Joseph Ligambi

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Joseph Anthony "Uncle Joe" Ligambi (born August 9, 1939 ) is an Italian-American mobster of the American Cosa Nostra and was also known as "Skinny Joey" Merlino , who was the incumbent boss of the Bruno family for about a decade , while in prison Philly Mob or Philadelphia-South Jersey Mafia He is the uncle of George "Georgie Boy" Borgesi , who had served as the acting boss in Ligambi's time as his consigliere .

biography

Early years

Joseph Anthony Ligambi was in South on August 9, 1939 Philadelphia ( Pennsylvania born) and had three siblings. He attended South Philadelphia High School and dropped out before 11th grade to join the United States Air Force , where he eventually graduated from high school. Ligambi married at the age of 26 and had two daughters with his wife. He later remarried and had three sons with his new wife Olivia .

Criminal career

Unlike many other gangsters who began their criminal careers as teenagers or young adults, Ligambi did not have a criminal record until the age of 32, when he was arrested for cigarette smuggling.

From the 1970s onwards, he associated with the brothers Lawrence “Yogi” and Salvatore “Chuckie” Merlino and worked as a bartender in a local mobster pub. Eventually he became Chuckie Merlino's protégé and began helping to make money from illegal bookmaking operations.

In 1985, family head Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo ordered the murder of Mafia associate Frank D'Alfonso . When mobsters Thomas DelGiorno and Eugene "Gino" Milano became government witnesses, they testified in court that Ligambi and Philip Narducci were alleged to have carried out the murder on July 23. A year later, at the age of 47, Ligambi was officially accepted as a "made man" in the American Cosa Nostra.

In 1987 Ligambi, Scarfo and other bullies were arrested for the D'Alfonso murder and found guilty of the murder on April 5, 1989. On a retrial in 1997, Ligambi and his co-defendants were acquitted of the murder. Ligambi had also been convicted of illegal gambling, which he was serving with his term of imprisonment for murder.

After his time in custody, Ligambi returned to a mafia family that was completely different from the one he had last seen 10 years earlier. Most of the bullies he worked with were dead or in jail and the FBI was able to weaken the family with various charges after Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino - the son of Chuckie Merlino - against Giovanni "John" during Ligambi's incarceration. Stanfa - Scarfo's successor - waged a war for control of the Philly underworld and became the new head of the family.

Joey Merlino was arrested and charged in June 1999 among others with the underboss named Steven Mazzone and the Consigliere , or Ligambi's nephew named George Borgesi . During his imminent prison sentence, Joey appointed Ligambi as acting boss. In December 2001, Joey was finally sentenced to fourteen years in federal prison. Since the takeover by Ligambi, the family has remained increasingly in the shadows, rarely mentioned in the media and there has been almost no rivalry within the family. Still, there are three unsolved homicide cases that law enforcement believe were commissioned or approved by Ligambi during his tenure.

On May 23, 2011, Ligambi was arrested by the FBI and charged, among other things, with extortion, usury of credit and illegal gambling. Joey eventually named his former underboss, Steven Mazzone, as the new incumbent boss. On February 6, 2013, Ligambi was found guilty on five counts; He appealed later that year and was released on January 28, 2014.

Today it is believed that Joseph Ligambi is in semi-retirement, with some sources indicating that he has served as the family's new consigliere since his release.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Volk, Steve: A Wiser Guy . In: Philadelphia Weekly , August 18, 2004. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. 
  2. ↑ Merlino Merlino
  3. ^ Mob chef Angelo Lutz hopes for a hit with New Jersey restaurant The Kitchen Consigliere , NY Daily News. October 31, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2015. 
  4. ↑ Tracing Ties Between Mob And Mayor Investigators Say A Friend Of Boss-turned-informant Ralph Natale's Funneled Cash And Gifts To Milton Milan. . March 31, 2000. Retrieved March 25, 2015. 
  5. ^ Informant Is Mob Target, Officials Say . November 4, 1990. Retrieved March 25, 2015. 
  6. ↑ Barry, Jim: The Boys of Summer . In: Philadelphia City Paper , August 2001. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. 
  7. ↑ Porello, Rick: Meet The New Boss . In: AmericanMafia.com , December 17, 2001. 
  8. ^ Informant Tells Of Beating D'alfonso Four Years Later, In 1985, The Bookmaker Was Slain. Eugene `` gino '' Milano Said He Wasn't Involved. . February 8, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  9. ↑ Ligambi: Ex-bartender kept low profile - philly-archives . May 23, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  10. ↑ Feds take down reputed Philly mob boss Ligambi . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ Murder Of A Mob `Gentleman 'Will Be Back In Court . January 20, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ Scarfo, Pals Not Guilty But Only One Defendant Has A Shot At Freedoms . February 21, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  13. ↑ Jim Barry: Who's the Boss? . Philadelphia City Paper. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  14. ↑ Underboss sentenced as war on mob continues Merlino associate Steven Mazzone was given a nine-year term. The probes go on, authorities say. . In: Philly.com . Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  15. ↑ 7 Reputed Mafia Figures Are Acquitted of Murder . In: The New York Times , July 21, 2001. Retrieved May 7, 2010. 
  16. ^ Still home for holidays . May 24, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  17. ↑ Anastasia, George: A 'Family Man' Who's Content In Shadows . In: Philadelphia Inquirer , December 2, 2007. 
  18. ↑ Reputed mob boss Ligambi, others indicted . In: Philly.com . Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  19. ↑ FBI has reputed Philadelphia mob boss . United Press International. May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  20. ^ Merlino man Mazzone acting boss of South Philly Mob . In: Hollywood goodfella . Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  21. ↑ Mazzone Is Straw That Stirs The Drink In Philly Mob These Days . In: Gangster Report Mafia Insider . Retrieved December 22, 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Ligambi, Joseph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ligambi, Joseph Anthony (full name); Ligambi, Uncle Joe (nickname); Mob, Philly; Mafia, Philadelphia-South Jersey
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian-American mobster
DATE OF BIRTH August 9, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia , Pennsylvania