Scarfo FBI file released

[NJShore4Life]

Thanks B, a lot of good info if it’s 100% accurate. Natale likes to lie...

[B.]

Thanks B, a lot of good info if it’s 100% accurate. Natale likes to lie...

Yeah, he is one of the least reliable witnesses as far as I'm concerned. It's good info at least in that it's what he provided to the government opposed to interviews with journalists, his book, etc.

Given how reckless he was with some of those early murders he did and his attitude toward Scarfo, I have to imagine going to prison saved Natale's life. Ralph Natale would probably be just another name on the long list of murder victims from the early 1980s otherwise.

One thing I found interesting is that he talks about how he and Merlino felt justified in taking over the family as non-members in part because Philadelphia wasn't even being recognized by New York. This matches with what DiLeonardo told us in his Q&A about Gotti sending word not to recognize Philadelphia members. In some sense, it is logical that Merlino and Natale could use that to their advantage.

[Ivan]

Thanks B, a lot of good info if it’s 100% accurate. Natale likes to lie...

Yeah, he is one of the least reliable witnesses as far as I'm concerned. It's good info at least in that it's what he provided to the government opposed to interviews with journalists, his book, etc.

I read like half his book when I was at Barnes and Noble waiting for my brother to get done with some rock concert.

It's pretty dopey but there's some interesting stuff in it. There's a picture of Felix Bocchino for example, and he claims that Anthony Ferrante got rid of the Bruno hit shotgun (dismantled it and threw the parts into the Delaware, if memory serves).

[B.]

Thanks B, a lot of good info if it’s 100% accurate. Natale likes to lie...

Yeah, he is one of the least reliable witnesses as far as I'm concerned. It's good info at least in that it's what he provided to the government opposed to interviews with journalists, his book, etc.

I read like half his book when I was at Barnes and Noble waiting for my brother to get done with some rock concert.

It's pretty dopey but there's some interesting stuff in it. There's a picture of Felix Bocchino for example, and he claims that Anthony Ferrante got rid of the Bruno hit shotgun (dismantled it and threw the parts into the Delaware, if memory serves).

See, it's unfortunate that he drops some obvious bullshit because it calls everything into question, but Ferrante would make sense given that he was a relative of Caponigro. Same logic as Bocchino (who Leonetti also mentioned being involved) and DeVito (who was a close Caponigro associate, killed by the new administration). None of these names mentioned by Natale are out of left field.

The question is how Natale would know these details, but maybe there was more gossip going around than we realize.

[B.]

The accepted theory for Mickey DeVito's murder is that he backed the Marconi brothers in a sitdown against Chuck Merlino and Nicky Scarfo over Merlino's affair with the Marconi niece and years later, when Scarfo took over, they retaliated against DeVito for this beef by forcing the Marconi brothers to kill him. Another reason was that DeVito apparently claimed to have paid back a loan he had borrowed before some of the murders went down, when in fact he hadn't paid it. This comes from Caramandi, and though he was overall a reliable source, he wasn't a member yet and he gets some details wrong or bases them off hearsay.

Anastasia and/or Caramandi claims in Blood and Honor that the Marconi brothers were chosen for the job to punish them for the aforementioned beef with Scarfo and Merlino. However, hit teams are often chosen because of their close relationship to the victim and while it is a good test of loyalty, it's not done as a sadistic punishment. Caramandi talked about how DeVito was elusive before his murder and Scarfo ended up passing word that anyone who was with DeVito should be killed, too; this apparently included Caramandi, who was often with DeVito. It would make sense then that they would bring the Marconi brothers into the conspiracy to kill an elusive victim they had access to. It's not much different from Merlino and Joe Ciancaglini being alleged participants in the Frank Sindone murder -- both Merlino and Ciancaglini were close personal friends of Sindone. Or there's Joe Pungitore in the Salvie Testa murder, etc. The list is endless.

Maybe the Marconi/Merlino beef was a factor in the murder and Scarfo/Merlino got a thrill out of killing DeVito because of this, but it's also one of those storylines that plays into the "Scarfo = murderous psychopath" narrative that sells these books. Scarfo was murderous, but most of the early murders were committed because of serious rule infractions or other issues that carried over from Bruno's death. Even if the Marconi beef was the real motivation for DeVito's murder, that wouldn't have been the "official" reason, so in that case, what was the official reason? The other thing I always have to bring up when we discuss murders on here is that there can be multiple reasons for a murder. I would say that's more often the case than not -- for a guy to finally cross the line and get murdered, usually there is a checklist of infractions. This also came up in the Bonanno 1980s murders thread because there is this idea that a guy can only be murdered for one overarching reason when that's not true at all.

Another example is the Riccobene murder contract -- Caramandi says that Chucky Merlino passed word that Harry Riccobene was an FBI informant which is why they wanted him killed, which Caramandi said was bullshit. We know now that Riccobene was an FBI informant, so either Scarfo/Merlino found this out, guessed correctly, or made it up as an excuse and it just happened to be correct. Either way, their reason for wanting Riccobene dead was the truth. Were there other reasons to kill Riccobene? Sure. He was against the new administration, apparently didn't kick up, etc. But he was an FBI informant and that was the reason Merlino gave when he issued the contract.

[moneyman]

Is Natale being sarcastic when he claims that nobody from New York legitimately sent Stanfa to be boss?

[Ivan]

See, it's unfortunate that he drops some obvious bullshit because it calls everything into question, but Ferrante would make sense given that he was a relative of Caponigro. Same logic as Bocchino (who Leonetti also mentioned being involved) and DeVito (who was a close Caponigro associate, killed by the new administration).

I think Natale also said that Bocchino was involved.

I don't have any reason to doubt the Ferrante thing, really. He's a totally obscure figure who adds nothing to Natale's story in terms of commercial prospects.

[B.]

What's cool about Caramandi's book is he unintentionally gives a brief overview of the "Calabrian faction" in its death throes... from the death of Joe Rugnetta, who at one point had the power to block a making ceremony because of a lack of Calabrian candidates, to Nicky Scarfo, who made sure they served the meat before the pasta.

[Cheech]

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.

love it when you do this.

[Ivan]

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.

love it when you do this.

same