Scarfo FBI file released

[PHL_Mob]

To see if he got off... like I said earlier he was a confidential source... that doesn’t get you off the hook

[Chucky]

To see if he got off... like I said earlier he was a confidential source... that doesn’t get you off the hook

I get that, but Leonetti had access to high level NY guys basically as soon as Scarfo became boss, and was acting boss for a little while before he got indicted. He could have buried Scarfo and plenty of guys in Philly, NJ, and NY well before he flipped in '89. The feds were all over these guys in the 80s, they wouldn't have hesitated to wire up Leonetti.

The feds never really had Scarfo on tape, if Leonetti was talking the whole time feds would have known where Scarfo was meeting and who was meeting with on a regular basis, and would have popped him much sooner.

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

-We now know that Phil Leonetti was a CI as far back as 1981. I do not
recall Leonetti EVER exposing that fact in any of the interviews/books
he has done.

No, we don't. There's nothing in there to indicate that. Scarfo ordered a lot of killings early on and while he away on the gun charge that Leonetti was directly involved with. The feds also had issues getting Scarfo on tape, had Leonetti been cooperating that would not have been the case.

If it wasn't Leonetti, who was it?
A certain name is consistently redacted, and Leonetti's name
does not show up hardly at all. That's why I think it COULD
be Leonetti. It could also be "Merlino's cousin" that is mentioned, whoever that is.
Who do you think it might be?

The only name that comes up consistently aside from Scarfo is Larry Merlino. Not his brother, not Sal Testa, Joe Ciancaglini, Monte, or anyone really. Larry Merlino was not as active as time went on in the 80s, and focused on his rebar business. Him being the informant would make more sense than Leonetti.

In many instances, Larry Merlino's name is shown with Scarfo's, while the third name is redacted. That fact makes me sceptical.
Hoewver, Yogi did fip, so maybe he was already a CI, and they pulled him out after all the indictments were doled out.

[Snakes]

You think Phil withheld certain information and only became a full cooperator after he got busted? It would explain why Scarfo and other NY/NJ guys didn't get busted a lot earlier. A lot of times, they develop guys as informants so that they can hopefully flip them completely at some point in time but more often than not, it seemed like the informants never fully committed to ratting while the rats only started cooperating after they were busted and it was more spur of the moment.

[B.]

Thanks for sharing. Obviously not a comprehensive file -- it focuses on the activities of Scarfo, Leonetti, and Larry Merlino post-Falcoe acquittal and Scarfo's elevation to boss. Here's what stood out to me:

- Phil Leonetti's name is redacted because he is alive. Larry Merlino died a number of years back which is why his name shows up w/ Scarfo while Leonetti's is redacted. I didn't see any indication that Leonetti could have been one of the informants, though it wouldn't be surprising at this point when you consider that 2nd and 3rd generation members of Sicilian heritage with violent histories were informing in the 1960s. Plus we know of a few future government witnesses throughout the US who informed before they became full-on witnesses. Given how many people were giving info in Philly in the 1960s, I would actually be shocked if there weren't some members or highly-placed associates giving info through the 1980s, especially in Scarfo's Atlantic City crew which had a lot of sleazy hangers-on with high-level access. When you consider all of the backstabbing, violence, and other problems in Philly in the 1980s, there would have been plenty of opportunity for the FBI to cultivate sources and as we know, even member informants rarely lead to significant criminal charges.

- Seeing Scarfo's arrest record is interesting because aside from the 1948 assault and battery ("cutting and kicking"), all of the charges are the well-known ones. His record was relatively clean before the Falcone murder considering his reputation and early association with DiTullio.

- Along with the brief/vague info about a possible Milwaukee source, one of the informants was with the Albany FBI office, which is an indication that they were located in western or upstate NYS. None of this means that the sources were LCN figures, but the Albany office source mentions having phone contact direct w/ Scarfo and a redacted paragraph from this source mentions LCN figures attending a meeting, so seems likely they were somehow "connected". It could have been a Scarfo/Philly associate living in that part of NYS, or could potentially point to it being a Buffalo or Pittston member/associate, as both families operated in that general area. Frank Sindone was said to have loansharking operations in the Buffalo/Niagara area, which I've been unable to find specific details on and I'm not sure what became of these operations/associations, or how significant they were. We know that Scarfo had contact with the leadership of both the Buffalo and Pittston families in Florida.

- Was hoping there would be more about Scarfo's contacts with other families in Atlantic City before he became boss, especially after his release from prison in the 1970s when his role in Atlantic City was in full swing. His phone book obtained after the FBI raided his house post-Falcone had an interesting list of contacts, especially to the Genovese family, which I posted some time back, and the mention in this FBI file of Boston captain Zannino and his crew having ties to Atlantic City adds to this.

- Also seems to say that Scarfo, identified as the boss of Philadelphia, was known as "Roscoe" and was visiting Boston in June 1981 regarding Boston and Philly activities in Atlantic City. This would make sense, as Scarfo no doubt would want to be introduced to Patriarca leaders as boss, but this is the first I've heard him referred to as "Roscoe". If true, would have to be a codename.

- A reference in a September 1981 report is made to Genovese member Adolfo "Al" Bruno of Springfield, MA. It doesn't say what, if any, contact he had with Scarfo given that the context of the report is redacted, but the subject of the report is Scarfo, Larry Merlino, and a redacted name (no doubt Leonetti), so this seems to imply that Bruno had contact with Scarfo.

- The source who knew of a murder contract on Scarfo in 1981 and felt it would jeopardize the source's identity if Scarfo knew of the contract stands out. This was in September 1981 and could point to it being a member of the Riccobene faction given the timing, though we don't know who else inside or outside of the family may have wanted Scarfo dead at that time. We can assume this source was not someone in Scarfo's immediate inner circle given it involves a murder contract on Scarfo. It also seems unlikely that the contract would have been issued by a NYC/NJ family given that they supported Scarfo as boss. One thing to note is that the memo is addressed to the Chicago, New York, Newark, and Philadelphia FBI offices and the office of origin looks to be redacted and fairly short. This could be Albany again, and it shouldn't be assumed that the FBI office of origin is where the source is from. This is thesame source who is "extremely relieved about having had this burden taken off his shoulders", with the meaning being a reference to the informant reporting the murder contract to the FBI. So it appears the informant was disturbed by his having been made aware of the contract.

- Re: Mention of a Merlino being someone's cousin. Chuckie and Lawrence Merlino had a cousin who was a fringe associate of the family and a gun registered to him was found on a Philly member/associate during the 1980s. I'm blanking on the cousin's name (I recall him also being a "Merlino", but don't quote me) and I can't remember who had the gun. However, the Scarfo FBI file later refers to Larry Merlino as Scarfo's cousin, which to the best of my knowledge is incorrect, so that seems to be the reference here, not someone else.

- In August 1981, a source claimed that Scarfo controls gambling and loansharking activities in the Vineland area. Curious if this statement was made because Scarfo was at this time the boss of the entire region, therefore technically in control of Vineland, or if Scarfo had previously been running illegal activities in Vineland before becoming boss. By the 1980s Cumberland county captain Joe Scafidi was still around but he was elderly and his decina would have been small and mostly older men. I believe his crew later fell under the control of Leonetti or Merlino, so Scarfo may have been looking after the Vineland operations from his base in AC before this. Later in the FBI file, Larry Merlino is said to be in charge of bookmaking operations in Atlantic City and Cumberland County (i.e. Vineland/Bridgeton).

- A highly-trusted source was cultivated with the Newark FBI office by September 1981. The Newark office could include the entire state of NJ, so it's not clear where this source was located or what info he provided, only that he seems to have had information on Scarfo or access to him.

- A source claimed that, in addition to typical illegal mob activities, Scarfo was also involved in prostitution in the Atlantic City area. We know he controlled some x-rated book stores, but this is the first I've heard about prostitution. Wouldn't be surprising given that the casinos would attract prostitution and the Philly family, especially the Calabrians, have a history of involvement.

- In October 1981, Joseph Scalleat and Anthony Guarnieri apparently visited Atlantic City and may have met with either Scarfo or Leonetti at Scarfo Inc. or near there. They met with a redacted name who might be Leonetti. Scalleat and Guarnieri are incorrectly identified as Buffalo members. Scalleat was in fact a member of the Philadelphia member based in Hazleton, though his brother was a member of the Buffalino family and Joe Scalleat was close to that family. Guarnieri is believed to have been a Buffalino member based in western New York.

- In October 1981, Albert "Red" Pontani is described as the new "boss" of Trenton, taking over from Pappy Ippolito. Pontani is said to report to Scarfo.

- Mention is made of a Philadelphia-based informant who had been providing reliable info on organized crime 3 times a week for over 5 years as of December 1981. No other info about or from this source, only that his info had resulted in 20 arrests and 9 federal convictions. In addition, there were two other Philly-area informants providing regular information to the FBI, one of them seemingly involved in loansharking.

[Snakes]

Not saying that it is the case in this situation but it should be noted that local law enforcement officers were also considered informants by the FBI. They tended to be from the neighborhood and knew who the local hoods were and where the hangouts were and had their own informants. Many of them were related to associates and even members, in some cases, despite the families' best efforts to vet these types of relationships. They provided an underrated amount of intel to the FBI over the years.

[Ivan]

Thanks for the Cliff's Notes version, B.

[Stroccos]

Cuz he didn’t want his uncle to know... he always makes it seem like he never hurt his uncle... like he flipped when his uncle was already sentenced and his only condition was he wouldn’t testify on his uncle blah blah blah

So why did he sit in the can for over a year while they were awaiting trial? The feds did not need Leonetti for information on New York, they already guys in New York wired up.

Nothing worse then being a rat, his whole family would be uprooted etc , its quite possible if he was A ci he thought he could beat the case and not expose him self, when he didn't, he flipped after he was convicted only when it was inevitable he was getting a major stretch
I still have to read the book looked like a good one

[PHL_Mob]

Hey B- wasn’t Michael “Sheiky” Baldino an associate and loanshark who was cousins with the Merlino brothers? He was the one that Stanfa started shaking down and Merlino balked at it since he was his Uncle or whatever...

[B.]

Yeah, I believe Michael and the murdered Frank Baldino were both related to the Merlinos. The name Louis Merlino is ringing a bell for the cousin who had the gun registered to him but not sure that's right.

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

Yeah, I believe Michael and the murdered Frank Baldino were both related to the Merlinos. The name Louis Merlino is ringing a bell for the cousin who had the gun registered to him but not sure that's right.

There is that Merlino cousin that was denied a construction permit,
in the past few years, as a result of his close relation to Joey's family.
Perhaps this is the same branch of Joey's family listed in these 302's.

[dack2001]

I thought "Sheiky" Baldino was related to Merlino through marriage...

[B.]

Yeah, I believe Michael and the murdered Frank Baldino were both related to the Merlinos. The name Louis Merlino is ringing a bell for the cousin who had the gun registered to him but not sure that's right.

There is that Merlino cousin that was denied a construction permit,
in the past few years, as a result of his close relation to Joey's family.
Perhaps this is the same branch of Joey's family listed in these 302's.

That was the other Joey Merlino, who is the son of Larry and first cousin of "Skinny" Joey Merlino.

In the Scarfo FBI file, the "cousin" reference seems to be referring to Larry Merlino as Scarfo's cousin. It's possible that Scarfo/Leonetti referred to Merlino as their cousin given their close relationship. Merlino lived in the Scarfo apartment building and had known Scarfo since he was a teenager.

I know that the paternal side of the Merlino family is originally from Messina, so on the off chance the Merlinos do have some relation to the fully Calabrian Scarfos, it isn't through the Merlino name.

I thought "Sheiky" Baldino was related to Merlino through marriage...

I've only read that there was a relation, not sure the specifics. Frank Baldino was referred to in some places as Merlino's "uncle", though he wasn't his true uncle to my knowledge unless he married an aunt.

[dack2001]

I thought Sheiky Baldino was Joey's Moms brother or Joeys uncle through marriage on his mothers side. Don't know about Frank Baldino.

[B.]

I thought Sheiky Baldino was Joey's Moms brother or Joeys uncle through marriage on his mothers side. Don't know about Frank Baldino.

Looks like you're right about him being an uncle. LCNBios put up a post with info provided by Ralph Natale after he flipped and that's how he describes him:

http://lcnbios.blogspot.com/2018/10/ral ... 1990s.html

A lot of other good information on there, too, obviously.