Merlino

[stubbs]

He’s been the boss for 25 years or so. He’s still only 60 and a young 60 at that. Unless they get him for murder he’s the boss. He won’t retire. He spends way too much.

Wild that Joey has been the boss longer than Angelo Bruno ever was.

[B.]

Merlino appears to follow protocol and seems more conservative about membership than Stanfa was. His father and uncle were both members as are his childhood friends. I dont see anything that suggests that if he vacated his position he wouldnt not still choose to exist in that atmosphere.

Don't forget everyone except one dude was convinced the "Ligambi faction" pushed the "Merlino faction" to the side and Ligambi was official boss, right up until the Stefanelli tapes and FBI indictment revealed the Ligambi faction = Merlino faction. I bought into it too, but if we can be that wrong about the most publicized and widely-covered Family it just proves we know nothing.

[Antiliar]

"You know nothing, Jon Snow."

[B.]

Hand of the King = consigliere

[TommyGambino]

Where is the mob sit-down video, on YouTube?

[Angelo Santino]

Having been on and off the forums since 2001 I remember the Merlino narratives:

By 2002, Joe Ligambi was considered official boss. One newspaper article (City Times?) even detailed Ligambi visiting Merlino in prison to inform him that he's "taking over the family" and is going to "run things the way they should be ran." Nobody, not a single person on the boards nor the experts like Anastasia or Schratweiser even once suggested or offered up the possibility that Merlino was still official boss. This only became known once the Steffanelli tapes surfaced much later.

I remember the forum "in-the-know" members back on RD who "heard" things like NY being "content" with how Ligambi was running "his" family and that once Merlino got released he would "have to get with the program." One even said that Merlino would be offered a capo position or so they heard. And then there was the b&w prison photo of a shirtless "musclebound" (skinny) Joey that a few forum members probably liked more than they should. This was apparently an indication that Merlino was "preparing for war" like he was going to put on a red bandanna and go fucking Rambo 2 in South Philadelphia upon release.

Back in those days, Ligambi was still the man, Mr. "make money not make headlines" (who later allowed himself to be interviewed) Uncle Joe the Bruno-esque Mafia Godfather. And just look at the guys he keeps around him, like Anthony Staino, guys who think with their heads and not their fists. (It later comes out that Staino physically threatened an undercover cop in a bathroom, very white collarish of him.) George A. was carrying him as Ligambi's possible Underboss or as Schratweiser once offered up, Ligambi's "consigliere-in-waiting" (WhateverTF that means).

But then in 2010(?) the PPD put out a chart listing none other than Marty Angelina as the Under and everyone lost their shit. Anastasia was in a state of disbelief and said "some say Staino is the real underboss." (No they did not, you did, George.) People on the forums were shocked (and even dismayed), one member even stating that he's "lost faith" in Ligambi. (I'm sure Uncle Joe was just fucking heartbroken over what someone on the internet thinks about him.) I mean, Marty? C'mon, Marty's a fucking drunk. This can't be right because Ligambi "runs the family the way it should be ran" unless, maybe Joe gave Angelina Underboss to "throw a bone to Joey." Denial, anger, acceptance indeed.

I think alot of what we think we know about the man really deserves a review. These preconceived notions are based on narratives that turned out to have been false. Most of what we think we know about Merlino comes from Anastasia. Admitably he's one of my favorite authors but he's not without his faults. His detailings about the Stanfa-Merlino war, the Merlino-Natale dynamic and the Organization in the 1990's were laced with hyperbole because he's a creative author who wished to form a narrative: Stanfa the old-school Sicilian Mafia Don vs Merlino the Young Turk from Passyunk. Merlino the mob Playboy and Natale AKA Uncle Jun. Philadelphia the most "dysfunctional organized crime family in America." For as much info he provided he also created narratives that people still subscribe to.

[Angelo Santino]

Merlino appears to follow protocol and seems more conservative about membership than Stanfa was. His father and uncle were both members as are his childhood friends. I dont see anything that suggests that if he vacated his position he wouldnt not still choose to exist in that atmosphere.

Don't forget everyone except one dude was convinced the "Ligambi faction" pushed the "Merlino faction" to the side and Ligambi was official boss, right up until the Stefanelli tapes and FBI indictment revealed the Ligambi faction = Merlino faction. I bought into it too, but if we can be that wrong about the most publicized and widely-covered Family it just proves we know nothing.

So did I. I have no contacts in Philly and look to Anastasia like everyone else. I thought Ligambi was boss and Merlino would become his headache. Hell, even after it came out that Merlino was still boss up to that point I thought that Merlino was possibly retired based on his inquiries into a possible book or movie deal once he got out. I wasn't just wrong I was wrong twice. Not the first time, won't be the last.

[dack2001]

That faction business was such nonsense. Going back to 2001, definitely the minority on the board believed that Joey was still the boss. There was more than one poster though who held firm that Joey was the boss but definitely the minority.

[chin_gigante]

George A. was carrying him as Ligambi's possible Underboss or as Schratweiser once offered up, Ligambi's "consigliere-in-waiting" (WhateverTF that means).

But then in 2010(?) the PPD put out a chart listing none other than Marty Angelina as the Under and everyone lost their shit. Anastasia was in a state of disbelief and said "some say Staino is the real underboss." (No they did not, you did, George.)

Tbf on that point, GA and DS's source on Staino being acting underboss was a 2005 FBI chart (details here viewtopic.php?p=140787#p140787), so it appears he did hold the position briefly between Massimino going to prison and Angelina getting out, but I get your point. Staino was still being trumpeted as the number 2 for a significant amount of time after he no longer held the position

[Ivan]

I think alot of what we think we know about the man really deserves a review. These preconceived notions are based on narratives that turned out to have been false. Most of what we think we know about Merlino comes from Anastasia. Admitably he's one of my favorite authors but he's not without his faults. His detailings about the Stanfa-Merlino war, the Merlino-Natale dynamic and the Organization in the 1990's were laced with hyperbole because he's a creative author who wished to form a narrative: Stanfa the old-school Sicilian Mafia Don vs Merlino the Young Turk from Passyunk. Merlino the mob Playboy and Natale AKA Uncle Jun. Philadelphia the most "dysfunctional organized crime family in America." For as much info he provided he also created narratives that people still subscribe to.

I like Anastasia a lot too but he's probably more responsible than anyone for the "Scarfo is like if Joe Pesci in Goodfellas became boss" thing.

Though to be fair in The Goodfella Tapes he admits at one point that Stanfa's "old-school mafia don" image was superficial, and that Merlino had been underestimated by the feds and everyone else.

[PolackTony]

Once an established narrative is in place, it does a lot to shape how we interpret later events, of course. For the head of the most “dysfunctional organized crime family in America”, Merlino has had a hell of a run. Regardless of what he actually thinks about the traditions of the mafia (and we don’t really know what he thinks, we just have the narrative of him as a “Young Turk” thug), Merlino should be considered one of the more successful and enduring bosses. Doubly or triply so when we factor in the intensity of surveillance and LE pressure that bosses from previous eras didn’t have to deal with. You really gotta hand it to the guy. And then with this recent b-day party with guys from NYC, NJ, Boston just dropping envelopes for him, after a bunch of guys in his family were indicted in a highly publicized case. Massive flex.

[Beatty]

He’s been the boss for 25 years or so. He’s still only 60 and a young 60 at that. Unless they get him for murder he’s the boss. He won’t retire. He spends way too much.

Wild that Joey has been the boss longer than Angelo Bruno ever was.

That's wild in amd of itself

[Beatty]

Once an established narrative is in place, it does a lot to shape how we interpret later events, of course. For the head of the most “dysfunctional organized crime family in America”, Merlino has had a hell of a run. Regardless of what he actually thinks about the traditions of the mafia (and we don’t really know what he thinks, we just have the narrative of him as a “Young Turk” thug), Merlino should be considered one of the more successful and enduring bosses. Doubly or triply so when we factor in the intensity of surveillance and LE pressure that bosses from previous eras didn’t have to deal with. You really gotta hand it to the guy. And then with this recent b-day party with guys from NYC, NJ, Boston just dropping envelopes for him, after a bunch of guys in his family were indicted in a highly publicized case. Massive flex.

Whats the ball park on how much was in that tube of envelopes

[Ivan]

Once an established narrative is in place, it does a lot to shape how we interpret later events, of course. For the head of the most “dysfunctional organized crime family in America”, Merlino has had a hell of a run. Regardless of what he actually thinks about the traditions of the mafia (and we don’t really know what he thinks, we just have the narrative of him as a “Young Turk” thug), Merlino should be considered one of the more successful and enduring bosses. Doubly or triply so when we factor in the intensity of surveillance and LE pressure that bosses from previous eras didn’t have to deal with. You really gotta hand it to the guy. And then with this recent b-day party with guys from NYC, NJ, Boston just dropping envelopes for him, after a bunch of guys in his family were indicted in a highly publicized case. Massive flex.

There's getting away with murder, and there's being Joey Merlino. No one is more underrated.

People practically jerk themselves over the punk-lowlife-young-turk-degenerate thing, but I think it's time to formally retire that shit. He's 60. WTF does he have to do to prove himself to his detractors at this point, take over New York?

Though within the mob itself I highly doubt he is not respected, at least not now.

[B.]

There was that police chart too that listed Ligambi as official boss and Angelina was listed off to the side as the lone representative of the "Merlino faction". So LE, Anastasia, and 99% of the forums were convinced.

There was an alleged quote of Ligambi talking to Borgesi in prison where he said "Joey is a cancer". One quote with no context was proof to a lot of people Ligambi hated Merlino and took over. Any time there's a certain narrative it's easy to take one piece of info as proof of a theory. Maybe Ligambi was just caught venting to his nephew (as if you've never talked shit about people you love) or maybe he was talking about Merlino's publicity, but when 2010 hits he's making sure the Gambino Family knows he's loyal to Merlino and representing him.

The group photos and "we're just neighborhood friends" argument has also been in place going back to Bruno, who was recorded telling a member to admit he was friends with Bruno if asked because they're neighbors and everyone sees them together. Bruno, Scarfo, and Merlino were all killers who wore their associations openly and let it be documented in group photos. Makes for a better story to say otherwise, though.

Another example of how little we know is when it came out Scarfo was still officially recognized by the Luccheses and Scarfo Jr. was trying to stage a coup against the Philly leaders. Two Scarfo era guys got in a serious dispute in prison over loyalties. Nobody would have guessed Scarfo era guys and an NYC boss were still explicitly supporting Scarfo up until 2010. You would have been laughed off the board for floating that idea in 2005... it wasn't Merlino vs. Ligambi factions, but Merlino/Ligambi vs. Scarfo factions 20+ years after Scarfo was away.