Philadelphia crime family

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Philadelphia Crime Family
In Flag of the United States Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Founded by Salvatore Sabella
Years active 1911-present
Territory Various neighborhoods in Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, including South Jersey and Delaware (Baltimore).
Ethnicity Italian, Italian-American
Membership 50-60 made members, more than 450 associates
Allies The Five Families of NY, Chicago Outfit, Patriarca, and DeCavalcante crime families
Rivals Various gangs over Philadelphia, including their allies

The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Scarfo crime family and the Bruno crime family, is an Italian criminal organization based in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the most powerful La Cosa Nostra families after the Five Families of New York and the Chicago Outfit. The family has been known to hold turf or influence in other nearby areas outside of Philadelphia, including Atlantic City, Trenton, Camden, areas of South Jersey, Delaware, Baltimore, and Newark.

Contents

[edit] History of the Philadelphia crime family

[edit] The Beginning

After several Italian-American street gangs of Philadelphia eventually formed its own criminal organization together in the early 1910s, Salvatore Sabella was the first to step up for the family which would be known as the Philadelphia crime family. With basic criminal activities like bootlegging, smuggling of liquor and alcohol, extortion, loansharking and illegal gambling operations around Philadelphia, the crime family that now bears that name was starting to take its form in the early 1920s during the Prohibition era. It was around this time that Sabella and his crew were recognized members of the same Sicilian crime syndicate of New York and Chicago, especially after the formation of the Cosa Nostra and the Commission in 1931, after the Castellammarese War and the murders of the two most powerful Dons of New York, Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, whom Sabella was allied with during the war. Powerful crime figure Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was the new face of the organization that was now known as the Mafia. Later in 1931, Sabella retired from the Philadelphia family.

[edit] John Avena and Joe Dovi

As the Philadelphia family continued to operate around the Pennsylvania state during the early 1930s, Sabella's top underlings John Avena and Joseph Dovi began a bloody war in an attempt to gain the total control of the family. The war had been an issue since the retirement of Sabella in 1931, and went on all the way up to 1936, when Avena was murdered by his own faction members who reportedly played both sides of the war. After Avena's murder on August 17, 1936, Joseph "Joe Bruno" Dovi was seen as the new boss of the Philadelphia family. Dovi, who reportedly had good connections with the Chicago Outfit as well as the Five Families of New York, expanded the family to Atlantic City, South Philadelphia and even regions of South Jersey. At the time, major narcotics, illegal gambling, loansharking and extortion activities covered the family's total profit, and the family's connections to the New York based Genovese and Gambino crime families grew even more as Dovi kept running the family throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. On October 22, 1946 Dovi died of natural causes at a New York City hospital. After Dovi's death, Joseph "Joe" Ida was appointed by the Commission to run the Philadelphia family and its rackets.

[edit] Influenced by Vito Genovese

As Joseph "Joe" Ida kept running the family throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, Ida and the Philadelphia organization were heavily influenced by bosses of the Five Families, especially the Genovese crime family, which saw to control both families as Vito Genovese, the fierce Underboss of the Genovese crime family stepped up in 1956, after the shooting of former boss Frank Costello, who survived, but retired due to illness. But as the Philadelphia family gained more power in Atlantic City and South Jersey, they were also seen as a large faction of the Genovese crime family. However, Ida, as well as his Underboss Dominick Olivetto were present during the 1957 Apalachin Convention, with roughly 100 other top mobsters in the Mafia. It was around this time that Philadelphia separated themselves from the Genovese crime family, and was given a spot in the national Mafia body, Commission. However, the meeting was raided by US law enforcement and over 60 mafiosi were arrested and indicted with association of known organized crime members. Ida was named in the indictment, and fled to Sicily not long after the meeting, leaving Antonio "Mr. Migs" Pollina as Acting boss in Ida's absence.

[edit] The Gentle Don and the Commission

After Ida officially retired in 1959, and Pollina was demoted, Angelo "Gino" Bruno, nicknamed "The Gentle Don", was appointed by the Commission to run the Philadelphia family. Bruno, the first boss of Philadelphia with a seat at the Commission, gained much respect in the underworld and was soon to be seen as the most powerful Mafia boss outside the New York and Chicago area, as he expanded the family's profit and operations in lucrative Atlantic City, which had now became known as the Philadelphia turf. Bruno himself avoided the intense media and law enforcement scrutiny and outbursts of violence that plagued other crime families, as well as avoiding lengthy prison terms despite several arrests; his longest term was two years for refusing to testify to a Grand Jury. In addition, Bruno did not allow his family to deal in narcotics, or to be in any part of the drug trafficking that led to Vito Genovese's 15 year prison-sentence in 1959. Apparently, Bruno preferring more traditional operations like labor racketeering, illegal gambling, extortion, bookmaking and loansharking. During the early 1960s, the Philadelphia family was officially recognized as the Bruno family.

[edit] Bruno's murder and the Philly War

Bruno held complete power of his family for two decades, but what led to his downfall was the offroad navigation of the narcotics operations, that many factions below him meant they should have a piece off. On March 21, 1980, the sixty-nine-year-old Angelo Bruno was killed by a shotgun blast in the back of the head as he sat in his car. It is believed that Bruno's Consigliere, Anthony "Tony Bananas" Caponigro, ordered his murder. Caponigro was apparently ready to step up, but he was found stuffed in a body bag in the trunk of a car in New York. About $300 in bills were jammed in his mouth and anus. It was alleged that the Commission ordered his murder because Caponigro had assassinated a family boss, and a powerful member of the Commission, without their sanction. After Caponigro's murder, various short-lived leaders were to run the family. Philip 'Chicken Man' Testa led the family for about one year, but was killed by a nail bomb at his home on March 15, 1981. Testa's death resulted from an attempt by Peter Casella, Testa's reputed Underboss, to become the Boss of the Philadelphia family. Through shrewd insight, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, a violent rising Mafia figure of the Atlantic City faction, took over Bruno's crime organization for a longtime leadership, however, with the rise and decline of the Philadelphia family during the aftermath of Angelo Bruno's murder, many crime families across the country, the Five Families, the Chicago Outfit and as well as the New Jersey based DeCavalcante crime family, mediated between the rival factions and took heavily advantage of the situation, among other things the rackets in Atlantic City, which the Genovese crime family eventually took large parts of. The relations between the Philadelphia and the New York families eventually declined, as their seat at the powerful Commission was taken from them in time during the 1980s.

[edit] The fierce regime of Nicky Scarfo

Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, a powerful leader of the Atlantic City faction, had risen to become the full Boss of the Bruno family, which eventually was known as the Scarfo family, and promoted his cousin Anthony Piccolo to Consigliere and later his nephew Phil Leonetti to family Underboss. Scarfo, a mobster quite different from Angelo Bruno, cut a deal with the Five Families of New York, allowing them a piece of the action in Atlantic City while keeping a significant slice for himself, to keep the partnership between Philadelphia and New York working, however, Scarfo was also known for being ruthless, as he organized the murders of at least 30 members in his own family, either because they were suspected rivals or even potential informants. During his bloody regime of the 1980s, reputed captain John Gotti of the Gambino crime family organized the shooting of his Boss Paul Castellano and his driver in 1985, leaving Gotti as the new Boss of the powerful Gambino crime family of New York. Scarfo, a close ally of Gotti during the time, gained yet another partnership with the Gambino family, hoping Gotti would bring them back into the cricle of the Commission in New York, however, Gotti had murdered his Boss without the approval of the other families, and rival Genovese crime family Boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante conspired with Lucchese crime family leaders Vittorio "Vic" Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso into murder Gotti, although the assassination-attempt instead killed Gotti's Underboss Frank DeCicco in 1986. As Gotti's enemies kept conspiring in the late 1980s, Scarfo's relations to New York soon fainted away. Soon, Scarfo and Gotti were enemies.

[edit] Informants and Scarfo's fall

But as US law enforcement had the Philadelphia crime family in the eye since the late 1970s, a major arrest and indictment fell on the members of the family, including soldiers, captains, the Underboss, and Scarfo himself. Large charges of labor racketeering and illegal gambling, as well as loansharking, extortion and murder were put on every member named in the indictment, including their role in a heavy drug trafficking operation. As of the end of 1989, a total of 20 members of Scarfo's organization were in prison for lengthy terms, as an additional 10 were under indictment and went on trial. At the time, five members of the Philadelphia family turned against Scarfo; first it were soldiers Nicholas Caramandi and Eugene Milano and then reputed capos Thomas DelGiorno and Lawrence Merlino. However, the real blowback came when Scarfo's Underboss and nephew Phil Leonetti turned state's evidence and decided to testify against Scarfo. On April 5, 1989, Scarfo was convicted in Common Pleas Court of first degree murder in the 1985 death of rival mobster Frank D'Alfonso, with six of his lieutenants. Scarfo, who was already sentenced to 15 years in prison on extortion and conspiracy charges, was sentenced to life imprisonment the following day he was convicted by Judge Eugene Clark.

Later that same year, Scarfo's son Nicodemo "Nicky" Scarfo, Jr. was shot and wounded in a South Philadelphia Italian restaurant. Fearing his rivals had sanctioned Nicky, Jr's murder, Scarfo had his son inducted into the Lucchese crime family in 1990 to protect him.

The fierce Philadelphia mobster Giovanni "John" Stanfa was then promoted to Acting boss, but his reign stopped in 1995, after a two year war with Joseph Merlino in an attempt to gain the family's control, but due to massive murder charges, Stanfa was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences in 1995. Ralph Natale, an ally of Merlino, took over as Acting boss upon Stanfa's conviction.

[edit] Current position and leadership

Scarfo, Sr. kept running the Philadelphia family from prison with help from various Acting bosses, however, over the years it has been plagued with internal power struggles, as well as major federal indictments. As of 2008, Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino is the official Boss of the Philadelphia crime family, with current Acting boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi, who appointed Anthony Staino as Underboss and Gaeton Lucibello as Consigliere after the incarceration of Merlino who is due out of prison in 2011. Ligambi, who took over in 2001, has stabilized the family and increased membership, but more importantly he has restored relations with the New York families. The family currently consists of 50-60 made men.

Its leaders and other powerful members have included mobsters such as Angelo Bruno, Philip "Chicken Man" Testa, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino, Joseph "Chickie" Ciancaglini, Salvatore "Salvie" Testa, Joseph Ligambi, Tony "Bananas" Caponigro, Phil Leonetti, Tony Palazzo, Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino and Harry Riccobene.

[edit] Bosses of the Philadelphia crime family

  • 1911–1931 — Salvatore Sabella (retired) (died of natural causes in 1962)
  • 1931–1936 — John "Nazzone/Big Nose" Avena (killed August 17, 1936)
  • 1936–1946 — Joseph "Joe Bruno" Dovi (died October 22, 1946 of natural causes in New York hospital)
  • 1946–1959 — Joseph "Joe" Ida (deported 1958)
  • 1958–1959 — Antonio "Mr. Migs" Pollina (acting boss) (deposed by commission)
  • 1959–1980 — Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno (killed) (1911–1980) (killed March 21, 1980 by shotgun blast)
  • 1980–1981 — Philip "Chickenman" Testa (killed) (1924–1981) (killed March 15, 1981 by bomb blast)
  • 1981–1991 — Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo (Boss, 1981-1990, jailed) (Imprisoned Boss, 1991-present)
  • 1991–1994 — Giovanni "John" Stanfa (jailed for life)
  • 1994–1999 — Ralph Natale (jailed 1998, defected 1999)
  • 1998–2000 — Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino (acting boss, jailed)
  • 2001–present — Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi (acting boss), Anthony "Tony" Staino (underboss), Gaeton Lucibello (consigliere)

[edit] References

  • Anastasia, George. Blood and Honor: Inside the Bruno Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family.

[edit] External links