Hi, all! New to the forum and an avid LCN enthusiast.
I have a particular interest in the Philly Bruno/Scarfo family and noticed that Scarfo's oldest son, Christopher (Christopher Ferry), has a really public internet presence for someone who went out of his way to change his surname! Likewise, Ferry's sons have a prolific social media presence for their FL drug recovery business.
Anyway, I'm curious to know what Chris Ferry Senior's relationship with his father was like after Nicky went to prison. Did Nick Sr. ever meet his grandsons?
We all know about Nicky Jr and Mark, but this other one is perhaps more interesting because his chosen path was less obvious!
Does Chris Ferry have any relations with Phil Leonetti, who gave a long interview last April, or with Nicky Jr.?

Basically, just interested in the relationship dynamics there...

Kudos for him for doing something with his life and staying out of the Life, but I wouldn't have changed my surname. You have a problem with who my father is? Let's fight about it.

Apparently, Chris changed the name to go into legitimate business in the late 80s. He and his then wife appeared to own real estate and insurance agencies in South Jersey. But, anyone in that vicinity would have known who his dad was. Seems pointless! Today, this relationship is very easily discovered online. I mean, Chris Sr looks more like his dad than does Nicky Jr!

They are not in the life ... the grandsons that is ... really no reason to be on here .... straight up guys.

Chris on the other hand changed his name for a few reasons that i will not go into .... but he also has not done any crimes since the 80’s there for really should not be put on blast here .

Thanks for your reply, Serpiente! I've lurked on the Philly-related forums here for a while and noticed that you have a wealth of personal knowledge on that era.
Do you know whether those guys have any relations with Phil L or Jr.?

There is interaction between the relatives of course.... and yes they are in contact with jr. but you have to remember that even though Nick sr. Put himself away because he didn’t believe in insulating himself of any of his crimes , he basically put himself away..... but Phil did seal the deal with putting everyone that Nick trusted with knowing away other then a handful that are never talked about.

So yeah there is not much love loss with Phil and the Scarfo blood family but Phil’s blood family in this area has never pushed him away ... he does have offspring here also.

Thanks so much! I don't know why, but this is super interesting to me.
It's certainly believable that Chris was more involved [in the past] than the media portrays him to have been. Scarf Inc.'s sign on Georgia Ave listed him as "VP Operations"! That role definitely entailed doing something less than kosher at one time or another!
I had heard that Phil has a daughter in the Philly/South Jersey area, but that she isn't relevant to any of this history.
I actually think that much of the hate directed at Nicky Scarfo is a little unjustified. I mean, within the parameters of mob morality and mentality, Scarfo Sr. wasn't unusually evil. As a boss, he had the right to force Harry Riccobene to kick up [and to go to war over this issue].
Was he paranoid? Probably, but ! Prior 2 bosses died in horrible ways. The issue was he ended up alienating too many poor button men like Tommy Del and Caramandi that had nothing to lose in turning state's evidence. And Salvi Testa's death showed the family that everyone was expendable. Scarfo should have channeled his paranoia into efforts to show how reasonable and practical he could be. Nick should have realized the vulnerability of his position, but he naively assumed no one would turn! Obviously, Phil's singing was a fat nail in the coffin.
But, at the end of the day, Phil ended up better than all these folks! And he got his kid out of that environment. Bad soldier, but a good father. One would think that Scarfo's relatives with kids would understand this...

Nick always had a blood lust ... like hundreds of those guys .... but Nick was boss in 80’s not 1925 . Some of those murders were not right ... Salive could of been hit $$$ but not killed .

Falcone could of been badly beaten.

He was over the top because of the bosses before him .... he had a thing about being a sucker .... probably more then anything... he didn’t want to be that sucker shot dead on Georgia ave . But no doubt a twisted man .

That's a good point Serp.Falcone should not have been killed.I believe all he did was say Scarfo shouldn't be in the concrete business.There may have been more to it.During the Riccobene war I believe it was Faffy that beat a Riccobene with the butt of a shotgun and killed him in front of his mother.He may have even hit her with the gun.A killing like that (even a mob killing) is sure to bring public outrage and major heat from the law.He should have killed Faffy for that as far as I'm concerned.There was another man killed in front of his mother as well.Scarfo loved those hits if Leonetti is telling the truth.The shooting of the The plumber's (Salerno) farther was another terrible decision sure to bring heat.How could any boss of any family think that was a smart move.First,it's against the rules he swore to uphold.But the public outrage and law enforcement scrutiny to follow was a given.It shows that Scarfo was either becoming a Roy Demeo type serial killer or just so paranoid that his decisions became too erratic to be boss.I believe the Judge Helfant murder was justified in their world.Or the Frankie Flowers hit.But some of Scarfo's killings he ordered were just plain bloodlust

True..

I was around a lot when Scarf inc was getting off the ground and its true they knew next to nothing about the business . Many other contractors said stuff about there work in the beginning.

But Vince was in the mob ... and telling mob guys ...he was not made but definitely profiting from it ... so it that world they thought it was justified..... but sorry it was not .... they should of taking mony or equipment and given a beating. Vince was a piece of shit .

Salerno was not mob material .... if not for them trying so desperately to build a crew here he would of never been looked at twice .... lots of Nicks problems were Nicks problems.

The laborers at Scarf inc were local guys and a couple had worked for other contractors before and thats how they were learning.... Phil never had a calais on his hand other then carrying and playing with a basketball and same with Chris the only thing Chrissy did was surfing and yes everyone called him Chrissy back then .

Nicks wife’s brother and JP father knew more then any of the .... JP’s father was a excellent bricklayer. And another cat named Bruno .... not the old boss . Bruno was a 250 lb Italian and good dude.

Phil’s wife that he calls Maria her brothers were laborers for Scarf inc one went on into the union and was on the job at the Trop when it collapsed and got paid $$$ but could never work again .

Yeah, if we are to believe Leonetti's recollection of the Falcone hit, Salerno was basically having a breakdown in the middle of the murder lol. I don't even know why he was there! Guy was useless haha.
Do you know what became of Catherine Scarfo, Nicky's and Nancy's mother? Did she stay on Georgia Ave until her death in 2001?

Serp I’m sure you remember the cement trucks parked in the alley! Man it’s crazy I knew Nicky, Phil, Chris, Nicky Jr, Mark they were all older than me. I graduated High School in 96 never in a million years until the internet came around did I know the extent of the “mob” When I was a little kid I’d ride my bike and they would all bust my balls because my bike was like 5 different colors. Phil’s wife’s twin sister used to baby sit me. Had no idea how big these guys were until my 30s all seemed normal to me in Ducktown. I remember Phil being back the summer before I left for college, it just seemed normal he was there. I stop in to see Frank once a year, great guy him and his family were very close to my grandfather

Of all the mobters and different families I love to read New York stuff Spilotro in Chicago but the Scarfo mob is probally my personal favorite to read.So it is nice to have the two local AC guys here and reading ya'lls personal knowledge.I have read many of Serp's post thru the years.To th poster above yeah Leonetti also said Salerno had another meltdown when they called him from jail and then they knew he had probally flipped.Why on earth would Scarfo allow Salerno to be present during that killing.Why would Scarfo be present I suppose is the better question.Pretty damn cool to hear Serp speak about Scarfo trying to build a crew.Leonetti must be one cold blooded dude.To hear him talk of his past killings he doesn't feel a drop of remorse.He looks as though he was farthest thing from a tough guy.But just a straight killer.crazy

Who needs to be tough when you can straight kill a motherfu**er lol. Death is the great equalizer.

I think John Nardi was a tough SOB, after being bombed, before dying, he said, "It didn't hurt."

Yeah man ...

It’s the way it is when your a kid growing up .... everything is you neighborhood and you adopt as a young person to the way it is ..... look at kids that grow up in these murder city’s all over the US you just keep getup everyday.

I'd love to hear Leonetti explain why he and his uncle thought killing Falcone in front of Joe Salerno was a good idea. I know it helped get Vince in the room, but all in all it seems one of the stupidest moves in LCN history.

I obviously did not know anything about the murder happening ..... but i can remember hearing about it and I knew they were toast !!!

Another thing you guys don’t know.... and everyone get on Phil for going out with Vinces girl but she is younger and even though she lived around the corner then caddy corner across the street she had other sisters ( HOT )and she was a exact twin .... and if you didn’t know then for years you would have no clue who was who ...there were a lot of girls going in and out of her house and a lot of good looking cousins from Philly coming and going.... and if i am remembering right the entire family had just moved onto Georgia ave. now even though they only moved 1000 ft. From the house two down from Angeloni’s from Arctic ave to Georgia Phil would not of known who she was definitely..... it wasn’t till all the girls were going in and out of the new house behind the drugstore right across from Scarf Inc. did he notice .... and he probably had no clue there were twins until after .

Where did Moe go over to Blackhand ???

Yeah it didn't take Leonetti and Scarfo long to figure out what a major mistake it was allowing Salerno to be at that hit.They scared him strait to the feds arms.Leonetti says in Mafia Prince that he was very close to killing Salerno at that time of the murder if he would have continued his behavior.That poor decision by Scarfo nearly cost those 3 their freedom for life.I believe it was finally Leonetti who was the one who solved the Tony Capinegro killing.If he is again to be believed.I do think his version is accepted as fact.It shows that Scarfo leading thru fear is actually the opposite of how a good boss or leader in the mob should operate.Again he scared The Plumber to the law.In the Salerno and Capinegro killings it is understood that not only Gigante but Manna and Fat Tony were present as the Genevese killers slowly tortured these men.That is an entire hit team.And not one of those killers flipped and told.It wasn't until Leonetti turned that this came out.So when the soldiers respected the boss it seems loyalty was strong as opposed toScarfo fear tactics and hair trigger

Memphis, that Caponigro killing with the Genovese leaders present is a totally different level of trust that was involved back then with soldiers respecting their bosses and the oath they took

Nicky jr have sons?

I believe Jr. has a son, Nicodemo Scarfo III (go figure lol), and a young daughter. On second marriage now. Really nothing readily available online about this lineage.

Today the mob is based to blood lines so I doubt that Nicky III wont never be involved and Joey Merlino had 2 daughters so the philly mob will lost 2 historical families.

Fore sure! Gotta remember that Junior's LCN career is within a NY family anyway. The Scarfo presence in Philly and South Jersey is gone. If Nicky III has an ounce of common sense, he'll steer clear of dad's trade.

Merlino,that is a good point as well.I believe Funzi was at the killings too.That is the entire leadership.Unreal.That family is ofcourse known for their good leadership and secrecy.But man if one of those killers would have flipped the entire leadership is gone.I would say that trust is indeed on another level.I guess to this day the actual killers are not known even by law enforcement.I have never seen a name anyway.That is amazing really the secrecy of that family

Been wondering about this for a while .... I know that there is other murders that were committed by Nick sr. And I don’t know if Phil knew but one of our friends he would hang with Phil a lot from 10 years old till just before he got made .

This friend knows about a murder but pretty sure Phil had to know “ but it don’t know if he had to tell feds .... most likely if he knew then he had to tell them and it must be in a 302 ? maybe ?

Any way it’s someone very close to the family ..... does anyone know or have the murders Phil gave feds ?

Serp off the cuff here but what a nice guy Tommy was, the bartender from Angelonis! God rest his soul! You had to know him. Great guy. Had a stroke in october then was making a comeback the had a fatal stroke a couple of Saturdays ago

Scarfo was the man

Larry Merlino had sons?