"Skinny Joey" Starts New Year Back in the Can
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| Skinny Joey, back in October 2014. |
Philadelphia Mob Boss Joey Merlino is back in prison.
Yesterday, he was supposed to report to a federal detention center in Miami by 2:00 p.m. But not before opening his new restaurant, Merlino's, as the Boca Raton Tribune reported.
He was seen "on a drizzly [late-December] Friday night" darting around the dining area, "greeting diners."
"Merlino hugged. He kissed. He shook hands, laying his hand on a shoulder, leaning in close to talk.
"It went on hour after hour. The restaurant opened this month, built around recipes his mother, Rita, cooked when the man known as “Skinny Joey,” was growing up in Point Breeze, Pa. Would Merlino be willing to share one of them, perhaps for his favorite, crab gravy?
“I went to jail for not telling,” he quipped. “I’m not giving up a recipe. I’m not telling.”
As Philly.com noted: "He's probably the only maître d' in the country who can do a four-month prison stint and still have a job waiting for him when he returns."
Merlino, 52, texted at least one newspaper before turning himself in yesterday:
"I'll be in great shape for when I get out on Cinco de Mayo,"
Merlino will be eating prison grub for four months while on what some call his "winter vacation."
Merlino was out on supervised release after spending a decade in prison.
Merlino was convicted of racketeering in 2001 and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was released in 2011 after serving about 12 years following his 1999 arrest and has been living in South Florida.
As we previously noted, last October Merlino was sentenced to four months in jail following several hours of testimony and debate during a probation violation hearing.
The convicted Mafioso's period of "supervised release" will be over once he's out, so for the first time in a long time he will be free to meet and associate with whomever he chooses, wherever he chooses.
Meeting with three friends for dinner and a cigar was the cause of all his trouble in the first place.
At the same time, it's not all blue skies for Skinny Joey, who remains a person of interest--the focus of an ongoing investigation by a South Florida organized crime task force, which has kept Merlino squarely in its sights since he moved there.
Although the reasons for the investigation have been kept under wraps, during the hearing a Broward County detective testified that Merlino had shown up in certain surveillance activities, though a prosecution objection allowed the detective to not answer a question regarding what was under investigation.
In May, Merlino invoked his right against self incrimination when questioned at length by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Troyer about his finances.
Merlino remained silent during the hearing.
The four-month sentence was the culmination of a filing in Philadelphia federal court in early September after authorities in Broward County, Fla., conducted surveillance on a June 18 dinner at which Merlino joined a trio that included Philadelphia mobster John "Johnny Chang" Ciancaglini for dinner at an Italian restaurant in Boca Raton. The foursome later departed for drinks at the Havana Nights Cigar Bar & Lounge, which one of the group owned.
The terms of his probation prohibited Merlino from associating with convicted felons or Cosa Nostra members.
Merlino was said to have sworn off the mob before moving to South Florida after his release from federal prison around three years ago.
As reported, "Johnny Chang" and Steve Mazzone are reportedly running the Philadelphia family for Skinny Joey. Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi has reportedly stepped out of the limelight to serve as the family's lowkey consiglieri.
Merlino was convicted of racketeering in 2001 and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was released in 2011 after serving about 12 years following his 1999 arrest and has been living in South Florida.
As we previously noted, last October Merlino was sentenced to four months in jail following several hours of testimony and debate during a probation violation hearing.
The convicted Mafioso's period of "supervised release" will be over once he's out, so for the first time in a long time he will be free to meet and associate with whomever he chooses, wherever he chooses.
Meeting with three friends for dinner and a cigar was the cause of all his trouble in the first place.
At the same time, it's not all blue skies for Skinny Joey, who remains a person of interest--the focus of an ongoing investigation by a South Florida organized crime task force, which has kept Merlino squarely in its sights since he moved there.
Although the reasons for the investigation have been kept under wraps, during the hearing a Broward County detective testified that Merlino had shown up in certain surveillance activities, though a prosecution objection allowed the detective to not answer a question regarding what was under investigation.
In May, Merlino invoked his right against self incrimination when questioned at length by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Troyer about his finances.
Skinny Joey is living it up in the lap of luxury down in Boca, but how is that possible?
"He reports almost nothing.... a paltry sum," one prosecutor said during the hearing.Merlino remained silent during the hearing.
The four-month sentence was the culmination of a filing in Philadelphia federal court in early September after authorities in Broward County, Fla., conducted surveillance on a June 18 dinner at which Merlino joined a trio that included Philadelphia mobster John "Johnny Chang" Ciancaglini for dinner at an Italian restaurant in Boca Raton. The foursome later departed for drinks at the Havana Nights Cigar Bar & Lounge, which one of the group owned.
The terms of his probation prohibited Merlino from associating with convicted felons or Cosa Nostra members.
Merlino was said to have sworn off the mob before moving to South Florida after his release from federal prison around three years ago.
As reported, "Johnny Chang" and Steve Mazzone are reportedly running the Philadelphia family for Skinny Joey. Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi has reportedly stepped out of the limelight to serve as the family's lowkey consiglieri.