old school LCN. This guy is a fucking asshole, I hope the Feds get this douchebag off the streets and he gets a long prison sentence that is “for good.” Either way, his life is shit.

I agree. He should get 20yrs just for driving around in a White Rolls without a legit source of income. Shit for Brains. Best he could come up with is working as a Hostess in a restaurant. Open a fucking business with your money. And he is upset he got arrested. So stressed hes got heart problems. What did he think LE was going to do ? Buy him and ice cream cone and say have a nice day Joey ? Some guys have it...some guys just don't...

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

Joey probably did not plea guilty because he will get 3 strikes rule thrown at
him, either this bust or the next. IMO, he is found guilty. Luck runs out for
skinny Joey...

[BobbyPazzo]

Dave had this post on his twitter feed "Philly Mob Soldier Damion Canalichio moved from Philly prison to Brooklyn NY fed lockup"
Any idea why they moved him to Brooklyn..? That is not where they send people to do their time unless they are from NY and are serving under a year or two.

See mayo face is a piece of shit for this. Dame is solid from anyone I've ever heard that would know better. He's on his way back from philly and they make a stop in Brooklyn during transit. After mayo put that up someone asked if he flipped in a comment and his wife cleared that shit up in the next comment. He's about to be home anyway.

Mayo Face? On his way home? I thought he got 11yrs in 2013? What am I missing here?

Shratweiser or however you spell it tweeted about it raising suspicion and like I said his wife cleared it up by saying he was on the way back from philly to Danbury and they stop in Brooklyn for transit. He's up for parole in three years. In the Feds you pretty much get your date once you serve your 85%. If someone can't hang in there for another three years , especially when they already did most of their bid then they're in the wrong business. From my experience once you get into your last few years of a stretch, especially one like his where he got double digits, they say your own your way home. Sorry if I confused anyone.