Cosa Nostra News

Alleged Philadelphia Cosa Nostra boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino , after pleading guilty to an illegal betting charge last Friday, made a prediction about his hometown team's NBA playoffs. On Jan. 31, 2018, Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino enters federal court in New York. (SOURCE) Merlino, a degenerate gambler, as per his own attorney , told reporters outside Manhattan federal court that the Philadelphia 76ers were his pick to win the championship. (Gamblers may want to pay heed to Merlino's sports soundbites.... Before the February mistrial, Merlino had predicted, successfully, that the case would end in a "deadlock win" for him. He also offered what turned out to be a winning tip on the Super Bowl: "Oh, and bet the Eagles .") Merlino also discussed Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's recent release from prison, saying, "I'm glad he's at home with his family where he belongs." Rolling Stone recently thumbnailed...

Manhattan prosecutors reportedly angered a judge yesterday by allowing Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino to plead to a gambling charge. Skinny Joey Merlino an d wife, Deborah  at Manhattan Federal Court for racketeering trial on Jan. 31, 2018. They essentially abandoned a years-long effort to convict him of racketeering, health care fraud, loan-sharking, and other counts. And the judge isn't happy about it, as he made clear yesterday, April 27, 2018. In February, Merlino beat the raps when a jury deadlocked, leading to a mistrial. Since then, Manhattan federal prosecutors decided against trying the alleged Philadelphia Cosa Nostra boss again . Judge Richard Sullivan showed his animosity by asking prosecutors why they allowed him to plea to a charge that carries a two-year maximum sentence. "In my experience prosecutors will try the case again. What makes this case exceptional?" Sullivan asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Nicholas. ...

Michael Imperioli appeared on ABC's "Popcorn with Peter Travers" to promote his new book. Tony's crew: The Sopranos cast. On the show to hype  The Perfume Burned His Eyes , Imperioli discussed his "unofficial Mafia induction ceremony," during his first major acting job, playing Spider in Martin Scorsese's  Goodfellas . "It's a very funny story when I get killed in that movie," he said. "In the second scene I had a glass in my hand because I'm a waiter. And I did my own stunt of falling backwards, falling into the bar and hitting the ground. And the glass was real. They didn't have a breakaway for some reason. So two of my fingers got cut really badly." Imperioli sought medical treatment for his injury right away, appearing in the hospital still made up from the scene, bullet-ridden and bloody. "I went to the hospital but I had bullet holes in my chest and blood everywhere. So at the hospital in...

It's been another head-spinning week in Washington, news-wise, whatever your political viewpoints. I personally haven't seen so much mention of the New York Mafia since the 1990s.... The heyday: John Gotti and Sammy Bull. In case you haven't been paying attention (or were in jail), former FBI director James Comey has been hawking his recently published political tell-all, A Higher Loyalty, and during all the interviews, he continues to mention the New York Mafia, specifically, John Gotti and Sammy the Bull. Comey basically has been saying that President Trump reminds him of a Mafia boss. For months, Trump aggressively sought Comey's loyalty in a stream of meetings and phone calls, Comey writes. The effort included a now notorious White House dinner with Trump and Comey a week after the inauguration during which Trump, Comey writes, told him: "I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.” To Comey, the President's "demand was like Sammy the Bull...