The Convictions
On May 6, 1987, Scarfo was convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion of the waterfront developer Willard Rouse III. DelGiorno and Caramandi testified against him in court. From his prison cell Scarfo continued to exercise authority over his men. Piccolo and Leonetti began to run things for him as he passed orders to them during visiting time in jail.
Scarfo experienced a brief moment of triumph when he was faced with federal drug conspiracy charges but was later acquitted on December 12, 1987. That moment didn't last very long at all.
Things got worse as Scarfo was indicted on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges that included drug trafficking, loan sharking, extortion and murder. The murders of Helfant, Cifelli, Falcone, Narducci Sr, Calabrese, Spirito, Tamburrino, Riccobene and Salvatore Testa were among the counts of the indictment. Charges of attempted murder of Riccobene, Martines, Salerno Sr and Vento Jr were also included.
On November 19, 1988, Scarfo was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Merlino became an informant and gave damning testimony against him.
In 1989 Leonetti became an informant after being convicted of RICO charges and receiving a 55 year prison term. In February of that same year Piccolo died, but Scarfo continued to run things from prison and promoted his cousin 78 year-old Anthony "Tony Buck" Piccolo to acting Boss.
Scarfo's son Nicky Jr swore that he would find a way to kill Leonetti. But he didn't and instead had to flee Philadelphia for New Jersey after being shot eight times by Joey Merlino as he sat in Dante & Luigi's Italian restaurant. Scarfo Jr luckily survived the shooting. Although police never charged anyone with the attempted murder, police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation believed Merlino was behind the shooting to avenge an earlier plot by Scarfo Sr. on Merlino's father. Another motive for the attempted hit was to send a clear message that neither Scarfo nor his son were in charge of South Philadelphia any longer.
Already serving 14 years imprisonment for extortion and 45 years for violating numerous RICO predicates, on April 5, 1989 Scarfo was convicted in the Courts of Common Pleas of first-degree murder in the 1985 death of rival mobster Frank D'Alfonso, along with six of his lieutenants. Eugene "Gino" Milano, Tommy DelGiorno and Lawrence Merlino testified against him. He was convicted and received another life sentence.
Scarfo managed to keep control through Piccolo who made sure that Scarfo's wife Domenica was taken care of and that Mark's medical bills were paid. But in 1991 Piccolo at the age of 80 stepped down as acting Boss and allowed the Gambinos to install John Stanfa as Boss of the Scarfo crime family. It's doubtful that Scarfo would have been able to stop the bosses in New York.
Read more about this topic: Nicodemo Scarfo
Famous quotes containing the word convictions:
“No two people see the world exactly alike, and different temperaments will often apply the same principle, recognized by both, differently. Even one and the same person won’t always maintain the same views and judgments: earlier convictions must give way to later ones.”
—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749–1832)
“The most noticeable weakness of Congressmen is their timidity. They fear the use to be made of their “record.” They are afraid of making enemies. They do not vote according to their convictions from fear of consequences.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)