The American Mafia Today

[BrooklynGuy]

Boston museum offering $10M reward for help solving biggest art heist in U.S. history

A hot tip could still earn you a cool $10 million from a Boston museum desperate to recover a trove of missing masterpieces. But you'd better hurry. Midnight Dec. 31 is the deadline to collect a doubled reward being offered for information leading to the recovery of 13 works worth an estimated $500 million — including paintings by Degas, Manet, Rembrandt and Vermeer — stolen in 1990 from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. So far, no takers.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/museum-offering-10m-reward-desperate-bid-find-stolen-art-article-1.3720631

 

Reputed ‘Goodfellas’ mobster wants to leave jail to see doctor

A geezer Bonanno capo who avoided prison for his suspected role in the 1978 JFK Airport-Lufthansa heist now wants a Brooklyn judge to let him out of jail for medical treatment as he awaits sentencing for ordering a hit — on a car. Reputed wiseguy Vincent Asaro’s attorney Elizabeth Macedonio wrote letters to a judge last week asking for emergency bail after visiting the 82-year-old “Goodfellas” gangster at the Metropolitan Detention Center and seeing him “incoherent and unable to leave the visiting room on his own power,” according to the Dec. 20 letter.

Read more: https://nypost.com/2017/12/26/reputed-goodfellas-mobster-wants-to-leave-jail-to-see-doctor/

 

George Anastasia’s life of crime reporting

It was a typical work day in the office when George Anastasia received a collect call from prison asking if he would accept. Anastasia said he always accepts these calls and this time, it was Sergio Battaglia calling. Battaglia was calling to let him know that he had been cooperating with the FBI and telling them everything he knew. So, after he was convicted and in jail, he called up Anastasia to let him know that some information was going to come out about him. “He said, ‘Back when you were writing all this stuff, [John] Stanfa told me to get some hand grenades, find out where you live and throw them in your window,’” Anastasia explained.

Read more: http://thewhitonline.com/2017/10/features/profile-george-anastasias-life-of-crime-reporting/

 

 

 

[BrooklynGuy]

On 12/6/2017 at 4:00 PM, Vincennes said:

I'm sure most everyone saw this article.  True not all of them hold Italian mafia credentials but it still interested me that a few of the old names still made the list.  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/the-20-richest-criminals-of-all-time/ss-BBGj18R?ocid=spartanntp#image=1

Al's $100,000,000. in 1932 would be worth over a billion today = $1,653,643,835.62 

Depending on what year they calculated Lucky's $105,000,000 in 1929 would be $1,482,477,192.98 but I'm thinking his numbers probably came from sometime in the 40's but using 1945 it would still be something like $1,424,177,528.09.  Quite a bit when you think about the fact they didn't really have the cocaine and heroin trade boosting their weekly paychecks  

 

Vincennes thought you would be interested in this, it's Fortune Magazine's 1986 rankings of Mafia Bosses Wealth 

The 50 Biggest Mafia Bosses

Read more: https://www.kepplerspeakers.com/Franzese M-Article (Fortune - 50 Biggest Mafia Bosses).pdf

 

[BrooklynGuy]

The Day They Raided the Mob: What happened during the famed Apalachin mob bust?

"He was having a barbecue with his friends, which he was, but they weren't your normal friends," said Broome County Historian Gerry Smith. The excuse - visiting Joe "The Barber" Barbara at his Apalachin home because he was in poor health. The real story - deciding the future direction of the Mafia. Born in Sicily, Barbara eventually made Endicott his home where he operated a Canada Dry Distribution Center, but was better known as a Mafia Sergeant and Bufalino family Boss.

Video and Read more: http://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/local-news/the-day-they-raided-the-mob-what-happened-during-the-famed-apalachin-mob-bust/700667170

[BrooklynGuy]

Gangster Christmas: Stories from the underworld

‘Tis the season! Merry Christmas everyone! At Gangsters Inc. we don’t really do presents. But we do do gangster stories! Lots of ‘em! Especially for Christmas we’ve dug up three stories that show how gangsters spend their Christmas. Spoiler alert: Two end in murder. “Carmine DiBiase went out on Christmas Day and got drunk. Very drunk. Very, very drunk. And then he shot and killed someone.” So begins Thom L. Jones’ Mafia Christmas Carol of Carmine DiBiase, the ruthless gangster believed to have been involved in the murder of “Crazy Joe” Gallo.

Read more: http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-gangster-christmas-we-got-this?xg_source=msg_mes_network

[BrooklynGuy]

Just want to wish everyone on UM and their families a Safe and Happy New Year!! 

[rashore]

2 hours ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Just want to wish everyone on UM and their families a Safe and Happy New Year!! 

Right back at ya Brooklyn

[BrooklynGuy]

REAL-TO-REEL: ‘GOODFELLAS’ SLAYINGS CONNECTED TO LUFTHANSA HEIST BROUGHT GRIM REALITY TO NEW YORK MOB SCENE

New York mobster and Bonanno crime family captain Vinnie Asaro was sentenced to eight years in prison this past week for arson. Asaro, 82, beat charges two years ago for his alleged participation in the infamous Lufthansa Heist depicted in the classic 1990 film Goodfellas. In the late 1970s, high-ranking Lucchese crime family associate James (Jimmy the Gent) Burke orchestrated the record-breaking $6,000,000 robbery of the Lufthansa terminal at JFK Airport. Oscar-winning actor Robert DeNiro played Burke in Goodfellas.

Read more: http://gangsterreport.com/real-to-reel-goodfellas-slayings-connected-to-lufthansa-heist-brought-grim-reality-to-new-york-mob-scene/

 

[BrooklynGuy]

'Skinny Joey,' reputed mob boss who moved to Boca, is facing January trial

Reputed Mafia boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino has survived more than 25 attempts on his life and been cleared of the most serious charges — three murder raps — leveled against him over the years. When the flamboyant Philadelphia native, who now lives in Boca Raton, goes on trial next month, he hopes to beat the feds as they try to put him back in prison for much of the rest of his life. The current case began last year when the feds arrested 46 men up and down the East Coast on charges they said read like “an old-school Mafia novel.” The men were accused of being part of an organized crime network that involved the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Bonanno and Philadelphia major crime families. 

Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-reg-skinny-joey-merlino-trial-preview-20171227-story.html

 

Former Mafia boss ‘Cadillac’ Frank Salemme will go on trial in 2018

The trial of former New England Mafia boss Francis P. “Cadillac Frank” Salemme on a charge of killing a federal witness in 1993 will take about three weeks, newly filed court papers show. Salemme, 84, and Paul Weadick, 62, are scheduled to stand trial in May in US District Court in Boston for the murder of club owner Steven DiSarro. Both men have pleaded not guilty. A court document filed in the case Thursday said the highly anticipated trial will last an estimated 20 days. The filing also said neither defendant has asked “that the case be transferred to the District Judge for a Rule 11 hearing.”

Read more: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/28/former-mafia-boss-frank-salemme-will-trial-expected-last-days/aqgLNHMqeEkTJzQ84CZzHK/story.html

 

Mafia leader got support from San Bernardino officials

The mayor and police chief of San Bernardino and a Superior Court judge wrote some very odd letters in 1969 on behalf of an Upland man accused of lying to the Grand Jury. Apparently touched by the quality of the man, their letters praised his community involvement and family life in asking the court to go easy on his sentencing. What made this so bizarre was that the man for whom they so greatly praised was Joseph C. Dippolito, identified by the Justice Department as one of the leaders of the mafia in Los Angeles. The letters were supposed to have been sealed but a San Bernardino Sun article by writer Ted Harp on July 24, 1970, not only revealed their existence but published copies of the letters.

Read more: https://www.dailybulletin.com/2018/01/01/mafia-leader-got-support-from-san-bernardino-officials/

[BrooklynGuy]

An authentic glimpse of a very bad man: The time my friend arrested John Gotti

Like many New Yorkers, I look forward to going to movies over the winter holiday break. So I was disappointed by the delay in releasing what was set to be a big prestige pic — “The Life and Death of John Gotti,” starring John Travolta as you-know-who. Hopefully, the National Enquirer headline “Mob Rubs out Travolta’s Gotti Movie” has it wrong. As a boring professor, I used to be spellbound hearing stories from a cop friend I grew up with on Staten Island — none more than his tale of once “accidentally” arresting Gotti back in 1984.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/authentic-glimpse-bad-man-article-1.3726462

 

[BrooklynGuy]

President Trump Compared to Fredo in the Godather 

Twitter roasts President Trump for claiming to be a ‘very stable genius’ 

CNN’s Jake Tapper weighed in with a GIF of Fredo’s breakdown from the “Godfather: Part II” while others invoked Wile E. Coyote and the Modern Major General to poke fun at the President. 

Video: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/twitter-roasts-trump-stable-genius-claim-article-1.3741284

[Vincennes]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 5:23 AM, BrooklynGuy said:

An authentic glimpse of a very bad man: The time my friend arrested John Gotti

Like many New Yorkers, I look forward to going to movies over the winter holiday break. So I was disappointed by the delay in releasing what was set to be a big prestige pic — “The Life and Death of John Gotti,” starring John Travolta as you-know-who. Hopefully, the National Enquirer headline “Mob Rubs out Travolta’s Gotti Movie” has it wrong. As a boring professor, I used to be spellbound hearing stories from a cop friend I grew up with on Staten Island — none more than his tale of once “accidentally” arresting Gotti back in 1984.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/authentic-glimpse-bad-man-article-1.3726462

 

Couldn't help but think your last two articles came together in my mind as being a tragic sign of our times.   As I read this, realizing it was written with a smile in mind, I thought about if this happened today, that same officer would be up on charges for "unnecessary roughness" during the arrest.  The second ....

23 hours ago, BrooklynGuy said:

President Trump Compared to Fredo in the Godather 

Twitter roasts President Trump for claiming to be a ‘very stable genius’ 

CNN’s Jake Tapper weighed in with a GIF of Fredo’s breakdown from the “Godfather: Part II” while others invoked Wile E. Coyote and the Modern Major General to poke fun at the President. 

Video: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/twitter-roasts-trump-stable-genius-claim-article-1.3741284

brought to me that today we have that mental giant newsman, Jake Tapper, who salivates with glee each time he has a video clip of an accused officer being hauled into and out of the court house trying to defend himself.  Now in this case because Gotti is Italian had Tapper been reporting it would mean he could get his kicks denigrating the police.  If you want to switch it up a bit and the individual arrested was instead an Iranian or Armenian or Mexican crime boss illegally here, Tapper then has to forego the pleasure of castigating the police in favor of a news black out on those stories.  You simply don't report on any crime detail involving Hispanic or Middle eastern last names.  That might tip off the American public to those nationalities involvement in crime.  No, you have to pass on those reports entirely but the upside is it does enable Mr. Tapper to fill in time that could be spent truthfully reporting the news with distasteful cartoon jabs to accusations and/or outright lies about the President.  

[BrooklynGuy]

15 hours ago, Vincennes said:

Couldn't help but think your last two articles came together in my mind as being a tragic sign of our times.   As I read this, realizing it was written with a smile in mind, I thought about if this happened today, that same officer would be up on charges for "unnecessary roughness" during the arrest.  The second ....

brought to me that today we have that mental giant newsman, Jake Tapper, who salivates with glee each time he has a video clip of an accused officer being hauled into and out of the court house trying to defend himself.  Now in this case because Gotti is Italian had Tapper been reporting it would mean he could get his kicks denigrating the police.  If you want to switch it up a bit and the individual arrested was instead an Iranian or Armenian or Mexican crime boss illegally here, Tapper then has to forego the pleasure of castigating the police in favor of a news black out on those stories.  You simply don't report on any crime detail involving Hispanic or Middle eastern last names.  That might tip off the American public to those nationalities involvement in crime.  No, you have to pass on those reports entirely but the upside is it does enable Mr. Tapper to fill in time that could be spent truthfully reporting the news with distasteful cartoon jabs to accusations and/or outright lies about the President.  

Very true Vincennes, excellent post. Imo the media stopped reporting the news a long time ago and are in the business of creating the news now.

[BrooklynGuy]

Harrowing words of Getty heir who was held to ransom then mutilated by the mafia as his story is portrayed in All the Money in the World

At 16, he was already known as the ‘golden hippy’, a hard-drinking, cocaine-snorting, rebel who resented his family’s vast oil wealth. Then in July 1973, disaster struck. John Paul Getty III was snatched from the streets of Rome by the Calabrian mafia, the ’Ndrangheta. Now, director Ridley Scott’s new film All The Money In The World has captured the extraordinary drama as, month after month, Getty’s tightfisted grandfather refused to pay the £2.1 million ransom... until the richest man in the world was sent a crudely severed ear.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5242233/Tycoons-boy-held-ransom-mutilated-mafia.html

 

New York Mafia 2018: Who’s up, Who’s down, Who’s the strongest

As we begin to make our way into the new year we take a look at the status of the New York Mafia families and which of them is currently the strongest. The American Mafia also known as Cosa Nostra remains a viable criminal enterprise with the five families of New York leading the way. The mob’s overall power and influence has diminished over the years but the reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated especially in the Big Apple where the most powerful mafia families remain.

Read more: http://aboutthemafia.com/new-york-mafia-2018-whos-up-whos-down-whos-the-strongest

 

Mobster turned informant Joe Barone hopes his story of the feds turning on him appeals to a new jury 

Joe Barone closes his eyes in a bedroom far from home and falls into a dream. The dark-haired ex-FBI informant sits inside an Italian restaurant, surrounded by pals from the Bonanno crime family. Someone asks Barone to sing a song, like he did in the old days. It feels good. Until it all goes bad. “The next part of the dream, a guy — I think his name is Anthony — is shutting all the doors,” the mob expatriate recounts. “And he says ‘Oh, they found out you’re here, Joey. There’s lines out the door, waiting to kill you.’”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/informant-dumped-feds-hopes-story-appeals-new-jury-article-1.3741601

[BrooklynGuy]

Fraudulent telemarketers from Montreal face sentencing in California

A man with ties to the Montreal Mafia is to be sentenced this month in California for his role in a fraudulent telemarketing ring that bilked elderly people of their savings through false promises of lottery winnings. Alberino (Rino) Magi, 50, entered a plea agreement last month is expected to learn early next week how long of a prison sentence a U.S. prosecutor will request. Magi agreed to plead guilty to one conspiracy charge in a case that began in 2006 when the RCMP broke up a telemarketing ring based in Montreal and arrested 39 people. At the time, the RCMP alleged the ring made between $8 million and $13 million over a three-year period.

Read more: http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/fraudulent-telemarketers-from-montreal-face-sentencing-in-california

[Vincennes]

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 5:00 AM, BrooklynGuy said:

Fraudulent telemarketers from Montreal face sentencing in California

A man with ties to the Montreal Mafia is to be sentenced this month in California for his role in a fraudulent telemarketing ring that bilked elderly people of their savings through false promises of lottery winnings. Alberino (Rino) Magi, 50, entered a plea agreement last month is expected to learn early next week how long of a prison sentence a U.S. prosecutor will request. Magi agreed to plead guilty to one conspiracy charge in a case that began in 2006 when the RCMP broke up a telemarketing ring based in Montreal and arrested 39 people. At the time, the RCMP alleged the ring made between $8 million and $13 million over a three-year period.

Read more: http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/fraudulent-telemarketers-from-montreal-face-sentencing-in-california

I certainly get some more time on these guys in the US.  One charge for that amount of fraud is pretty disgusting.

[BrooklynGuy]

17 hours ago, Vincennes said:

I certainly get some more time on these guys in the US.  One charge for that amount of fraud is pretty disgusting.

Agreed, especially since some of these guys have long criminal histories. 

[BrooklynGuy]

Bonanno Crime Family Boss, Several Other High Ranking Members Arrested in NYC Racketeering Take Down

The Bonanno crime family boss and his top mob cronies, when not plotting murders or drug deals, kept busy looking over their shoulders, federal officials said Friday. A 16-page federal indictment charged leader Joseph (Joe C) Cammarano Jr. and his crew with a variety of crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, loan-sharking and drug dealing. Arrested with Cammarano was Bonanno family consigliere John (Porky) Zanocchio, 60, once a bookie who took bets from banned major league baseball icon Pete Rose.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/suspected-bonanno-mobsters-busted-racketeering-related-charges-article-1.3753152

 

 

[BrooklynGuy]

New Mob Talk 12

 

[BrooklynGuy]

Health issue delays trial for 'Skinny Joey,' reputed mob boss who moved to Boca Raton

reputed Philadelphia mobster’s racketeering trial has been postponed at least a week because of a medical issue, according to court documents. Accused mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino — whose trial was slated to start on Jan. 16 in Manhattan Federal Court — remains in South Florida recuperating from a heart ailment. Merlino went to a Boca Raton hospital emergency room on Tuesday, suffering from “chest pains and coronary spasms and shortness of breath,” one of his lawyers said Thursday.

Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/crime/fl-reg-skinny-joey-trial-delay-20180112-story.html

 

Hamilton mobster Angelo Musitano was stalked by multiple people before murder, police say

Homicide detectives say Musitano, 39, was tracked for about a week before he was gunned down as he sat in his pickup truck in the driveway of his suburban Hamilton home in May 2017. Hamilton police say multiple people using four different vehicleswere involved in stalking a member of a notorious Ontario crime family in the days before his murder last year. Homicide detectives say Angelo Musitano, 39, was tracked for about a week before he was gunned down as he sat in his pickup truck in the driveway of his Hamilton home in May 2017.

Read more: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/01/11/hamilton-mobster-angelo-musitano-was-stalked-by-multiple-people-before-murder-police-say.html

 

IN SHADOW OF SOUTH PHILLY’S CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS STATUTE, LOCAL MAFIA FIGURE GAETON LUCIBELLO VIOLATES PAROLE

Less than a month away from getting off probation, longtime Philadelphia mobster Gaeton Lucibello is being charged with violating his parole conditions for meeting with fellow Bruno-Scarfo crime family member Salvatore (Sonny) Mazzone at a bocce ball game being held at Marconi Plaza park in South Philly back in the fall, according to federal filings first reported by ace FOXPhilly29 investigative reporter Dave Schratwieser. Mazzone is the baby brother of reputed Philadelphia mob underboss Steven (Handsome Stevie) Mazzone.

Read more: http://gangsterreport.com/in-shadow-of-south-phillys-christopher-columbus-statute-local-mafia-figure-gaeton-lucibello-violates-parole/

[BrooklynGuy]

Vincent Esposito son of legendary Genovese family boss caught with list of mafia members

The feds got more than they anticipated when they busted four Genovese crime family mobsters on racketeering conspiracy charges. Among those arrested was Vincent Esposito the 50-year-old son of former Genovese family boss Vincent “The Chin” Gigante. Vincent is one of three kids Gigante had with his longtime mistress Olympia Esposito.  According to the indictment, the mafia crew was part of a long-running racketeering scheme that included various crime including extortion dating all the way back to 2001 which was covered here in more detail in an earlier report.

Read more: http://aboutthemafia.com/vincent-esposito-son-of-legendary-genovese-family-boss-caught-with-list-of-mafia-members

[BrooklynGuy]

Mobster acquitted in murder of NYPD detective dies at 84

A mobster who was accused of killing an NYPD detective in 1986 but set free after four trials died at age 84 Friday in New York after an illness, The Post has learned. Federico Giovanelli was charged with gunning down Detective Anthony Venditti, 34, who was tailing him as part of an investigation into organized-crime activity. Two state trials ended in hung juries. A federal jury then convicted him of racketeering, but an appeals court overturned the verdict. The Queens jury that finally acquitted him deliberated four days.

Read more: https://nypost.com/2018/01/21/mobster-acquitted-in-murder-of-nypd-detective-dies-at-84/

[BrooklynGuy]

THE DELAWARE COUNTY QUESTION: PHILLY MOBSTERS BORGESI & CIANCAGLINI BOTH HAVE PIECES OF LUCRATIVE SUBURBS

Delaware County, Pennsylvania is valuable mob turf. Philadelphia mafia power George (Georgie Boy) Borgesi recently took back portions of the territory he ruled in the late 1990s and first part of the 2000s after having it reassigned to fellow Philly mob heavyweight John (Johnny Chang) Ciancaglini while he was away serving more than a decade in prison for racketeering. Per sources, Ciancaglini and Borgesi are now sharing Delaware County’s gambling and loansharking rackets, using local reputed wiseguy Albert (Al the Cat) Lancellotti as their point man in the region. 

Read more: http://gangsterreport.com/the-delaware-county-question-philly-mobsters-borgesi-ciancaglini-both-have-pieces-of-lucrative-suburbs/

[BrooklynGuy]

Lawyer for imprisoned Bonanno boss says judges on the case shouldn’t have consulted with Mafia book writer

A lawyer for the Bonanno crime family’s imprisoned ex-boss is throwing the book at a pair of federal judges. Mobster Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basciano’s murder and racketeering convictions deserve another look because of a conflict of interest between the jurists and a Connecticut law professor-turned-author, the boss’ lawyer claims. “The fact that Mr. Basciano is an alleged ‘Mafioso’ doesn’t mean that the courts get to play fast and loose with the law and its duty to remain impartial,” charged defense attorney Anthony DiPietro.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bonanno-boss-lawyer-questions-judges-spoke-mafia-writer-article-1.3749482

 

BUST CARD IN BILOXI: THE FALL OF THE NEW ORLEANS MAFIA

On March 1, 1994, professional gambler Emory J. Etheridge entered the President Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi to play blackjack. As the card shark sit at the smoky, green felt table, a two, a four, and a ten lay before him.  Etheridge would only need a five to have blackjack, but before the dealer can reveal the face of the card, the FBI stormed the table, arresting Etheridge and seizing all of the cards and chips (1). Etheridge would be accused, along with seven others, of participating in a Mafia sanctioned cheating scheme that would bilk the casino out of over $500,000 (2).

Read more: https://louisianamafia.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/bust-card-in-biloxi-the-fall-of-the-new-orleans-mafia/

 

Two Mafia-linked shootings in Ontario trace back to one man, police say

Two Mafia-linked shootings last year – one that killed an innocent woman in Woodbridge, Ont., and a second that targeted a notorious mobster in Hamilton – were carried out by the same hit man, police now say. At a news conference on Tuesday, investigators from York Regional Police and the Hamilton Police Service announced a joint-forces investigation into the separate shooting deaths of 28-year-old Mila Barbieri last March and 39-year-old Angelo Musitano last May.

Read more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/two-mafia-linked-shootings-in-ontario-trace-back-to-one-man-police-say/article37706881/

[BrooklynGuy]

Why does N.J. want to get rid of a mob watchdog?

On his way out the door, former Gov. Chris Christie signed off on legislation he once vetoed as unconstitutional, moving to unilaterally kill the bi-state Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. The agency, created more than 60 years ago to battle the deep-rooted corruption by the mob on the docks of New York Harbor (later immortalized in the movie classic "On the Waterfront") wasted little time firing back. They went to federal court last week seeking an injunction against the state and its new chief executive, Gov. Phil Murphy. At issue is whether New Jersey can unilaterally walk away from an interstate compact that carries the force of federal law.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/facing_a_jersey_hit_a_mob_watchdog_fires_back.html

[BrooklynGuy]

On trial again, Joey Merlino claims he's left the mob behind

He’s survived more than a dozen attempts on his life. He’s dodged murder raps of his own. He’s won and lost battles with the feds — and tried in recent years to refashion himself as a retired man of leisure and Florida restaurateur. But this week, reputed Philadelphia mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino, 55, once again will find himself in a federal courtroom — fighting a case that could force him to grow old in prison. The charges, unveiled by prosecutors in 2016, are all crimes that Merlino has faced and fought before – racketeering, conspiracy, illegal gambling – with one significant exception. In a first, investigators allege that Merlino led a Mafia attempt to muscle into health-care fraud with a racket involving prescriptions for topical pain creams.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/philadelphia/joey-merlino-philly-mob-trial-eugene-onofrio-new-york-20180129.html