Skinny Joey Merlino Is a Degenerate Gambler, Not a Mob Boss, Says Attorney
UPDATED The East Coast LCN Enterprise Case finally reached court this week with the Manhattan premiere of the federal racketeering trial of Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino . Joseph Merlino isn't a crook, he's a degenerate gambler, his lawyer said. Merlino, 55, was among the 46 defendants arrested in the summer of 2016 Mafia crackdown of an alleged confederation of criminals focused on extortion, loan-sharking, gambling, credit card fraud, and health care fraud. Dubbed the East Coast LCN Enterprise, the ring operated in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, and New Jersey, comprised of mobsters connected to the Genovese, Gambino, Luchese, Bonanno, and Philadelphia crime families, though the Philly family's participation is limited to Merlino, actually a Floridian. Skinny Joey Merlino played a key role overseeing an alleged $157 million health-care scheme that involved bribing doctors to write prescriptions for pain cream, said Assistant U.S. Attor...