RE-POST: The Rise and Demise of Tony Caponigro

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

I got to thinking about Philly today realized Scarf had to be one paranoid fuck. I mean can you blame him for all the killing. They went thru 2 boss in a year not to mention other top members in on the murder plots. Im sure he felt like he didn't have much of a choice but to kill any possible threat.

Scarfo was justified in his hits by mafia standards. Hi bloodthirstiness is overrated in my opinion.

Testa and Stanfa were just as trigger-happy.

I humbly disagree. If Leonetti, Crow and DelGiorno all
say he was a murderous guy., I believe it. What was it
28 dead guys in under 10 years. That's a lot of dead.
The stories of 'hit crews' driving around all day looking
for guys to kill. To the point that it was getting in the
way of collections and other $ making duties. I do agree
that Salvie (especially) and many other Philly members
were murderous as well. From Bruno's murder to the
end of Scarfo, the family created Killadelphia fo sho!

[Ivan]

I got to thinking about Philly today realized Scarf had to be one paranoid fuck. I mean can you blame him for all the killing. They went thru 2 boss in a year not to mention other top members in on the murder plots. Im sure he felt like he didn't have much of a choice but to kill any possible threat.

Scarfo was justified in his hits by mafia standards. Hi bloodthirstiness is overrated in my opinion.

Testa and Stanfa were just as trigger-happy.

I humbly disagree. If Leonetti, Crow and DelGiorno all
say he was a murderous guy., I believe it. What was it
28 dead guys in under 10 years. That's a lot of dead.
The stories of 'hit crews' driving around all day looking
for guys to kill. To the point that it was getting in the
way of collections and other $ making duties. I do agree
that Salvie (especially) and many other Philly members
were murderous as well. From Bruno's murder to the
end of Scarfo, the family created Killadelphia fo sho!

Fair enough, but you don't think Phil Testa and John Stanfa were just as murderous? They just didn't last long enough to kill as many people.

Leonetti was just as nasty as his uncle BTW.

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

I got to thinking about Philly today realized Scarf had to be one paranoid fuck. I mean can you blame him for all the killing. They went thru 2 boss in a year not to mention other top members in on the murder plots. Im sure he felt like he didn't have much of a choice but to kill any possible threat.

Scarfo was justified in his hits by mafia standards. Hi bloodthirstiness is overrated in my opinion.

Testa and Stanfa were just as trigger-happy.

I humbly disagree. If Leonetti, Crow and DelGiorno all
say he was a murderous guy., I believe it. What was it
28 dead guys in under 10 years. That's a lot of dead.
The stories of 'hit crews' driving around all day looking
for guys to kill. To the point that it was getting in the
way of collections and other $ making duties. I do agree
that Salvie (especially) and many other Philly members
were murderous as well. From Bruno's murder to the
end of Scarfo, the family created Killadelphia fo sho!

Fair enough, but you don't think Phil Testa and John Stanfa were just as murderous? They just didn't last long enough to kill as many people.

Leonetti was just as nasty as his uncle BTW.

You are correct- they were all murder hungry.
I guess it's opinion as to who was the worst.

[Pogo The Clown]

A lot of the hits attributed to Scarfo were from the Bruno and Testa eras or unsanctioned hits. Most of the ones he ordered were justified (people refusing to kick up or part of the Phil Testa murder plot, etc).


Pogo

[DPG]

I got to thinking about Philly today realized Scarf had to be one paranoid fuck. I mean can you blame him for all the killing. They went thru 2 boss in a year not to mention other top members in on the murder plots. Im sure he felt like he didn't have much of a choice but to kill any possible threat.

Scarfo was justified in his hits by mafia standards. Hi bloodthirstiness is overrated in my opinion.

Testa and Stanfa were just as trigger-happy.

I humbly disagree. If Leonetti, Crow and DelGiorno all
say he was a murderous guy., I believe it. What was it
28 dead guys in under 10 years. That's a lot of dead.
The stories of 'hit crews' driving around all day looking
for guys to kill. To the point that it was getting in the
way of collections and other $ making duties. I do agree
that Salvie (especially) and many other Philly members
were murderous as well. From Bruno's murder to the
end of Scarfo, the family created Killadelphia fo sho!

Go thru 2 bosses in months of each other and what would you do? Wait to get killed? He wasn't in charge of a boy scout troop.

[Chucky]

I got to thinking about Philly today realized Scarf had to be one paranoid fuck. I mean can you blame him for all the killing. They went thru 2 boss in a year not to mention other top members in on the murder plots. Im sure he felt like he didn't have much of a choice but to kill any possible threat.

Scarfo was justified in his hits by mafia standards. Hi bloodthirstiness is overrated in my opinion.

Testa and Stanfa were just as trigger-happy.

I humbly disagree. If Leonetti, Crow and DelGiorno all
say he was a murderous guy., I believe it. What was it
28 dead guys in under 10 years. That's a lot of dead.
The stories of 'hit crews' driving around all day looking
for guys to kill. To the point that it was getting in the
way of collections and other $ making duties. I do agree
that Salvie (especially) and many other Philly members
were murderous as well. From Bruno's murder to the
end of Scarfo, the family created Killadelphia fo sho!

Leonetti is a sack of shit who conveniently underplays his role in things. Had guys done what they were supposed to do, kick up and follow the rules, they wouldn't have had any problems with Scarfo. They balked and paid the price, Scarfo wasn't playing games. Those hit crews you mentioned were around during the Riccobene thing, who had his own guys doing the same.

Merlino and his guys were dropping guys on a regular basis well into the early 2000s, there's no difference.

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

I got to thinking about Philly today realized Scarf had to be one paranoid fuck. I mean can you blame him for all the killing. They went thru 2 boss in a year not to mention other top members in on the murder plots. Im sure he felt like he didn't have much of a choice but to kill any possible threat.

Scarfo was justified in his hits by mafia standards. Hi bloodthirstiness is overrated in my opinion.

Testa and Stanfa were just as trigger-happy.

I humbly disagree. If Leonetti, Crow and DelGiorno all
say he was a murderous guy., I believe it. What was it
28 dead guys in under 10 years. That's a lot of dead.
The stories of 'hit crews' driving around all day looking
for guys to kill. To the point that it was getting in the
way of collections and other $ making duties. I do agree
that Salvie (especially) and many other Philly members
were murderous as well. From Bruno's murder to the
end of Scarfo, the family created Killadelphia fo sho!

Go thru 2 bosses in months of each other and what would you do? Wait to get killed? He wasn't in charge of a boy scout troop.

What would I do? I'd kill everyone!

[DPG]

I got to thinking about Philly today realized Scarf had to be one paranoid fuck. I mean can you blame him for all the killing. They went thru 2 boss in a year not to mention other top members in on the murder plots. Im sure he felt like he didn't have much of a choice but to kill any possible threat.

Scarfo was justified in his hits by mafia standards. Hi bloodthirstiness is overrated in my opinion.

Testa and Stanfa were just as trigger-happy.

I humbly disagree. If Leonetti, Crow and DelGiorno all
say he was a murderous guy., I believe it. What was it
28 dead guys in under 10 years. That's a lot of dead.
The stories of 'hit crews' driving around all day looking
for guys to kill. To the point that it was getting in the
way of collections and other $ making duties. I do agree
that Salvie (especially) and many other Philly members
were murderous as well. From Bruno's murder to the
end of Scarfo, the family created Killadelphia fo sho!

Go thru 2 bosses in months of each other and what would you do? Wait to get killed? He wasn't in charge of a boy scout troop.

What would I do? I'd kill everyone!

Making sure we're on the same page SP

[DPG]

Come to think of it the one guy he should of killed he didn't kill

[Angelo Santino]

I got to thinking about Philly today realized Scarf had to be one paranoid fuck. I mean can you blame him for all the killing. They went thru 2 boss in a year not to mention other top members in on the murder plots. Im sure he felt like he didn't have much of a choice but to kill any possible threat.

Scarfo was justified in his hits by mafia standards. Hi bloodthirstiness is overrated in my opinion.

Testa and Stanfa were just as trigger-happy.

I humbly disagree. If Leonetti, Crow and DelGiorno all
say he was a murderous guy., I believe it. What was it
28 dead guys in under 10 years. That's a lot of dead.
The stories of 'hit crews' driving around all day looking
for guys to kill. To the point that it was getting in the
way of collections and other $ making duties. I do agree
that Salvie (especially) and many other Philly members
were murderous as well. From Bruno's murder to the
end of Scarfo, the family created Killadelphia fo sho!

Leonetti is a sack of shit who conveniently underplays his role in things. Had guys done what they were supposed to do, kick up and follow the rules, they wouldn't have had any problems with Scarfo. They balked and paid the price, Scarfo wasn't playing games. Those hit crews you mentioned were around during the Riccobene thing, who had his own guys doing the same.

Merlino and his guys were dropping guys on a regular basis well into the early 2000s, there's no difference.

According to Burnstein, Leonetti hasn't changed his mindset and will always be a killer. In documentaries he laments Salvie Testa's murder yet informants recall him asking when the hit was going down because he was tired of looking at him. Granted he could have been "caught up" in the life but if so using Testa's murder as a "turning point" has to be voided from his narrative.

One other tidbit, Burnstein originally wanted to name the book: "The Devil's Protege" but Leonetti felt that was disingenuous to the devil. Sorta gives you an insight into his biases and how that may affect his narrative in the book.

[B.]

Scarfo was "justified" in ordering many murders based on mob rules and the climate of violence/paranoia that predated his run as boss, but by all counts he did enjoy violence and murder. He was the protege of Skinny DiTullio, who by reputation was one of the most prolific murderers in Philly family history, and pretty much every source who knew him personally claims he enjoyed violence. The way it's presented to sell newspapers and books is different from the reality, though, as he wasn't killing just to kill like Scarpa.

[SILENT PARTNERZ]

Scarfo was "justified" in ordering many murders based on mob rules and the climate of violence/paranoia that predated his run as boss, but by all counts he did enjoy violence and murder. He was the protege of Skinny DiTullio, who by reputation was one of the most prolific murderers in Philly family history, and pretty much every source who knew him personally claims he enjoyed violence. The way it's presented to sell newspapers and books is different from the reality, though, as he wasn't killing just to kill like Scarpa.

I did not remember that about Skinny Razor. I will have to
go back a reread some of the Philly books. I think we can all
agree that the Philly Mob was/is a murderous family.

[chin_gigante]

The fifth name that Martorano never got round to saying could have been Frank Stillitano. Read somewhere that Leonetti identified Long John as one of the shooters they sent to kill Frankie Steele as a favour to the Gambinos.

[Ivan]

The fifth name that Martorano never got round to saying could have been Frank Stillitano. Read somewhere that Leonetti identified Long John as one of the shooters they sent to kill Frankie Steele as a favour to the Gambinos.

cool, thanks for the info

[Wiseguy]

Cleaning out some files and thought this would be a good place to post this excerpt so it's retrievable...


According to Leonetti in "Mafia Prince" page 94: (3 reasons for double cross of Caponigro)

1. Scarfo, etc. taking over Philly mob swings their vote to the Genovese, which gives them more control of Commission

2. Scarfo, etc. taking over Philly mob means he also takes control of HEREIU Local 54 (which they were beefing with Bruno about) and that would benefit the Genovese who later received money out of the union from Scarfo

3. Taking out Caponigro meant the Genovese could take over his gambling/loansharking operations in North Jersey (which they had beefed about in the past when Caponigro won the sitdown)