Who was the problem that Merlino had with Stanfa?

[Dwalin2014]

Merlino cleverly exploited the power void created after Stanfa's arrest, but I don't understand why people often say he "won the war" against Stanfa, since it was the feds who removed Stanfa from the scene. Unless people think the feds were working for Merlino, I don't see how can he be credited with this.
I don't mean Merlino isn't a capable boss, but still imo it's quite uncertain who would have won if Stanfa remained on the street.

Ligambi the was the street boss when Joey was in prison was the man that rebuilt the family and the relations with NY families,he deserved to be the boss not Joey.

Here I agree, Ligambi theoretically would be a better boss.

[Pogo The Clown]

What Pogo said is most of it. There was also the resentment over Stanfa being a zip who took over when they thought it should be a local guy.

Honestly I think that gets over played. That crew also disregarded Tony Piccolo and did their own thing and he was as local as it gets. If instead of Stanfa some old timer like Piccolo, Sparacio, Bocchino, etc had been named Boss I still think they would have butted heads. They controlled the street tax, were killing people without permission and were in effect the power in South Philly and it is hard to imagine them falling into line when they really didn't have to.


Pogo

[Ivan]

What Pogo said is most of it. There was also the resentment over Stanfa being a zip who took over when they thought it should be a local guy.

Honestly I think that gets over played. That crew also disregarded Tony Piccolo and did their own thing and he was as local as it gets. If instead of Stanfa some old timer like Piccolo, Sparacio, Bocchino, etc had been named Boss I still think they would have butted heads. They controlled the street tax, were killing people without permission and were in effect the power in South Philly and it is hard to imagine them falling into line when they really didn't have to.

Yeah you're probably right. It was a power and money grab.

[bluehouse]

The publicity aside, it is true that another way Merlino is like Gotti is that neither of them were really moneymakers themselves. Gotti admitted the "best (he) ever did was go on a few hijackings." But they both had/have a certain leadership quality that made other guys follow them.

I think in Gottis case they let him have it because eventually they knew who was ever at the top will go down for the castellano hit.Deccico,gambino and a few other old timers were all better suited but they were also much smarter than JG.If the hit happened 15 years earlier JG probably would have never got caught and would of died a free man but in saying that 15 years earlier if all the players involved were the same age and rank if he did something like that he probably would of been killed right after he took out a boss

[Chucky]

Stanfa would have been better off just playing ball with Ciancaglini and Merlino

[TallGuy19]

The publicity aside, it is true that another way Merlino is like Gotti is that neither of them were really moneymakers themselves. Gotti admitted the "best (he) ever did was go on a few hijackings." But they both had/have a certain leadership quality that made other guys follow them.

What rackets was Gotti involved in before becoming boss?

[Wiseguy]

The publicity aside, it is true that another way Merlino is like Gotti is that neither of them were really moneymakers themselves. Gotti admitted the "best (he) ever did was go on a few hijackings." But they both had/have a certain leadership quality that made other guys follow them.

What rackets was Gotti involved in before becoming boss?

His Bergin crew in Queens was a classic "blue collar" operation. Gambling (bookmaking, card and crap games) and loansharking. Hijacking and fencing stolen goods. Of course they moved into drugs.

[furiofromnaples]

Gotti was scaried that Castellano would hear the tapes where ruggero talk openly of how kilos of drug to sell.

[TommyGambino]

Gotti was scaried that Castellano would hear the tapes where ruggero talk openly of how kilos of drug to sell.

[Ivan]

Stanfa would have been better off just playing ball with Ciancaglini and Merlino

He should have used them to rebuild the family. Make the main guys (Merlino, Mazzone, Ciancaglini or whoever) and appoint them family capos instead of trying to rebuild the family with people like the half-French retard Veasey.

We really need to get rid of the "punk kid wannabes" narrative surrounding the Merlino circle. People are still saying that even though the guys are 50+ and have more than proven themselves by now. Even way back then they were serious guys and mob royalty (and regarding the latter point, personally by mob standards I think they are a lot more impressive than people like, say, Junior Gotti).

[Pogo The Clown]

I think that is what would have happened in they had fallen in line behind Stanfa but they never gave him a chance. It seems that right from the beginning they were bucking his authority, refusing to kick up and doing whatever they wanted. Stanfa really had no choice. Don't forget he tried to bring them into the fold by making Joey Chang and then promoting him to UnderBoss and then he made Merlino and Mikey Chang but it still wasn't enough. They were bent on doing whatever they wanted. They were doing the same thing when Tony Piccolo was Acting Boss.


Pogo

[NJShore4Life]

The only ones who really weren’t second generation in the life in Merlino’s crew were Mazzone, Marty, Lancelotti, and Dutchie Avicoli. You can say Canalichio and Nicodemo too but they were so young back then during the Stanfa war they were basically errand boys coming up with the Merlino/Mikey Chang crew. Mikey Chang was also the #1 leader of that crew until he was hit. Joey really wasn’t the leader of the pack until after Mikey got hit.

Borgesi was Uncle Joe’s nephew, I suspect Uncle Joe was more of a Father figure to Borgesi when he was younger as I believe Georgie’s Father ran out on the family when he was young and Georgie’s Mother Manny is Uncle Joe’s younger sister. I could be wrong on the exact details of Borgesi’s Father.

-Dante

[joeycigars]

Biggest mistake Stanfa made was Making Merlino ,Trying to appease him was never gonna happen , If Salvie Testa was alive he would be a Merlino victim too one way or another for what he did to the sister , I belive Joey shot Scarfo JR for revenge how SR treated Chucky at the end , Not to send a message whos taking over , The writing was on the wall , Joey Merlino was never gonna be shelved like his father , That was the message

[Chucky]

I think that is what would have happened in they had fallen in line behind Stanfa but they never gave him a chance. It seems that right from the beginning they were bucking his authority, refusing to kick up and doing whatever they wanted. Stanfa really had no choice. Don't forget he tried to bring them into the fold by making Joey Chang and then promoting him to UnderBoss and then he made Merlino and Mikey Chang but it still wasn't enough. They were bent on doing whatever they wanted. They were doing the same thing when Tony Piccolo was Acting Boss.


Pogo

Joe Ciancaglini made the first move by trying to clip him when he was playing basketball in the neighborhood and firing into his home. That’s what got the ball rolling and I doubt Joey Chang carried that out without Stanfa’s approval.

[chin_gigante]

Technically the Ciancaglini-Merlino group made the first move by killing Bocchino