Anastasia Inquirer Articles Breakdowns

[chin_gigante]

Breakdown of the material from George Anastasia's Inquirer articles on the mob from 1994 (the compiled articles can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=44&t=6443#p160031)

John Veasey shooting:

- On 16 January, Frank Martines and Vincent Pagano surrendered (warrants for their arrest were issued the day before) and were charged with assault, conspiracy, and weapons charges after John Veasey, now in federal custody, identified them as his attackers
- The pair were detained on $25 million bail each at the Philadelphia Detention Centre (it was falsely reported that Martines was released on bail the day he surrendered)
- Martines had been laying low after surviving an attempt on his own life in 1983 but resurfaced around 1992 as a gambling operative for Stanfa
- Veasey was said to report to Ronald Previte and was suspected of skimming from street tax collections [not sure how accurate this is]

Nicasio Zagone homicide:

- Stanfa’s nephew Nicasio Zagone, a carpenter, was shot in the back of the head in Northeast Philadelphia on 19 January
- Zagone was discovered moaning on the floor by his co-worker Frank Gulino at a storefront (which was undergoing renovations) in the Grant Academy Shopping Centre
- A .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol was found under Zagone’s body and his truck was found out back with the engine still running
- Investigators believed Zagone was in the process of unloading his truck when he was shot
- Zagone was taken, in a comatose state, to Frankford Hospital-Torresdale Campus and then transferred to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
- Zagone died of his injuries two days later
- Zagone’s relatives denied any organised crime connection beyond their familial relation to Stanfa, who was the brother-in-law of Zagone’s late father
- Detectives hoped that Gulino could provide them with more details and noted that Zagone worked in the construction business for Frank Congialdi, who was also related to Stanfa
- Also in the shopping centre was the Italian Café restaurant, which was frequented by Stanfa and his top aides during the summer
- Stanfa and his associates attended Zagone’s wake and reportedly stayed there all night
- Investigators were unsure of the motive, whether it was a robbery gone wrong, a suicide, a murder orchestrated by the Joseph Merlino faction or a case of mistaken identity by individuals looking for Gulino, a former associate of Stanfa’s (perhaps Stanfa’s own men were behind it)

Filipelli extortion case:

- On 25 January, Ronald Previte, Fred Aldrich, and Vincent Filipelli were indicted in Camden County on charges of armed robbery, extortion, and kidnapping
- Businessmen Mitchell Herman and John Buckley had been confronted in Vorhees Township over a legitimate loan of $18,000 extended to Herman by an acquaintance of Previte
- In July 1993, Aldrich, Filipelli and Previte threatened the duo and held Buckley at gun point while Herman was driven to a bank to withdraw $5,000
- Filipelli later contacted Herman to meet at Echo Shopping Centre to collect more money
- Herman informed the police and arrested Filipelli, who was released on $10,000 bail
- Vorhees police turned the case over to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, who connected it to Previte and Aldrich

Lead-up to Stanfa indictments:

- An electrician discovered two bugs in Stanfa’s home (across two visits to the house) after they began to interfere with the television and the kitchen phone
- Stanfa’s lawyer Edward Crisonino took possession of the bugs
- Assistant Attorney General David Brody filed a request in April 1994 to have the bugs returned (they had been planted by New Jersey State Police in June 1993)
- A bug had also been discovered in Ronald Previte’s car and the car of Michael Palma, a gambler and drug dealer from South Jersey who by that point was cooperating with authorities
- Stanfa arranged a birthday party for Joseph Ciancaglini Jr on 13 March at Marasano’s II, an Italian restaurant in Vorhees
- More than a dozen members and associates attended Ciancaglini’s party, which was described as a combination celebration for that birthday and the birthday he missed the year before
- Ciancaglini still reportedly looked bad but was described as “100 percent better than he was”
- Ciancaglini was still undergoing physical therapy and required a cane to walk
- Stanfa issued a moratorium on violence following the botched hit on Veasey in the face of looming indictments
- Stanfa was expecting to be indicted but felt confident that he could fight the case
- One source reported that Stanfa had recently elevated Previte and Sergio Battaglia to positions of authority, but who would be assigned to run the family on Stanfa’s behalf would be determined by who got indicted
- Stanfa had lunch at Pasta Blitz on the corner of Second and Walnut Streets on 16 March with several of his associates
- Authorities surveyed the meeting and believed it was called to establish who was in charge if Stanfa was arrested
- Some speculation was that Stanfa could run the family through his son Joseph or through Previte, though Previte was noted as being too smart to want the job
- Stanfa’s choice to run Philadelphia was, according to some sources, William D’Elia of the Bufalino family
- D’Elia was supposed to attend the Pasta Blitz lunch but failed to do so because he believed he was being tailed
- Previte’s car (registered to a friend in Hammonton) was stolen during the lunch, so he reported the theft to the police

Stanfa case:

- The original indictments named John Stanfa, Frank Martines, Anthony Piccolo, Vincent Pagano, Salvatore Sparacio, John Veasey, Sergio Battaglia, Raymond Esposito, Vincent Filipelli, Giuseppe Gallara, Gaeton Lucibello, Luigi Tripodi, Joseph Altimari, Salvatore Avena, Rosario Bellocchi, Salvatore Brunetti, John Casasanto, Philip Colletti, Herbert Keller, Jack Manfredi, Ron Mazzone, Thomas Morrone, Thomas Rebbie and Gary Tavella
- When Stanfa was arrested early in the morning on 17 March he offered no resistance and went along politely, but called a television reporter a jerk when he asked if he had anything to say
- Stanfa’s lawyer Edward Crisonino complained that his client, knowing he would be indicted, had offered to surrender but his offer was never responded to
- When Ron Mazzone was arrested, his wife Maria insisted that he have his breakfast and medication (for his diabetes) before being taken into custody
- Lawyer Carmen Nasuti argued that Raymond Esposito had a heart condition that left him housebound in a bid to secure him bail
- Esposito’s wife Yolanda added that he was blind in one eye and was regularly seeing a psychiatrist for emotional problems
- Esposito was also collecting $800 a month in disability from his social security
- The prosecution however argued that despite Esposito’s ailments he was fit enough to head an extortion crew for Stanfa
- Philip Colletti, by then cooperating with the government, provided much of the information against Esposito and described him as the man who brought him into the Stanfa group in 1992
- Colletti lived in Glassboro and Esposito lived in Gibbstown
- Judge Edwin E Naythons denied Esposito bail but relegated him to the medical wing of a federal prison to await trial
- Rosario Bellocchi was in the US on an expired visa
- Anthony Piccolo’s bail hearing was postponed after he collapsed in court and was taken to hospital, though he was ultimately also denied bail
- On 25 April, Philip Colletti pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges, including his involvement in the murder of Michael Ciancaglini and attempted murders of Joseph Merlino and Steven Mazzone
- Ronald Mazzone was assigned a public defender after failing to find counsel of his own
- Salvatore Sparacio requested a public defender after Salvatore Avena was unable to represent him due to his own indictment
- Sparacio alleged his main source of income was social security, that he had no bank account, his wife owned his house and he lost more money gambling than he won (Sparacio also claimed he had to hock his jewellery 20 times over the past four years to pay his bills)
- After Avena was arrested, Stanfa’s defense shifted to Edward Crisonino, who stepped aside in favour of Charles Gelso, who Stanfa was unable to retain
- Stanfa was said to be unwilling to spend the estimated $200,000 to $300,000 on a private lawyer
- Sparacio was denied furlough to attend his stepdaughter’s funeral after she suddenly died of cancer
- Jack Manfredi, the owner of a pest control business, pled guilty 23 June and admitted his involvement in a Stanfa shakedown crew
- Manfredi agreed to forfeit the $8,750 authorities estimated he earned from his acts
- Manfredi had extorted three bookmakers and Delilah’s Den, a go-go bar on Spring Garden Street
- Manfredi was part of a crew consisting of Sergio Battaglia, John Casasanto and Herbert Keller that reported to acting underboss Frank Martines
- In July, John Veasey pled guilty to a racketeering conspiracy case involving the murders of Michael Ciancaglini and Frank Baldino, three attempted murders, an extortion and an arson
- The judge presiding asked if Veasey understood he had the right to a trial in front of a jury where all 12 members would need to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, Veasey said, “Yes… And they would”
- Thomas Rebbie pled guilty on 11 August to racketeering charges involving the murder of Frank Baldino and the attempted murders of Steven Mazzone and Michael Avicolli
- Rebbie had been arrested in April after becoming a fugitive for a few weeks and, shortly after, agreed to cooperate with authorities
- Rebbie was a Navy veteran, a Cheltenham Township police officer, a bodyguard and a burglar alarm salesman before joining up with Stanfa
- Gaeton Lucibello’s bail was revoked on 12 October for possession of a weapon
- Lucibello was collecting about $1,000 after hitting the number when he was caught in a sting by the Philadelphia Police vice unit at Lou’s Crab House on Moyamensing Avenue
- The officers discovered a snub-nose .38 revolver loaded with hollow-point bullets in Lucibello’s waistband
- Lucibello had been required to turn in his collection of guns when he was granted bail in March
- Lucibello’s lawyer, Joseph Capone, convinced the judge to recommend Lucibello be detained in Fairton, NJ, due to its proximity to Philadelphia
- Prosecutors objected, unsuccessfully, saying that several members of the Stanfa faction plotting to kill Lucibello were also housed at Fairton

Superseding indictment in the Stanfa case:

- Gaetano Scafidi and Ronald Previte were visited by FBI agents and told they would be caught up in superseding indictments in the Stanfa case in a bid to convince them to cooperate
- The agents were particularly interested in flipping Scafidi so they could use his information to indict Merlino in a bid to prevent him from taking over the organisation with Ralph Natale
- The superseding indictment stemmed from information developed by New Jersey State Police starting in 1993 when a friend of Vincent Pagano began providing information
- The informant approached Pagano and Frank Martines to set up a meeting with a bookmaker (really an undercover officer) who wanted to fall under the umbrella of the organisation
- Previte, however, avoided the meeting, questioning why a bookmaker would want to be making payments
- Scafidi was brought to the meeting instead
- On 17 November, Gaetano Scafidi, Giuseppe Palazzolo and Santo Bravata were added to the Stanfa case in a superseding indictment
- Bravata and Palazzolo were born in Sicily but moved to America as children and were permanent residents
- Bravata came from Caccamo, the same village as Stanfa
- Bravata and Palazzolo were involved in conspiracies to kill Ronald Galati and Steven Mazzone
- Scafidi and Palazzolo were arrested while Bravata became a fugitive
- Scafidi told Philip Colletti that if they were to kill some members of Merlino’s organisation it would make it easier for them to collect street tax money
- Stanfa’s hit list included Steven Mazzone, Ronald Galati, Anthony Valenti, Michael Avicolli, George Borgesi, Gaeton Lucibello, Michael Lancellotti, Ralph Natale and Carl Bradley
- Investigators described Bradley as an enforcer for Merlino, but other sources merely described him as an acquaintance
- Scafidi was held without bail
- Joseph Altimari, on bail since his arrest in March, was also arrested as authorities argued he had continued to engage in extortion and street tax collection

Anthony Piccolo Camden trial:

- On 12 January 1994, Superior Court Judge Isaiah Steinberg refused to declare a mistrial in the NJ racketeering case against Anthony Piccolo after it was postponed in October 1993
- The case had begun to slow down in September 1993 during jury selection over concerns of a conflict of interest with Piccolo’s lawyer, Salvatore Avena
- The prosecution argued it would cause problems if Piccolo ever wanted to plead guilty and offered to cooperate with the government, as Avena also represented Stanfa (it was not yet disclosed that Avena was a target of the indictments)
- Piccolo then replaced Avena with lawyer Carl Poplar, who argued that it would not be fair for the case to continue with a new defence after jury selection had been completed and opening statements and some testimony had been heard
- Steinberg ruled that the integrity of the trial had not been compromised and extended the postponement to 7 June, though it was later scheduled to resume on 18 October
- Steinberg declared a mistrial on 18 October after one of the jurors backed out, citing changes in his work schedule and Piccolo refused to go along with an 11-juror panel
- The case was then passed to Judge David Eynon and by this point Piccolo was being represented by court-appointed lawyer Ralph Kramer
- On 27 October, Piccolo had a brief outburst in court, accusing Deputy State Attorney Charles Buckley of lying when he said Piccolo was dragging his feet to get the charges against him thrown out
- Kramer unsuccessfully sought to get the charges thrown out under double jeopardy
- Piccolo fell asleep in court on 2 November and blamed the conditions in Camden County Jail, where he clamed to be sleeping on the floor (the jury was listening to tapes made by George Fresolone at the time)
- Judge Eynon told the sheriff’s officers to make sure Piccolo had a mattress
- Piccolo was being held in a federal prison in Fairton in the Stanfa case over the weekends and transferred to Camden County Jail during the week for his state trial
- North Jersey members John Praino, Nicholas Olivieri, Nicholas Cifelli and Vincent Centorino were all serving jail terms by the time of Piccolo’s trial in November
- Piccolo was found guilty on 16 November and transferred back to Fairton, with sentencing scheduled for January 1995

The Collettis:

- Philip Colletti had been involved in an altercation in which he shot William Henderson to death over a parking space on 2 May 1981
- William Henderson had a criminal record for assault and robbery and had been drinking on the day of the incident
- Henderson had double-parked in front of his daughter’s house, blocking the street and preventing another car from passing
- Colletti, who was visiting his girlfriend, heard the noise and came out to complain, getting into an argument with Henderson
- Henderson moved the car, allowing the other driver to pass, but later approached Colletti’s girlfriend’s home with a baseball bat and started banging on the door and window for Colletti to come outside
- Colletti, claiming he believed Henderson was attempting to break into the house, shot Henderson twice in the chest and abdomen
- Henderson got into his own car and drove half a block, sideswiping a few cars before crashing into the front steps of another house
- Henderson was taken to hospital and died in the emergency room
- Colletti was convicted of third-degree murder on 16 June 1982 and sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months in prison, though he only served six months (he also used this light sentence as a bragging point)
- Colletti had employment waiting for him upon release at a floor-contracting company managed by mob associate Robert Rego
- Colletti then began working as a plumber until he left his job to collect disability and began working for the Stanfa organisation
- Colletti was arrested in September 1993 when, during a routine traffic stop in Deptford, State Police discovered a Browning 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his car along with hollow-point bullets
- Brenda Colletti had been a go-go dancer working at the Adult House bookstore in Woodlynne
- The bookstore was closed in May 1991 after a vice raid
- Brenda had a gun in her purse at the time of the raid and a weapons offence was pending against her at the time that she and her husband agreed to cooperate with the government
- Brenda Colletti was brought into the conspiracy to kill Joseph Merlino in September 1993
- Salvatore Brunetti, who worked in a laboratory, obtained cyanide and provided it to Colletti
- Brenda would get dressed up, go nightclubs Merlino frequented and poison him and anyone else he was with
- The Collettis agreed to cooperate shortly after Veasey’s defection was revealed, and they testified before a grand jury leading up to the Stanfa indictments
- Brenda Colletti pled guilty to obstruction of justice on 27 October for her role in reporting the car that was used in the Michael Ciancaglini murder as stolen

Ronald Galati fraud trial:

- On 9 February, Ronald Galati was ordered detained without bail on insurance fraud charges after threatening the life of James Trovarello, a postal inspector who was part of the task force investigating Galati
- Galati and Trovarello’s children went to the same school, and they had known each other for over 30 years
- Galati had been overheard threatening Trovarello by Philadelphia Police Detective John Spink at a fund-raising event at St Monica’s Hall
- Some of Galati’s associates were identified as Merlino, Michael Avicolli, George Borgesi and Anthony Borgesi
- Shortly after, however, Galati was released on bail and the charge was withdrawn (only to be featured in a later indictment)
- Anthony Borgesi and Philip Ligambi (a 24-year-old nephew of Joseph Ligambi) surrendered on 28 March on charges of attacking a 16-year-old boy and his mother, Michelle Fuscellaro, with a baseball bat and a broomstick at Jo Jo’s Auto Dealing on South Juniper Street
- Fuscellaro (who ran Jo Jo’s with her son) was struck with the broom when she attempted to intervene in her son’s beating, but no-one was seriously injured
- Borgesi and Ligambi were identified as employees at Galati’s autobody shop, and the incident was described as a result of a failure of Jo Jo’s to refer work to Galati
- Judge Thomas Dempsey dismissed the charges against Anthony Borgesi and Philip Ligambi on 18 August after the two victims testified that they could not remember the assault
- Galati was indicted on 25 March on racketeering charges, including a scheme to vandalise customers’ cars to generate business and fraudulent insurance claims
- Galati’s share of the scheme was in excess of $96,000
- Galati was also charged with threatening to kill James Trovarello, mail fraud, bankruptcy fraud, perjury and obstruction
- Six employees of Galati’s auto shop were also charged and his brother John, an accountant, was charged with obstruction in a separate indictment
- Galati was released on $100,000 bail on 30 March
- Galati went on trial in November and sources speculated the case was really designed to get him to cooperate and provide authorities with details of the Schuylkill Expressway shooting of Joseph Stanfa
- Merlino worked for Galati at his garage after his release from prison in 1992
- Authorities believed Galati’s other garage on Grays Ferry Avenue was used to cut portholes into the side of the van used in Stanfa’s shooting
- Some tools were confiscated by detectives from the garage
- Galati’s associates accused the government of leaking the story about the garage to the street to increase pressure on Galati to cooperate
- Law enforcement sources insisted they found out about the story from the street gossip, not the other way around
- Some police sources suggested that the garage could have been used without Galati’s knowledge, citing his reputation as a big mouth
- Galati was a friend of Salvatore Merlino and was attracted to the mob lifestyle, frequently quoting the film Goodfellas
- On 29 November, Galati was convicted on 20 counts of mail fraud, two counts of making false statements to a bankruptcy court and one count of bankruptcy fraud
- Galati was acquitted of obstruction of justice, threatening to kill James Trovarello and 18 other counts of mail fraud
- Galati was acquitted of intentionally vandalising cars
- Galati remained free on bail awaiting sentencing in February 1995
- One of Galati’s employees cooperated with the prosecution, another pled guilty and three more were acquitted

Irving Singer murder trial:

- Irving Singer, a former Camden plumbing contractor, was indicted 9 May 1994 for the 29 January 1974 murder of his ex-wife Carol
- Carol Singer, a former cocktail waitress, was found stabbed 42 times in the home the Singers shared in Cherry Hill (her throat was also slit, she was bound with cord, and a knife was stuck in her back)
- Irving reported finding his wife’s body and told authorities she had been asleep when he left that morning (he claimed he returned with two employees to do work around the house)
- Carol divorced Singer in 1972 and started dating Pasquale “Jimmy Ross” Procopio, who was found shot to death at a construction site in Gloucester Township in April 1972
- Carol then moved to the Fort Lauderdale era and began associating with a group of underworld figures from Philadelphia (by the time of her murder, however, she had moved back to the home she shared with Irving in Cherry Hill)
- After Carol’s murder, Singer married Geraldine Matteo, the widow of Philadelphia associate Louis Matteo who had been murdered in June 1972
- Singer had moved to Florida after the murder but was lured to New Jersey by informants George Bricker and Daniel Ginsburg
- The two informants travelled to Boca Raton and recorded him bragging about his wife’s death and that she had been unfaithful
- Singer also bragged about committing one other murder and wanting to have his step-son killed
- Singer was arrested at Newark International Airport in December 1993 and held in Camden County Jail after failing to post $3,000,000 bail
- Singer pled not guilty 27 June
- James Wilkins testified that Singer offered to set him up in business digging up roads if he would kill Carol Singer
- Singer wanted his wife dead because she was involved with a “low-key mob member”
- Singer wanted Wilkins to make it look like a robbery and didn’t care if his wife was raped or not
- Wilkins did not go through with the murder
- Wilkins had been released from a federal prison when he was introduced to Singer by George Bricker
- Bricker had become a cooperating witness in the 1960s, testifying against Sidney Brooks and Sylvan Scolnick
- Leonard Engler was also offered the contract by Bricker and Singer and paid $2,000 up front with the promise of another $3,000 if he completed the job (he never did)
- Bricker agreed to do it himself, but Carol failed to come home the day he waited for her at the house
- Bricker then backed off the contract but claimed he met Singer again after the murder and that he boasted about completing it
- In a 1984 statement to New Jersey authorities, Bricker neglected to inform them of Wilkins’ involvement
- Bricker turned down a request to assist the investigation in 1989 but finally agreed to do so to help Daniel Ginsburg, a friend seeking a reduction in an unrelated case
- Bricker and Ginsburg travelled to Boca Raton and a “chance” meeting was set up with Singer
- Singer then boasted to Ginsburg that he had committed the murder with an unidentified accomplice
- Bricker and Ginsburg lured Singer to Newark for a business meeting where he was arrested
- Bricker was only paid for his expenses but attempted to sell his story to Inside Edition as well as video of Singer being arrested
- Joseph Morozowski, a friend of Carol, testified that she had threatened to tell authorities about a truck hijacking her husband was involved in
- Morozowski also said that shortly before Carol’s murder she expressed fear and concern over an underworld event, but he did not want to hear about it
- Morozowski also testified that Irving Singer had once admitted that he and a “midget” had committed the murder, saying, “The midget really did a good job on her”
- Morozowski believed Singer felt that if he could not have Carol no-one could
- Morozowski said he once travelled with Irving Singer to Philadelphia shortly after Carol’s death to meet Angelo Bruno
- Singer had been beaten up by a mob figure in a cocktail lounge at the Cherry Hill Holiday Inn shortly after Carol’s murder in what authorities described as retaliation for the killing
- Singer met with Bruno alone to discuss the beating and told Morozowski that there would be no more problems
- Morozowski admitted that he had previously lied to authorities on two previous occasions out of fear of Singer and his underworld connections
- The defense argued that Singer made up the story to seem like a tough guy, and pointed the finger for the murder at Carol’s underworld connections (implying she had information about the murder of Joseph McGreal)
- The defense also provided alibi witnesses which they alleged showed that Singer did not have the time to commit the murder and return to work (the prosecution contended that this was part of Singer’s plan)
- Singer was acquitted on 21 December, with one source saying the jury believed Singer had planned the murder but that the government had not proved his participation in it (the jury had asked during deliberations what the charge would be in this scenario but, not seeking to influence them, the judge told them he could not answer and referred them to the evidence)

Rod Colombo murder:

- Rod Colombo was a bodybuilder who had connections to mob figures in LA
- Colombo moved to Philadelphia in 1992 and was assigned to help Ron Mazzone, who was involved in gambling and loan sharking in South Jersey
- Stanfa gave Biagio Adornetto the contract to kill Colombo and Mazzone in September 1992 because he suspected them of skimming money from collections
- Frank Martines was assigned to show Adornetto where Colombo and Mazzone lived
- Rosario Bellocchi had been charged with the Colombo murder in April 1993 after authorities discovered a partial fingerprint matching his on a recovered .22-caliber pistol believed to be used in the murder
- Prosecutors however dropped the charges against Bellocchi in October 1993, citing a lack of evidence

Michael Brennan murder:

- Michael Brennan was found murdered 6 December by a walker in a wooded area in Cramer Hill, Camden
- Brennan was shot in the neck, chest, and side, and wrapped in a white sheet
- Brennan was described as a hanger-on and a wannabe
- Brennan and Vincent Iannece were arrested in November after getting into a brawl with another man in a bar in Philadelphia
- Brennan and Iannece were released on $2,500 bail
- Some law enforcement sources said Brennan and Iannece were “underlings” of Merlino
- Investigators were looking into claims that Brennan was dating the sister of a “high-ranking member of the Merlino family”

Salvatore Profaci’s visit:

- On 5 December 1991, Stanfa, Piccolo and Salvatore Profaci were caught on tape in Avena’s office
- While discussing the conflict in the Colombo family between Orena and Persico, Profaci said, “Carmine is losing his mind” and described Orena as a gentleman whose peace attempts were rebuffed
- Profaci perceived Persico as deeming everyone around him as “no good” apart from himself
- Piccolo referred to his father’s days in Brooklyn in the 1920s, said to Profaci, “Your Family, more than any other Family… was always honourable”
- Profaci also noted that his father Joseph died “with a broken heart” over the turmoil in his people turning against him
- Of the recruitment pool for LCN, Stanfa said, “We can’t find no more people qualified for this”
- Piccolo added, “If we’re five, then we’re five good ones. Worth a hundred bad ones” and Profaci agreed with the sentiment

North Jersey crew and the Luchese family:

- On 4 February, Joseph Licata, identified as a captain, was sentenced to 37 months in prison after having been convicted in August 1993 of involvement a large-scale bookmaking operation ran by the Philadelphia family and the Luchese family
- The operation had been run out of wire rooms in the Bronx and Staten Island, and records revealed it took in $3.5 million in bets on football one Sunday in September 1992
- Undercover agents had met with Licata, Michael Perna, Ralph Perna and James Fede in March 1992 posing as bookmakers wishing to merge their operations
- Fede was convicted alongside Licata, and Ralph Perna had pled guilty before the start of the trial
- Licata and Fede were fined $50,000 each and Perna was fined $30,000 (all three received equal prison time)
- FBI Agent Dennis Marchalonis wrote an affidavit filed by the prosecution in pre-sentencing in which it was reported that Licata and Michael Perna had conspired to kill the brother of cooperating witness George Fresolone
- Perna had told cooperating witness Thomas Riccardi that he and Licata were plotting the murder, but Ricciardi tried to talk Perna out of it
- Licata was then sentenced to 14 years (two consecutive seven-year sentences) on state racketeering charges on 10 February
- Judge Steinberg ordered that Licata’s federal and state sentences run concurrently
- Licata had pled guilty to the charges prior to the start of the trial but was not present in court for his sentencing as he was en-route to federal prison to begin serving his previous sentence
- George Anastasia met Anthony Accetturo for a supervised interview at an undisclosed location
- Accetturo describes the motive behind his decision to cooperate with authorities as a ‘multitude of things’
- Accetturo stated that Michael Taccetta and other younger members of his crew had gone to meet with the leadership of the Luchese family to get the okay to set Accetturo up to be hit
- Taccetta took a photograph of Accetturo and his wife to be given to the hit men assigned the contract
- Accetturo was particularly upset that they did not cut his wife out of the photograph before handing it over, thus putting her at risk
- Accetturo’s average gross income during a six-year period in the 1980s (according to the IRS) was $149,071, which was largely from a construction equipment leasing company
- Underworld and law enforcement sources estimated Accetturo’s real income was three to five times that figure
- Accetturo described Vittorio Amuso and Anthony Casso as violent and only capable of making fast, unsustainable scores
- Accetturo noted his opinion that years ago law enforcement was disorganised, but now the situation has flipped, and it is LCN that has become disorganised and turning on itself
- Anastasia’s interview happened to take place on the day the news broke that Casso was cooperating
- Accetturo’s reaction to the newspaper story about Casso’s turn was, ‘How about that?’
- Michael Taccetta, described as a captain in the Luchese family, was sentenced on 10 August to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges including 10 charges of murder conspiracy
- Michael Perna, described as a top Taccetta associate, was sentenced to 25 years
- The sentences would run concurrently with 25-year federal sentences they received the month prior

Scarfo Jr’s incarceration:

- Nicky Scarfo Jr was placed in involuntary protective custody after he plead guilty to gambling and racketeering charges in 1993
- Scarfo’s lawyer, Donald Manno, filed a civil rights suit, questioning the validity of death threats received against Scarfo and alleging his placement was a form of punishment instead of protection
- Scarfo had waived his right to protective custody while he was in Bayside State Prison in Leesburg but was moved anyway to a special wing at the Vroom Building in Trenton
- One source questioned why anyone would want to kill Scarfo as he was never mentioned anymore and was not involved in Philadelphia underworld activity
- US District Judge Joseph Irenas then ordered prison authorities to review Scarfo’s protective custody status
- Scarfo Jr was released from protective custody in June and sent to Yardville to await reassignment

Merlino and Natale’s takeover:

- Police sources anticipated Merlino’s rise to underboss shortly before his release from prison on 14 November
- Ralph Natale was released in September

Genovese associate sentenced:

- On 10 June, Genovese associate Louis Auricchio Jr was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 1988 murder of John DiGilio and other racketeering acts
- DiGilio was shot four times in the back of the head and once in the mouth in May 1988 and dumped in a body bag in the Hackensack River
- Former Bayonne police officer George Weingarten was also charged with participating in the killing

[Pogo The Clown]

Great stuff. Interesting that Joe Stanfa and Ron Previte were briefly considered for Acting Boss by Stanfa. Would have been interesting if had tried to continue to have a say from prison.


Pogo

[B.]

Great details.

- Curious if there was any formal rank to Stanfa elevating Previte and Battaglia to positions of authority before the arrest. Did Previte say it was Natale who promoted him to captain, or could that have carried over?

- Piccolo's comment to Profaci always seemed to imply that his father had been connected to mafia activity in Brooklyn. His father Salvatore Piccolo first lived in Philadelphia where most of the children were born, then they moved to Brooklyn in the mid-late 1920s where they lived until at least 1932. They lived near Park Slope, so that would put them in proximity to Profaci figures who had a strong presence in the area.

- Tony Piccolo's brother Domenic was the father / grandfather of current members Salvatore Piccolo and Domenic Grande, both namesakes of their respective grandfathers. Doesn't appear Domenic Piccolo was involved with the mafia.

- Leonetti's explanation of the relationships doesn't exactly match available records. Tony Piccolo's father Salvatore appears to be an uncle or elder cousin of the well-known Piccolos (Nick, Joe, Mike). Leonetti's explanation makes it sound like Tony Piccolo's father was another brother of these Piccolos but Salvatore was not their brother.

- They were all from Mammola like relatives the Scarfos. Interestingly, Bonanno captain Vic Cotroni of Montreal was also born in Mammola and there were a number of Piccolos from Mammola with a presence in Canada though no reason to suspect underworld ties, only that Montreal as well as Philadelphia were both destinations for Mammola natives.

- Hasn't it been said that Nicky Scarfo was born in Brooklyn? His parents were married in Philly in 1928 and records say Nicky was born in Pennsylvania in 1929, same with his sister born two years later. If the Scarfos ever lived in Brooklyn, it would have been between 1931 and 1939, as they were in Philadelphia by the 1940 census. I'm questioning now whether they ever lived in Brooklyn or if that's another myth, like Scarfo's "banishment" to AC and his father Philip being a Genovese member.

- Salvatore Piccolo and his family would be back in Philly by the late 1930s and Salvatore has never been listed as a Philadelphia member. I can't find a record of his death, though given his advanced age (b. 1886) if he was involved with the life it's possible his age caused him to fall under the radar. Either that or Piccolo simply meant his father knew the Profacis socially in Brooklyn.

[chin_gigante]

Great details.

- Curious if there was any formal rank to Stanfa elevating Previte and Battaglia to positions of authority before the arrest. Did Previte say it was Natale who promoted him to captain, or could that have carried over?

I did some thinking about this and here’s what I’ve come up with:

- It’s certainly true that Stanfa promoted a lot of guys quickly
- There were vacant spots in the hierarchy after Veasey flipped and Martines and Pagano were jailed
- However, I have not found reference to Battaglia as a captain or any other hierarchy position
- Anastasia first reported that Previte was a captain in April 1995 and that he had been “tapped by Natale for a leadership position”
- (I tend to believe that considering in that same article Anastasia also accurately described the hierarchy at that time: Natale as boss, Merlino as underboss, Turchi as consigliere, Mazzone as captain in Philadelphia and Previte as captain in South Jersey)
- In The Last Gangster, Previte described being called in to a meeting with Natale in late 1994
- At that meeting, Natale said he knew Previte was a made man and wanted him to be his guy in South Jersey
- I think it’s more likely therefore that Battaglia and Previte’s rise in status at the end of Stanfa’s reign was unofficial
- Battaglia’s shake down crew reported to Martines so it’s possible Battaglia began reporting direct to Stanfa after Martines’ arrest
- Previte was a member of Stanfa’s “palace guard” and Veasey described Battaglia as “Stanfa’s pet”
- Also worth noting on the issue of hierarchy positions, Luigi Tripodi was identified in the indictments as a soldier but referred to as a captain when he went on trial in 1996
- Tripodi was one of the few defendants granted bail so it’s possible he was promoted after everyone was arrested but I don’t think that’s likely
- Tripodi was attending high-ranking meetings as early as December 1991, he was considered one of the top targets of the Ciancaglini-Merlino group and he described the situation with the rival faction as his problem (which, as I’ve discussed before, I think could indicate that Ciancaglini and Merlino were assigned to him)

Also, good breakdown of the Piccolos in Brooklyn, great stuff

[IrishDave]

It would have been interesting to see how things played out had Stanfa tried to run the family from jail with Bill D'Ella as the acting boss.

[Pogo The Clown]

It would have been interesting to see how things played out had Stanfa tried to run the family from jail with Bill D'Ella as the acting boss.

Yeah that would have been interesting. A guy as Boss of 2 different families at the same time (even if by that point the Bufalinos were non-existent with D'Elia probably being the only active member by then). Would NY even allow something like that? I guess if D'Elia transferred families which wouldn't have been a problem since he was Boss of his own group and Stanfa was OK with it. How would the other Philly guys have reacted? The Merlino Crew tried to kill Stanfa but would they have tried with D'Elia considering how many connections he had with NY? And who would D'Elia bring on board to try to rebuild the organization. Many different possibilities.


Pogo

[johnny_scootch]

Is there another example of a boss moving from one family to another besides Mineo?

[B.]

There were those rumors of Russell Bufalino stepping in to run the Genovese family which sounded ridiculous, though interesting we have a similar rumor about the boss of the same family doing it in Philly.

[IrishDave]

Did D'Elia testify to this rumor? Was it picked up on the Stanfa tapes? To me this is very interesting. Like Pogo said, would Merlino and Co have tried to take out D'Elia? Would and NY family have helped right the ship with D'Elia in charge? Just a ton of interesting possibilities.

[PHL_Mob]

Luigi Tripodi was an uncle of the Chang boys. I think Chickie Chang’s wife was a Tripodi. That’s why he said it was his problem. But you’re right he was around very early in the Stanfa reign. He had the Mona Lisa Restaurant on 4th between south st and Bainbridge st which closed like 10-15 years ago. Stanfa used to hold a lot of meetings there early on.

[B.]

Luigi Tripodi was an uncle of the Chang boys. I think Chickie Chang’s wife was a Tripodi. That’s why he said it was his problem. But you’re right he was around very early in the Stanfa reign. He had the Mona Lisa Restaurant on 4th between south st and Bainbridge st which closed like 10-15 years ago. Stanfa used to hold a lot of meetings there early on.

Ciancaglini cousin and suspected member Frank DePasquale's sister is married to the nephew of Gino Tripodi.