I know the Official administration was

'Boss'-Ralph Natale
Underboss/De facto Boss-Joey Merlino
Consigliere:
1994-1996, Ronald Turchi]
1996-2004, Steve Mazzone

Capos
North Jersey
-Joseph “Scoops” Licata

South Jersey
-Unknown

Other
-Steve Mazzone (Until 1996, where did his crew operate did it have a name or was it the Mazzone crew?)

name specific captains to specific crews please

I thought that Previte might have been considered a captain once he got in close with Natale. In the Last Gangster, he talks like he might have been but I don't know if they ever said he was like Stanfa did.

Yeah im pretty sure previte was a captain, scoops was also a captain(north jersey), and correct me if im wrong but i dont think ligambi was a captain, didnt he go from soldier to boss?

I read Previte's book. I recall him writing that he was not made. I also recall him saying that because he was a cop, he couldn't rise to made man status, even though he was accorded a great deal of respect.

Obviously this different from the Chicago Outfit, which does make cops as made men.

I believe that during the Stanfa/Merlino war, Stanfa basically said to Previte, "ok you're made! We'll do the ceremony later." Obviously later never came for Stanfa and Previte started buddying up with Natale and the Feds...

There was a photo somewhere with Natale, Merlino and other guys like Mazzone which may give us insight

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=691449

it's on there posted by Dapper_Don about 10-20 posts down, it's got Borgesi, Ralph, Mazzone, Lancelotti might clear things up if we knew who Frank Gambino was

Frank gambino was a soldier, and if i remember right he was made by merlino.

Frank Gambino is in the photo in todays City Paper article...it was previously on the Big Trial site.

Wasn't Frank Gambino the guy that got Merlino all those stolen ceiling fans and baby formula? I think it was. That was their big score...lol. From either a trailer or a warehouse i think it was.


From left, Ralph Abbruzzi, George Borgesi, the late Frank Gambino, Joey Merlino and Joe Ligambi.

In the 90s and into the early 2000's there was a lot of "HOT" merchandise in the city. Ralphie "head" Abrbruzzi was also a guy into the stolen goods ring that is in the picture above. I know the baby formula story but there was all kinds of stuff from TVS to Hard wood floors back then...not so much now. Can't find shit these days.

Stolen baby formula actually goes for a high percentage of the actual cost....it's also the #1 stolen item from supermarkets and pharmacies according to some article i remember reading. Just sounds funny that a boss would be selling it.

Yea I know I...to funny! I think they couldn't get rid of the baby formula though. Wasn't the truck found abandoned somewhere? I think I remember the story going that way...

I'm really not sure, but i remember people were joking about the ceiling fans Merlino was hawking.

so philadelphia's boss deals in stolen ceiling fans and baby formula

my friends uncle used to steal baby formula and he's a drug addict

the philly mob is pretty pathetic

It's not so much pathetic. You hijack a truck and you fence the goods. It could be baby formula, fans, or Vespa scooters that The shah of Iran holds back from you.

The structure was this, everybody kicks up to joey.

Previte was never a captain. He was considered made by the natalae merlino guys who knew nothing about hte inner workkings of Stanfa's "family".
Previte was used by Natale and merlino for one thing, money. Natale who was not the cagiest guy trusted him more htan the merlino guys and kept him too close.
After natale went away, merlino kept him at arms length taking his kicks happily but previte had no made guys under him and had no authority to petiton guys up for membership.
This is not hindsight bias either.

Who made Merlino?


I thought he was pretty anti the old school ways and did not see himself as anything other than American?

John stanfa made merlino