Potential Rumbles for the Philadelphia Mafia
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| Anthony Nicodemo could have an everlasting impact on the Cosa Nostra crews in Philadelphia. |
On Dec. 18, the Philadelphia crime journalist offered a kind of overview of key happenings using a sort of sports story format, only the game was the ongoing battle between the Philly mob and the feds.
"The big mob winners were erstwhile mob boss Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi and his perpetually whining nephew George Borgesi," he wrote, noting how the two escaped conviction on a racketeering conspiracy charge that included a decade in prison each.
Ligambi is semi-retired, though "[w]hat that means in underworld terms is open to question. The local mob is currently in a state of flux. It’s unclear who’s in charge. Or, for that matter, if anyone wants to be."
(Actually Ligambi is co-consiglieri, as we reported.)
As for "Georgie Boy" Borgesi, 52, he is "back on the streets but will remain on supervised release (probation) until next July. That limits his ability to make moves in the underworld, although to hear him tell it, he’s not interested. Having watched the always-hyper mobster maneuver in the past, it’s hard to believe that he will stay on the sidelines."
Apparently, interested or not, he has no choice. He's not part of the new administration. It seems the ball is in Borgesi's court. Based on what we know, Borgesi is either retired, a lowly capo or he may mount a challenge. The administration likely would take out anyone who attempts to break the peace.
Anastasia next noted that both Ligambi and Borgesi remain in the Feds' crosshairs. "In January they both walked free. It’s unlikely the feds will move against either in the future unless they can list one or more of three unsolved mob murders in an indictment.
"The chances of doing that remain slim, but other developments in the underworld over the past year offer law enforcement possibilities. In fact, another no decision and a pending retrial could hold the key to what comes next for Ligambi and associates."
"He has a beautiful wife and two young daughters. ... He is being a “stand up” guy say those who see his decision not to cooperate as somehow honorable.
"Others think he’s just being stupid."
The name Anthony Nicodemo pops up. His murder trial (not a gangland hit, said the judge) "ended in a mistrial after three jurors were dismissed. Since only two alternates had been selected, the dismissals (on various grounds, one of which may have been jury tampering) left just 11 jurors, not enough for the trial to proceed."
"As recounted in an earlier column this year, the opening arguments and four days of testimony demonstrated two things:
"The District Attorney’s Office appears to have a rock solid case tying Nicodemo, 42, to the gangland–style slaying of Gino DiPietro on a South Philadelphia street back on December 12, 2012.
"Second, Nicodemo’s proffered defense sounded as ridiculous as the murder itself which has been described as one of the dumbest in Philadelphia mob history."
As reported back in 2012: "A former federal prosecutor called the broad daylight slaying of Gino DiPietro Wednesday afternoon "amateurish" but indicative of what the Philadelphia crime family has become.
"Nicodemo, 41, was taken into custody less than 30 minutes after the shooting. Witnesses had spotted him fleeing the scene in an SUV and gave authorities the license tag number. The vehicle was registered in Nicodemo's name and listed at his address, a few blocks from where DiPietro was gunned down.
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| "The Wig" likely will die in prison. |
Nicodemo was arrested that day and has been held without bail.
Anastasia noted: "He has a beautiful wife and two young daughters. ... He is being a “stand up” guy say those who see his decision not to cooperate as somehow honorable.
"Others think he’s just being stupid.
"And his defense, at least the defense offered in his lawyer’s opening statement in the trial back in May, underscores that point.
"If the DA’s evidence is as solid as it appears, then Nicodemo and the masked gunman carried out the hit without a lot of pre-planning. No one with any underworld savvy is going to use their own vehicle as the getaway car in a murder. And no one keeps the murder weapon.
"Faced with those two facts, Nicodemo’s lawyer offered this explanation in his opening statement to the jury: Nicodemo was in the neighborhood that afternoon. He had a business office nearby and his parents still lived there. He was sitting in his Honda with the motor running when a masked gunman jumped into the car and ordered him to drive away. Somewhere between the murder scene and Nicodemo’s house the gunman jumped out of the Honda and fled on foot. Unbeknownst to Nicodemo, the shooter left his gun behind.
"One of the dismissed jurors called that explanation “ridiculous.”
"The trial didn’t last long enough to see how the defense would have played out. The big question was whether Nicodemo—a burly, dark-eyed mobster—would have taken the stand to offer more details about the “carjacking” that day. Two key questions—Why didn’t he report it to police after the gunman jumped out of his car or when the police came knocking on his door that afternoon? And why has he sat silently in prison, denied bail, for all this time if he was the victim of a carjacking at gunpoint that day, and not the getaway driver/accomplice of the shooter?
"Nicodemo goes back on trial in February. It will be a new jury. The DA will offer the same evidence. Will Nicodemo offer the same ludicrous defense?
"Or will he, either before, during or after the trial, attempt to cut a deal with the DA and with the feds?"
We've been wondering the same.
"Nicodemo has already been identified by the New Jersey State Police and the FBI as a suspect in the murder of John “Johnny Gongs” Casasanto, one of the unsolved murders the feds hope to put on Ligambi’s doorstep. Nicodemo as a witness could help make that case. He also could finger the shooter in the DiPietro murder and offer an explanation for why the hit went down and whether the order for the slaying came from higher up the mob ladder.
"The mistrial in May put all of that on hold. Nicodemo could be looking at 30 to life in a state prison (not a pleasant prospect) if convicted. The DA has conceded he was not the shooter that day, but was part of the murder plot which makes him just as culpable.
"Nicodemo’s two options appear to be state prison or a new identity in the Witness Security Program. The question coming from law enforcement circles is whether the South Philadelphia mobster is smart enough to realize that."
Next item: Ron Galati, who was found guilty in what also can be considered a pretty dumb murder-for-hire trial. He was convicted "of hiring two hitmen to murder the boyfriend of his estranged daughter. The boyfriend was shot, but survived. The hitmen, arrested within minutes of the shooting, quickly became cooperators."
Galati, 63, also has another murder-for-hire charge and a massive insurance fraud case looming.
"Another “stand up guy,” according to some who know him, Galati may not have enough information to cut a deal with the feds even if he were interested."
And finally, Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino was back in prison for violating the terms of his probation.
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| Skinny Joey the restaurateur? |
And finally, Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino was back in prison for violating the terms of his probation.
"With his three years of supervised release about to end, Merlino was spotted out on the town in Boca Raton with his former co-defendant and mob associate John “Johnny Chang” Ciancaglini.
"Authorities said Merlino and Ciancaglini dined at a posh Italian restaurant on the night of June 18 and then repaired to a trendy cigar bar where they capped the evening with a good smoke and some libations.
"Both were convicted in a high profile mob racketeering trial in 2001. Merlino had completed his prison term and had relocated to Florida where he was serving out his three years of probation. During that period he was prohibited from associating with any known felon or mobsters.
"Ciancaglini fit both descriptions.
"Merlino’s lawyers argued that the meeting with Ciancaglini was a “chance encounter.” They said there was no proof that they had dined together that night, even though they may have been in the same restaurant. And they contended that while Skinny Joey and Johnny Chang happened to be in the cigar bar, Havana Nights, at the same time, it was not a pre-planned meeting. ...
"The upside for Skinny Joey, however, is that once this issue is resolved, he will no longer be on supervised release and will be free to meet and associate with whomever he chooses.
"Meanwhile, Merlino has gone into the restaurant business. He’s got financial backers who have opened a new spot in Boca called—what else?—Merlino’s. Joey can’t have a stake in the business because a convicted felon can’t be part of an establishment that has a liquor license. But he can be the “host” who meets and greets customers. He’s been doing that since the restaurant opened early in November."