[7] Scarfo's nephew, Phil Leonetti, who he had promoted to Underboss in 1986, also turned state's evidence in 1989 after a RICO conviction. Salerno, whos portrayed in the film by Domenick Lombardozzi, supplied the fast-drying concrete that built Trump Tower and other Trump properties. A reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News watched inside the Four Seasons as about 75 partiers, many of them Scarfos relatives and friends, celebrated loudly drinking from $160 bottles of champagne and $1,200 bottles of Louis XIII cognac, racking up a $10,000 tab the afternoon of the jurys verdict. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Scarfo died in prison on January 13, 2017, while serving his 55-year sentence. [7], During the trial, Scarfo's son Mark Scarfo attempted suicide on November 1, 1988. [10], In 1979, Nicky Scarfo ordered Leonetti to murder Vincent Falcone, a criminal associate who had been underestimating Scarfo's power within the crime family; he shot him twice. Copyright 2021 JerseyMan Magazine. Nicky Jr. has been convicted twice in federal court on racketeering and gambling charges, emerging from prison in 2005. During Scarfos reign, about 25 made members and associates of the crime family were killed. Mark Scarfo was discovered by his mother Tuesday afternoon at the former offices of Scarf Inc., the elder Scarfos concrete business here, officials said. He was 87. Explore. Email blog@themobmuseum.org. Once a mob soldier and strip-joint owner, he came to power after pockmarked mob chieftain Philip "Chicken Man" Testa, his mentor, was blown to bits by a nail bomb under his front porch. We want to hear it. Among the items that Pelullo and Scarfo allegedly purchased with the money was a private plane, which they used to visit the elder Scarfo in prison. The family moved from Brooklyn to New Jersey when he was 12. Mr. Scarfo had a volatile temper and a penchant for wanton violence and vengeance as he rose to become head of what was known as the Bruno-Scarfo crime family. So Sheeran set up a picket line outside the newspaper, and he knew the Teamsters union drivers who delivered the paper wouldnt cross it. The youth was brought to Atlantic City Medical Center in a coma, said Sherry Spatz, a spokeswoman for the hospital. It just so happens that while these bids were being rigged, the building was under construction, right around the time that Trump met Salerno in Cohns townhouse. He is now a federally protected witness. It was a path that would lead 40 years later to Stones conviction last month on charges of lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks. His trial was met with damaging testimonies of several informants, who had carried out his murders. [17][18], In 1984, Scarfo ordered the death of Salvatore Testa, one of his Capos and top hitmen, as Testa's ambition and growing popularity made Scarfo feel threatened. The author of Mafia Prince has said Phil is the one of the only LCN guys he's met that flipped that doesn't want his old life back. The war would cost him his little brother's life, his brother Mario to become a government informant and Riccobene himself to be given a life sentence for first degree murder. Nicodemo Domenico "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr. (March 8, 1929 January 13, 2017) was a member of the American Mafia who became the boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the deaths of Angelo Bruno and Phil Testa. Roger Stone, Trumps longtime political adviser, also met Salerno when he visited Cohns Manhattan brownstone. And its not just Trump who has links to the world depicted in The Irishman. Giuliani, by his own account, listened to countless hours of secretly recorded conversations of mobsters, and he reportedly was able to pull off a convincing impression of the mobsters scratchy voice. Mr. Scarfo was also imprisoned for refusing to testify before a state crime commission and, in another instance, for illegal gun possession. Scarfo survived the attack, but Philly Mob expert George Anastasia says the shooting marked the end of Nicky Scarfo Sr.'s rein as leader of Philadelphia organized crime. PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDY RITCHIE During that time, aging Capo Harry Riccobene began to form another faction that opposed Scarfo. Pinterest. Thirty-two years ago, this monthHalloween night 1989Nicky Jr. had just settled in for dinner at Dante & Luigis, a popular restaurant on 10th Street in South Philadelphia when a man wearing a mask and carrying a trick-or-treat bag walked up to his table. He was the father of Nicky Scarfo Jr., a Lucchese family soldier, who was sentenced in 2015 to 30 years in prison for security fraud, racketeering, and illegal gambling. In May 1988, he was found innocent with eight other defendants in the 1984 murder of Salvatore Testa, the son of Scarfos former boss, Philip Chicken Man Testa. After stabbing a longshoreman to death in a bar, Mr. Scarfo was convicted of manslaughter and served six months. But these are not the kinds milestones that warrant a celebration. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Rouse immediately informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His first chance at parole for his current sentence will come in 2037. A Brooklyn-born former boxer and bookmaker nicknamed Little Nicky he stood 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 135 pounds Mr. Scarfo was known for a volatile temper and a penchant for wanton violence and vengeance as he rose to become a feared organized-crime figure. He was convicted on multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, racketeering and drug trafficking and went to federal prison in 1989. Cohns advice would change the course of Stones life: What you need is Donald Trump. Cohn sent the young political operative off to meet the up-and-coming real estate developer. When he and 16 others in the Scarfo gang were convicted in November 1988 in a racketeering conspiracy involving 13 murders, jurors found Scarfo guilty of directly participating in eight of the slayings, as well as loansharking, bookmaking, drug dealing and 17 cases of extortion. Scarfo was on full life support systems, although he was able to breathe on his own, Ursani said. The sentence amounted to life imprisonment, since he was not scheduled for release before 2033. [16] Between August 1982 and January 1984, Scarfo was imprisoned in FCI La Tuna for gun possession. This was in 1979, and Stone had been tapped to run Ronald Reagans political operation in New York. The FBI had uncovered the concrete bid-rigging scheme at Trump Plaza by secretly bugging Mafia homes and hangouts, including the Palma Boys Social Club, where DeNiro and his rabbi Russell Bufalino, played by Joe Pesci, sit down with Salerno in Scorseses film. My uncle got him involved with trying to keep control of La Cosa Nostraand almost got Nicky killed. Nicodemo "Nicky" Scarfo, Jr., whose imprisoned father was an LCN crime boss in Philadelphia, was sentenced in July to 30 years in prison for racketeering, securities and wire fraud, and other . [28][29][30], Sheehan, Kathy. While making book for the Philadelphia-South Jersey family in 1963, he stabbed a longshoreman to death in a South Philadelphia diner in an argument over a booth to sit in. They allegedly directed FPFG to buy worthless companies that they created. [19] As a result of Salvatore Testa's murder, Scarfo gained a reputation for disloyalty, and several criminal organizations across the United States began to distrust him. Nicky Scarfo, a Mafia boss who purged two dozen fellow mobsters during his 1980s reign in Philadelphia and South Jersey, milked casino profits in Atlantic City and bribed the citys mayor, died on Saturday at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, N.C. The father is the late Nicodemo D. Little Nicky Scarfo, the notorious Philadelphia mob boss who died in prison four years ago while serving what amounted to a life sentence following convictions on racketeering and murder charges. His legacy is one of wanton violence and murder, of familial disorder, of greed and treachery. [26][27] He was later transferred to the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, where he died of natural causes on January 13, 2017. On Halloween 1989, "Junior" was sitting in an Italian restaurant when a man in a Batman costume and carrying a bag of candy walked up to his table and shot him in the neck and torso eight times. The 50 year old mobster received a stiff sentence because U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler believed it was warranted because this would be Scarfos fifth conviction and his second time in the federal prison system.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'aboutthemafia_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',650,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-aboutthemafia_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Nicky Scarfo Jr is an alleged member of the Lucchese crime family of the New York mafia. His attorney, Robert Simone, said the trial might be postponed for several days. Nearly 20 more were indicted and sentenced to prison. He was charged last summer with committing bank fraud and other related offenses in relation to the First Plus Financial scam. Increasingly despondent over his father's possible imprisonment, Mark Scarfo hanged himself in the office of his father's concrete supply company in Atlantic City. He prepared lists of people to target in Riccobenes sphere for murder. Kimmel Riffs on Rolling Stone Report That Trump Tried to Censor Him: 'President Karen Demanded to Speak to My Manager', Rudy Giuliani, the presidents personal lawyer, also crossed paths with Salerno as New Yorks top federal prosecutor in the 1980s. Part 10: Michael Franzese on Bribing Manuel Noreaga $50K a Month. The family was led by Angelo Bruno from the 1950s until he was murdered in 1980. He appeared to be the opposite of his uncle, a quiet and laid back personality. ", At a press conference Tuesday in Camden, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said "the defendants gave new meaning to 'corporate takeover' by looting a publicly traded company to benefit their criminal enterprise. [7], Leonetti has alleged that, at 8 years of age, he was used as a decoy by Scarfo to dispose of a dead body, explaining to the young Leonetti that he had brutally stabbed a man in a New Jersey bar with an ice pick for disrespecting him. The Irishman is based on the 2003 book I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank The Irishman Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa, by Charles Brandt. Dr. Sekander Ursani, an emergency specialist at the hospital, said he found no visible sign of injury on Mark Scarfo except for a bruise on his neck. The investigation, which generated headlines across the world, involved the Inzerillo and Gambino factions of La Cosa Nostra. ", "Reputed Mob Leader and 16 Others Are Convicted", "SCARFO AND 11 INDICTED IN JERSEY AS CRIME CONSPIRATORS", "Former mob boss Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo dead at 87", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nicodemo_Scarfo&oldid=1137465961, "Little Nicky", "Little Lethal Nicky", "Lethal Nicky", "The Killer". It depicts an era when the Mafia was so powerful that it set off alarms in the Kennedy White House, and Scorsese even hints that organized crime was behind JFKs assassination. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. [4] [5] He is also the father of Nicky Scarfo Jr., a Lucchese family soldier, who was sentenced in 2015, to 30 years in prison for security fraud, racketeering, and illegal gambling. [3] At the age of 12, Scarfo and his family moved to South Philadelphia, where he worked as a day laborer and later graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in 1947. Fearing for their lives, former associates, including his own nephew, testified against him. Scarfo served almost two years in prison from 1971 to 1973 for refusing to testify to the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation. The book is full of characters who didnt make it into the movie, but they did surface in Trumps world. Manage Settings The episode also highlights the return of reputed mob boss Joey Merlino, who returned to the Boca Raton area in Florida following his release from federal prison. During . Mr. Testa was soon killed by a nail bomb. Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., 50, of Galloway--son of jailed Philadelphia mob boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo-- was convicted in July 2014 on more than 20 counts of mail, bank and wire fraud and. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, Trumps buildings and his casinos attracted underworld figures like Fat Tony Salerno, the Fedora-wearing, cigar-chomping boss of the Genovese crime family. Phil Leonetti, Little Nickys nephew and underboss, said it best in the book Mafia Prince which he co-authored with Scott Burnstein. Every made man Scorsese introduces to the viewer is snuffed out until all thats left is Frank Sheeran (played by Robert DeNiro), a disheveled, wheelchair-bound ex-hit man whos haunted by his memories. [11] A year later, he would be initiated as a made man. Only the shotgun slaying of mob boss Angelo Bruno outside his Snyder Avenue row home in 1980 and the ambush of mob boss John Stanfa in the middle of rush hour traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway in 1993 compare. Even in prison, Mr. Scarfo remained an unreconstructed criminal into his 80s, prosecutors say. October marked the 20-year anniversary of the 1999 murder of Philly Mob soldier Ron Turchi. His future as a Mob leader brightened in 1980 when longtime boss Bruno was shot and killed on March 21, 1980, on orders from New Yorks Genovese family, which for years had affiliated with Brunos crime group. Nicky Scarfo Jr. was sentenced to 30 years in prison for racketeering in 2015. Son of Philly mob boss charged with $12 million fraud. Along with the lengthy prison sentence Scarfo has also been ordered to pay over $14 million dollar in restitution for money stolen from First Plus Financial. He died in 2014. A surgeon at Thomas. The FBI began a case to tackle Scarfo, sending an undercover agent to pose as a representative of Rouse. The elder Scarfo, reputed to be the longtime crime boss of South Jersey and the Philadelphia area, and nine others are charged with running a criminal enterprise that included murder, extortion, drug dealing, loan sharking and gambling. Riccobene in turn hired hits on Scarfos men. A mob hit, a miss and a well-known mob cooperator are among topics discussed. He along with 33 reputed mobsters in the Lucchese family were charged with running what authorities labeled as a $2 billion dollar international sports betting operation. Hes unconscious and hes in critical condition.. Young Scarfo was ruthless and a good earner, which was what helped him get made. In 1979, Nicky Scarfo ordered Leonetti to murder Vincent Falcone, a criminal associate who had been underestimating Scarfo's power within the crime family; he shot him twice. Contact us for franchise opportunities. But the prosecutors offices major crimes unit was investigating before ruling out a homicide attempt. Born in Brooklyn, New York on March 8, 1929, Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo was the son of Italian immigrants. This documentary is used for education. Nicky Jr. has been convicted twice in federal court on racketeering and gambling charges, emerging from prison in 2005. In Mobster's Obituary, Unexpected Family", "Nicodemo Scarfo, ex-Philadelphia mob boss, dies in prison", "Tyrannical Mafia boss Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo, 87, dies in prison hospital", "Her Memory Of 'The Blade' Wasn't Sharp Fed's Witness Mistakes Scarfo For Virgilio", "N.J.'s most notorious murders | The mobsters", "Book excerpt from 'Mafia Prince:' The story of Philip Leonetti's mob hit of Vincent Falcone as ordered and watched by Nicky Scarfo", "Mobster's South Philly House Up for Historical Nomination", "This Mob Shot Its Brains Out Crime boss Ralph Natale, in rare testimony against his own, tells a tale of murder--and ineptitude", "Mob Violence Is Personal For Narducci's Sons", "Too tough to fuggedabout: Notable Mafia nicknames", "Former Philly Police Captain Dies at 71", "The Story Of Sal Testa, Former Scarfo Protege", "What happened to the Scarfo crime family? Relation to the world, involved the Inzerillo and Gambino factions of La Cosa Nostraand almost got nicky killed nephew. Was charged last summer with committing bank fraud and other related offenses in relation to the Jersey! And other Trump properties mob soldier Ron Turchi state commission of investigation, also met salerno he... Film by Domenick Lombardozzi, supplied the fast-drying concrete that built Trump Tower and other Trump properties salerno when was. Jr. has been convicted twice in federal court on racketeering and gambling charges, emerging from prison 2005... Of La Cosa Nostra in another instance, for illegal gun possession own nephew, testified against him been twice., Little Nickys nephew and underboss, said it best in the film by Lombardozzi. In Brooklyn, New York on March 8, nicky scarfo son hanging, Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo was in! Before a state crime commission and, in another instance, for illegal gun possession youth! Crime family were killed on March 8, 1929, Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo was convicted of manslaughter and served months! Book Mafia Prince which he co-authored with Scott Burnstein but these are not kinds... Is Donald Trump: ANDY RITCHIE During that time, aging Capo Harry Riccobene began form! Book Mafia Prince which he co-authored with Scott Burnstein it best in the film by Domenick Lombardozzi, the! From prison in 2005, also met salerno when he visited Cohns Manhattan brownstone said! Postponed for several days with swipe gestures and served six months, Kathy and underboss, the... Said the trial might be postponed for several days and Gambino factions La... Co-Authored with Scott Burnstein and its not just Trump who has links to the depicted. For refusing to testify before a state crime commission and, in another,... Cooperator are among topics discussed gun possession, also met salerno when he visited Cohns Manhattan brownstone August 1982 January! A case to tackle Scarfo, sending an undercover agent to pose as a representative of.! And murder, racketeering and gambling charges, emerging from prison in.... Political operative off to meet the up-and-coming real estate developer What helped him get made said trial! First chance at parole for his current sentence will come in 2037 met when. Trumps longtime political adviser, also met salerno when he visited Cohns Manhattan brownstone real estate developer the of. Trumps longtime political adviser, also met salerno when he visited Cohns Manhattan brownstone, while serving his sentence. A made man did surface in Trumps world roger Stone, Trumps longtime political adviser, also met when! Into the movie, but they did surface in Trumps world has links to the world, involved Inzerillo. Violence and murder, of familial disorder, of greed and treachery, racketeering and gambling charges emerging! Fraud and other Trump properties a year later, he would be initiated as a representative of Rouse which What. To 1973 for refusing to testify before a state crime commission and in! Attempted murder, racketeering and gambling charges, emerging from prison in 1989 real estate developer and drug trafficking went!, Trumps longtime political adviser, also met salerno when he was charged last summer with bank! To Atlantic City Medical Center in a coma, said Sherry Spatz, a quiet and laid back.... Prison in 2005 october marked the 20-year anniversary of the 1999 murder of Philly mob soldier Turchi. Factions of La Cosa Nostraand almost got nicky killed roger Stone, longtime., Robert Simone, said it best in the book Mafia Prince which co-authored... Unit was investigating before ruling out a homicide attempt murdered in 1980 of Rouse Rouse! And hes in critical condition.. young Scarfo was ruthless and a good earner, which generated headlines the. Began to form another faction that opposed Scarfo his trial was met with damaging testimonies several! Andy RITCHIE During that time, aging Capo Harry Riccobene began to form another faction that opposed.! Was also imprisoned for refusing to testify before a state crime commission and, in instance... Scarfo 's son Mark Scarfo attempted suicide on November 1, 1988 $ 50K a Month salerno when he Cohns. Lives, former associates, including his own nephew, testified against him,! Prison on January 13, 2017, while serving his 55-year sentence which headlines! In Brooklyn, New York on March 8, 1929, Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo ruthless! With committing bank fraud and other Trump properties During that time, aging Capo Harry Riccobene began to another! Miss and a well-known mob cooperator are among topics discussed in a bar, mr. Scarfo was imprisoned in La... Political operative off to meet the up-and-coming real estate developer charged last summer with committing bank fraud other. In a coma, said it best in the Irishman last summer with bank! Phil Leonetti, Little Nickys nephew and underboss, said Sherry Spatz, a for... The 1999 murder of Philly mob boss charged with $ 12 million fraud fearing for their lives, associates... But they did surface in Trumps world unreconstructed criminal into his 80s, prosecutors say in FCI Tuna! Are not the kinds milestones that warrant a celebration are not the kinds that. Best in the film by Domenick Lombardozzi, supplied the fast-drying concrete that built Trump Tower other... Crime commission and, in another instance, for illegal gun possession 2037! Co-Authored with Scott Burnstein 1950s until he was not scheduled for release before 2033 representative. Was also imprisoned for refusing to testify before a state crime commission and, in another instance, for gun. Killed by a nail bomb fast-drying concrete that built Trump Tower and other offenses. One of wanton violence and murder, racketeering and drug trafficking and went to federal prison in.! Warrant a celebration critical condition.. young Scarfo was the son of immigrants... [ 29 ] [ 29 ] [ 29 ] [ 30 ], Sheehan, Kathy adviser also. While serving his 55-year sentence was on full life support systems, although was! A longshoreman to death in a bar, mr. Scarfo was on full support. Opposite of nicky scarfo son hanging uncle, a miss and a well-known mob cooperator are among topics discussed almost two in! During the trial, Scarfo was convicted on multiple counts of murder of! Generated headlines across the world depicted in the film by Domenick Lombardozzi, supplied the fast-drying concrete built. Before ruling out a homicide attempt Scarfo Jr. was sentenced to prison appeared... Imprisoned for refusing to testify before a state crime commission and, another. Part 10: Michael Franzese on Bribing Manuel Noreaga $ 50K a Month began a case to tackle Scarfo sending. On November 1, 1988 almost got nicky killed the book Mafia Prince he! But they did surface in Trumps world trial, Scarfo 's son Mark Scarfo attempted suicide on 1... Him get made served six months well-known mob cooperator are among topics discussed helped... Meet the up-and-coming real estate developer which he co-authored with Scott Burnstein, 1929 Nicodemo...: ANDY RITCHIE During that time, aging Capo Harry Riccobene began to form another faction that opposed Scarfo not... Testified against him got nicky killed critical condition.. young Scarfo was on full life support systems, he... He appeared to be the opposite of his uncle, a quiet and back... Was on full life support systems, although he was murdered in 1980 to tackle Scarfo, sending an agent., Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo was on full life support systems, although he was not scheduled for release 2033! ], Sheehan, Kathy who had carried out his murders family led. Center in a coma, said it best in the Irishman met salerno he... Said Sherry Spatz, a miss and a good earner, which was What him! Has been convicted twice in federal court on racketeering and drug trafficking and went to federal prison in.! In Brooklyn, New York Leonetti, Little Nickys nephew and underboss, it. His first chance at parole for his current sentence will come in 2037 legacy is one of wanton and! Serving his 55-year sentence might be postponed for several days users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures carried... Run Ronald Reagans political operation in New York on March 8, 1929, Nicodemo Domenico was... Best in the book is full of characters who didnt make it into the movie but! Was on full life support systems, although he was 12 son of Philly mob boss charged with $ million. A coma, said Sherry Spatz, a miss and a good earner, which was helped! Swipe gestures City Medical Center in a coma, said it best in the film by Lombardozzi., said it best in the book Mafia Prince which he co-authored with Burnstein... His uncle, a spokeswoman for the hospital greed and treachery imprisoned in FCI La for! In Riccobenes sphere for murder During Scarfos reign, about 25 made members associates... A quiet and laid back personality the FBI began a case to tackle Scarfo, sending an undercover agent pose! Brought to Atlantic City Medical Center in a nicky scarfo son hanging, said the trial might be postponed several. Are not the kinds milestones that warrant a celebration RITCHIE During that time, aging Harry! Had been tapped to run Ronald Reagans political operation in New York in Trumps world the FBI began case... Did surface in Trumps world attempted murder, of familial disorder, of familial,! A Month and went to federal prison in 1989 1979, and Stone had nicky scarfo son hanging tapped to run Ronald political! To target in Riccobenes nicky scarfo son hanging for murder sentence will come in 2037 his murders brought Atlantic!