All Blog Posts Tagged 'Philadelphia' (46)

By David Amoruso

Organized crime in New Jersey goes way back and features some of the most colorful characters and powerhouses one can imagine. Gangsters Inc. sat down with mob author Scott Deitche, who details this rich and violent history in his new book Garden State Gangland: The Rise of the Mob in New…

By David Amoruso

Philadelphia Mafia boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino took a huge gamble and won big yesterday when his high-profile racketeering case ended in a mistrial. After three weeks, followed by almost 30 hours of deliberations, the jury remained hopelessly deadlocked.…

By David Amoruso

Is the stress of a long life in the Mafia finally becoming too much for Philadelphia mob boss…

By David Amoruso

It was one of the biggest art heists in the world, the largest one in the United States. $500 million worth of paintings were stolen from Boston’s Gardner Art Museum. Investigators soon found that the theft had the Mafia’s fingerprints on it.

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By David Amoruso

It’s the scream that hits you. Then the gunshots. Followed by the realization that you’ve just watched and heard a mob hit. When Philadelphia crime family underboss Joseph “Joey Chang” Ciancaglini was shot in his diner in March of 1993 federal agents were watching and listening as well. It did little to help Joey Chang,…

By Gangsters Inc. Editors

Mob author George Anastasia and crime reporter Dave Schratweiser discuss the government's racketeering case against Philly Mafia boss Joseph Merlino. The flamboyant Don was caught on tape talking about committing murder and…

By David Amoruso

They may both be standup guys, but if it’s up to Genovese family capo Eugene “Rooster” Onofrio, he won’t stand trial alongside codefendant and Philadelphia mob boss Joseph Merlino. Apparently, Onofrio's legal team is making moves this week, claiming the 75-year-old capo wants to be tried separately from Merlino in the…

By Gangsters Inc. Editors

The high-profile case against infamous Philadelphia mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino got a lot weaker yesterday after it became known that a mob informant accidentally deleted a treasure trove of criminal recordings…

By David Amoruso

Move over SEAL Team Six! You guys have tried and failed. You’ve been like “pussycats” while fighting terrorists! At least, that’s what former Philadelphia Mafia boss Ralph Natale…

By David Amoruso

Razhden Shulaya’s influence reached far. As a bona fide “Vor” – the Russian Mafia’s equivalent of a made guy – he was feared and revered by his underlings and had powerful connections in the Eastern European underworld. But…

By David Amoruso

Try as they might, the feds can’t keep Philadelphia mob boss Joseph Merlino down. The man nicknamed “Skinny Joey” was one of over forty wiseguys from five different Mafia families …

Estimate members: Around twenty active members.

First Boss: Salvatore Sabella started the family in 1911.

Primary…

By Gangsters Inc. Editors

He may have been diminutive, but mob boss “Little Nicky” Scarfo turned the city of Philadelphia into a war zone during his reign atop the…

By David Amoruso

Ralph Natale was the first official boss in the American Mafia to become a turncoat and testify against his former underlings. During a short spell in the 1990s, he led what was left of the Philadelphia crime family after nearly two decades of violence. In his biography Last Don Standing: The Secret Life of Mob Boss…

By Gangsters Inc. Editors

An associate of the Philadelphia crime family was stabbed in the chest on Wednesday, March 1, FOX26 Philadelphia crime reporter Dave Schratweiser posted on Twitter…

By Gangsters Inc. Editors

Some wiseguys just aren’t as wise as they’d wish to be. Take alleged mobster Anthony Camisa for instance. Asked by a judge why Camisa had gone on the lam to evade his arrest, his lawyer answered it was because he wanted to run…

By David Amoruso

Infamous Philadelphia mob boss Nicodemo Scarfo passed away in prison on Friday, underworld sources told mob reporter George Anastasia, who…

By David Amoruso

Prison escapes always manage to capture the public’s attention. There is something about criminals using their brain and brawn to break out of a guarded fortress built to keep them locked in. Author John DuMond wrote two books about prison breaks and knows exactly how these mobsters, hitmen, serial killers, and one rich…

By David Amoruso

Talk about not giving a fuck. Genovese crime family mobster Bradford Wedra (photo above) was in court on Monday where prosecutors asked the judge to revoke his bail after the 61-year-old wiseguy failed six drug tests – twice…