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Re: Uncle Joe Ligambi arrested
[Re: spmob]
#604233
05/26/11 05:21 PM
05/26/11 05:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,635
VinnyGorgeous
BANNED
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BANNED
Underboss
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,635
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We are all well aware...thats my point. That is the only reason why he received bail...and its $1 Mill because of that threat. Give me another good reason. And dude...John Gotti was 20 years ago... My only point is, nobody in his inner circle would get bail in this case besides Staino. The other nobodys did but there not going to let the Boss out on bail nor known mobsters who have a criminal history nowadays here. Staino recieved bail because of his clean criminal history point blank. That threat was the only thing that Gregory Pagono, his lawyer, thought would hold up bail. And Pagano argued that the threat was from 2003 and no violence came of it. You don't have to understand it but that's the reasoning. I get the reasoning, but logically it would make more sense to keep somebody locked up when you got that somebody on tape making death threats. Even if it was years ago, it's still part of this case. Now, do I think he should've been denied bail? Hell no. As weak as this case appears to be, they should all get bail. Prior arrests shouldn't even have to be a factor. Especially in a case where there's no violence involved. As far as me bringing up John Gotti, who gives a motherfuck, it's an old case, but it gets the point across. Bail hearings have a way of being ridiculous.
"What is given, can be taken away. Everyone lies. Everyone dies." - Casey Anthony, in a poem, July 7, 2008
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Re: Uncle Joe Ligambi arrested
[Re: mike68]
#604257
05/27/11 01:22 AM
05/27/11 01:22 AM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
IvyLeague
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
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Philadelphia mob used reputation and threats of violence to secure gambling racket By George Anatasia May 26, 2011They didn't break legs, because they didn't have to. They lived off the reputation of the organization and the gangsters who came before them. And they made a lot of money. That was the picture of the Philadelphia mob painted by federal prosecutors Wednesday at bail hearings for two top members of the crime family arrested Monday in a racketeering-gambling case. "If the threats work, then the violence doesn't have to occur," said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Troyer, one of the prosecutors in the case who argued that the defendants should be denied bail. Authorities allege that threats of violence allowed reputed mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and his top associates to forcibly take over a lucrative video poker machine business and to extort gamblers, bookmakers, and loanshark customers for more than a decade. Ligambi, 71, is the lead defendant in the racketeering indictment, which was unsealed Monday. He and two other associates have bail hearings Thursday. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy R. Rice accepted some of the prosecution's arguments. Rice ordered that Anthony Staino Jr., who prosecutors said boasted on tape of being a "member of the board of directors" and the "chief financial officer" for the mob family, could be released on $1 million bail after six family members and friends agreed to post their homes and other properties as collateral. Rice pointed out that Staino, 53, has no prior convictions. He also noted that while Staino was charged with making threats, he was not charged with carrying out any acts of violence, a point made repeatedly by Gregory Pagano, Staino's attorney. The judge also appeared to be impressed by the willingness of those who knew Staino to literally put their homes at risk. Staino, who lives in Woolwich Township, Gloucester County, will be on an electronic monitor and under strict home confinement that, with a few exceptions, amounts to 24-hour house arrest. Gaeton Lucibello, 58, identified by authorities as a mob soldier, was denied bail and will remain in jail pending trial. Rice said Lucibello's long association with organized crime and his two prior convictions for weapons offenses justified the bail denial. Prosecutors are expected to make many of the same arguments at the bail hearings scheduled Thursday for Ligambi, reputed mob underboss Joseph "Mousie" Massimino, and mob associate Louis "Bent Finger Lou" Monacello. The indictment charges Ligambi with heading an organization that used fear and threats of violence to fuel an extortion and gambling racket that generated a steady stream of cash for the organization. Prosecutors offered a more detailed account of one of those extortions Wednesday, expanding on an allegation in the 50-count indictment that Ligambi, Staino, and Massimino took over a highly lucrative video poker machine business from two men who had inherited it from their father. "They made them an offer they couldn't refuse," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Labor. While the indictment does not provide specifics, comments made in open court and information from other sources indicate that the mob took over the business once owned by Anthony "Tony Machines" Milicia, a legendary video machine distributor. Milicia, who lived in Somerdale, became a millionaire through the poker machine business, often financing bar and restaurant purchases for individuals who paid off the loans in part by allowing Milicia to place his machines in their establishments. Milicia, who died of natural causes several years ago, was an extortion target of mob bosses Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo and John Stanfa, but managed to avoid their advances. In 1996, however, after balking at attempts by mob leaders Ralph Natale and Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, Milicia was gunned down outside of Bonnie's Capistrano Bar at 13th and Dickinson Streets in South Philadelphia. He survived that hit and eventually agreed to make tribute payments to the Natale-Merlino organizaton. Ironically, the current indictment alleges that in May 2001, while Merlino and several of his associates were on trial for racketeering charges that included the extortion and attempted murder of Milicia, Ligambi, Staino, and Massimino muscled their way into the business that was then owned by his sons. During that trial, Natale, who had become a government witness, testified about how lucrative the poker machine business was. "Poker machines make more money . . . than even selling drugs," said Natale, who among other things was a convicted methamphetamine trafficker. An operation like Milicia's, he said, with 50 or 60 machines, would generate profits of about $20,000 a week. "They're in almost every bar in South Philadelphia," Natale said. "The profit on these machines is enormous." Anthony Milicia, one of the sons, declined to comment when contacted by phone Wednesday. "It's dredging up old history, I don't want to talk about it," he said before hanging up. Both Labor and Troyer said during Wednesday's bail hearings that the takeover of that busines was an example of Ligambi and his associates using the reputation of the mob to intimidate and instill fear. The indictment alleges that in May 2001, the FBI seized 34 video poker machines that were part of Ligambi's operation. A short time later, the indictment alleges, "Ligambi, Massimino, and Staino approached the operators of another illegal electronic gambling device business and forced those operators to relinquish their illegal business for a fee that undervalued their business." Before Wednesday's hearing, Pagano, the lawyer for Staino, said the business was purchased for $70,000. He described it as a legitimate transaction. But investigators and other sources said the Milicia network of machines generated more than $70,000 in a month and that the value of the business was substantially more than what Ligambi and the others paid. The transaction took place, Troyer said, after an intermediary approached Milicia's sons and told them "three men wanted to purchase their machines." The intermediary, the prosecutor said, told them that these were "dangerous men." Prosecutors said during Wednesday's hearing that Milicia's heirs, aware that their father had been shot and nearly killed, made the deal out of fear. "If the threats work, then the violence doesn't have to occur," Troyer said. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/122642549.html
Last edited by IvyLeague; 05/27/11 01:50 AM.
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Re: Uncle Joe Ligambi arrested
[Re: mike68]
#604258
05/27/11 01:50 AM
05/27/11 01:50 AM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
IvyLeague
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
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Video Poker Machines Are Like Mob's ATM 4 Mob Bosses Allegedly Tried To Tke Over Company Dave Schratwieser May 26, 2011(News Video at Link Below)PHILADELPHIA - Earlier this week, prosecutors announced a 50-count federal indictment against 13 alleged members of the Philadelphia mob. The reputed wiseguys are charged with a slew of crimes, from gambling and extortion to threats. Authorities contend that mob boss Joseph Ligambi was running an illegal video poker machine business. We wanted to know more about that business, so we asked Fox 29's Dave Schratwieser to get to the bottom of it. When it comes to the illegal business that fuels the local mob, federal and state investigators said to look no farther than the intersection of 13th Street and Moyamensing Avenue – you might call it the hot corner. That's where the FBI and state investigators took away machines from three neighboring locations. "That's what makes it go," said former federal prosecutor Barry Gross, who helped put behind bars four mob bosses who were all into video poker machines. According to investigators, Ligambi, underboss Anthony Staino Jr. and other wiseguys had 86 video poker machines in more than 20 locations, usually two at a time, churning out money for the mob like an ATM. "It would always come down to money – money and power," Gross said. The power was in machines located all over South Philadelphia and on into Manayunk. The mob's operating instructions are simple: "You have this machine, people are putting money in it, the payouts are low, the payouts are manipulated as to whatever number you want, whatever percentage. So, if you have a machine there, it's just a moneymaker. You don't have to do anything. People put money in, and you take the money home at the end of the day." Where do the machines come from? Two years ago, investigators for the state attorney general's office and state police seized more than three dozen machines from a tiny garage on Mountain Street in the heart of South Philadelphia. The owner is now cooperating with authorities. It's obvious the mob and the machines are a match made in heaven. The problem is the feds know that, too. "You would hope that people finally get smart and stay away from this," Gross said. Ligambi and Staino allegedly succeeded in taking over the company after three other mob bosses – John Stanfa, Ralph Natale, Joey Merlino and now Ligambi – tried and failed. Merlino and Natale, according to Natale, even shot the late owner of the company, who survived that attempt. Natale also testified on the witness stand that the company was so valuable it made $20,000 a week. He said it made more money than selling drugs, Schratwieser reported. http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/Video_Poker_Machines_And_The_Philadelphia_Mob_052511
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Re: Uncle Joe Ligambi arrested
[Re: GerryLang]
#604266
05/27/11 08:52 AM
05/27/11 08:52 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 197
jvanley
Made Member
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Made Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 197
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It must really blow to be denied bail, because it could take ages to actually go to trial, like the situation with Tommy Shots in NYC, hes been sitting in a federal detention center for a few years now. This could be a tactic the FEDS are using to see if anyone cracks. I also think they didn't charge Merlino with anything, atleast not yet, to isolate him, or have other members think he might be helping the FEDS. This is Classic Federal Investigation 101. Round up 10-15 wiseguys, try your very best to get bail denied for a few of them. Let them sit in the can and stew, visit them and tell them how "bad it looks for them", tell them others are flipping so nows there chance, blah,blah,blah. If I were a Boss and they denied bail to one of my Capos I would be VERY worried. They try to make these guys sit in the can until the decide to flip. In all honesty, its a for of interrogation. They keep them in a tiny holding cell in county jail, deny them the basics, basically make it as miserable for them as they can. It used to be Bosses would worry when guys made bail so quickly, now they get worried when they are denied bail.
FatGirl:Your cute Me:Ok FatGirl:So you wanna buy me a drink? Me:No FatGirl:Why not? Me:Well Its tricky pumpkin,If I buy u a drink, every fat girl in here would think I liked fat girls & ask me to buy them a drink also. See ,I dont like fat girls unless im wasted and given Im only one drink deep so far, so you better buy me the drink honey, cause this 20 bucks aint covering the booze and drive thru ill need to take you home tonight
08/13/2009-jvanley Spanky Bar, 3rd stool from the left
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Re: Uncle Joe Ligambi arrested
[Re: VinnyGorgeous]
#604276
05/27/11 11:19 AM
05/27/11 11:19 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296 Throggs Neck
pizzaboy
The Fuckin Doctor
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The Fuckin Doctor

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296
Throggs Neck
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If anyone of these fucking morons flip over something as little as gambling and extortion then the mob is officially through  . Yeah, that about sums it up. If a made guy flips over anything less than 20 to life, then it's really over. If a guy flips over being caught with a numbers sheet in his back pocket, they may as well turn everything over to the Asians and the Russians right now. This is a penny ante case that wouldn't have gotten any press at all prior to the Internet. It's hardly national news, and I haven't even seen it covered (except for maybe a blurb) in the New York papers. It's bullshit. I'll bet that right now Ligambi can probably plea to 7 years or less, as long as he's willing to allocute to being a "member" of something. That admission is boilerplate in these deals today. The New York families have made it the norm. A boss admits to being part of a criminal organization without giving anyone up, he comes out with his stripes a few years later. It's one of the changes that's allowed the mob to hang on. Twenty five years ago it was unthinkable. Today it's the norm.
"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
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Re: Uncle Joe Ligambi arrested
[Re: mike68]
#604397
05/29/11 03:23 AM
05/29/11 03:23 AM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
IvyLeague
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
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Philly mob, once written off, has bounced back CBS News May 29, 2011(AP) PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Just a few years ago, federal authorities thought they had the Philadelphia-area mob close to sleeping with the fishes: One boss had turned government informant, his successor was convicted of racketeering and the underworld organization seemed in disarray. But a federal grand jury report unsealed Monday, announcing charges against the top two reputed Philadelphia mobsters and 11 others, paints a picture of La Cosa Nostra as alive and well. Its 70 pages detail an operation that has rebounded and is thriving in some of classic staples of organized crime: sports betting, electronic gambling, coded conversations and violent threats. "Despite the clear history over the past 30 years, there are people still willing to be involved in this type of activity," said Barry Gross, a former assistant U.S. attorney who helped bring down several city crime bosses. "These allegations seem to be in line with what they've always done. ... It continues." The old-school hallmarks of organized crime are detailed in a report that reads like something straight from the big screen, replete with real-life characters who go by "Uncle Joe," ''Mousie," ''Bent Finger Louie" and "Sheep." The report outlines a structured world of bosses and underbosses, where members are "made" or "straightened out" in a ceremony where a knife and gun are displayed, and the potential member must agree to be willing to use either of them to help "our friends." The guiding rule of this underworld is "omerta," the code of silence, the grand jurors wrote, and the penalty for violating that code is death. The indictment alleges that reputed mob leader Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi, reputed underboss Joseph "Mousie" Massimino and 11 others engaged in loan sharking and ran illegal gambling businesses involving video poker machines and sports bookmaking. There are no murder charges, but authorities allege the men used threats to kill or harm people to recoup business debts. In April 2002, for example, two of the defendants went to collect "Uncle Joe's money" and one of them told the debtor that he was "capable of cracking" the victim if necessary, the grand jurors allege. In another instance a month later, two defendants allegedly told a victim they had repeatedly assaulted another debtor, once with a bat. The indictment paints a picture of a classic world of coded talk, where illegal gambling machines — placed in coffee shops, restaurants and other places — are spoken of as espresso or coffee machines. Reputed mobsters and associates engage in and secret "walk and talks," the report alleges, having covert conversations on foot to hinder interception. "Organized crime still exists in the Philadelphia area," George Venizelos, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia field division, said at a news conference announcing the charges. "It has not disappeared." That's a different tune than authorities were singing several years back, especially after former mob boss Ralph Natale was sentenced in 2005 to 13 years in prison. Natale is believed to be the first reigning mob boss ever to testify for federal authorities. It 1999, Natale admitted he ordered or personally committed a total of eight murders in exchange for a shorter prison term. He later testified in four trials, including that of Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, the man investigators say succeeded him as leader. Merlino and six others were convicted of racketeering and other mob-related activities but cleared on murder and attempted murder charges. "He helped expose it and helped eradicate the La Cosa Nostra in the Philadelphia area," Gross said then. In announcing the latest arrests, however, federal authorities described a revived and reinvigorated criminal enterprise that, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said, "has shown a remarkable ability to reorganize." Edwin J. Jacobs Jr., an attorney who has represented Merlino and other alleged mobsters in the past, said prosecutors typically talk in cycles. "At the conclusion of a racketeering case, the government will announce that they have delivered a fatal blow to organized crime," said Jacobs, who declined to address the latest charges specifically. "But when they indict the next case, they readily acknowledge a healthy and a vibrant and a powerful organization." Gross said every past prosecution has hurt La Cosa Nostra significantly, but the potential for making money keeps people coming back. "It's about the money. It's always about the money," he said. One notable absence from the indictment is actual violence, something noted by a federal magistrate at a detention hearing for Ligambi and another defendant. A decade ago, the last big mob indictment alleged three slayings, part of a bloody period in which more than 30 people were killed in gangland violence — starting with the March 21, 1980, assassination of former crime boss Angelo Bruno. The latest incarnation of the city's La Cosa Nostra, authorities allege, rules based on past reputation and fear. "What they're banking on is fear," federal prosecutor John S. Han said. "They don't need to commit actual violence." http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/28/ap/national/main20067134.shtml
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Re: Uncle Joe Ligambi arrested
[Re: mike68]
#604398
05/29/11 03:24 AM
05/29/11 03:24 AM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
IvyLeague
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
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Reputed Philly mob leader's arrest could put Merlino back in charge By George Anastasia Inquirer Staff Writer May 29, 2011Here's the big question circulating in certain circles in South Philadelphia: With reputed mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi in jail with several of his top associates, who's minding the store? Who's collecting the cash? Who's keeping the loan-shark debtors current? Who's emptying out the video-poker machines and putting together the tally sheets? A 50-count indictment unsealed Monday that charged Ligambi, 71, with racketeering conspiracy, extortion, and gambling was built around the economics of the mob. And while he sits in the Federal Detention Center at Seventh and Arch Streets, that economy continues to drive business in the underworld. That, say law enforcement and underworld sources alike, is the primary reason someone will move to fill the vacuum created by what appears to be the end of the Ligambi era. The most logical successor, those sources say, is in a prison halfway house in Florida, playing out the last six months of a 14-year sentence for racketeering. The more things change . . . Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, 49, has told friends and associates that he intends to stay in the Sunshine State after his release in September. He is working in a tile and floor-covering store near Boca Raton and returning to the halfway house each evening. Several people who have spoken to him say he hopes to get into the restaurant business. To date, he has shunned the spotlight, letting everyone know he is not interested in speaking to reporters. But South Philadelphia and the limelight were once part of his lifeblood, and there are those who believe he won't be able to stay away from either. The piles of cash that come with heading a crime family may be a bigger lure than balmy weather and palm trees. "There are a lot of guys out on the streets right now who weren't making any money under Ligambi," said one source familiar with the situation. "They figure now it's their turn to eat. They're loyal to Joey and can't wait for him to come back." In the short term, several underworld and law enforcement sources believe, Merlino will stay behind the scenes, influencing the future of the Philadelphia crime family from afar. Two of his top associates, Steven Mazzone and John "Johnny Chang" Ciancaglini, are in position downtown. Both were convicted with Merlino in 2001 and did jail time. Both recently came off supervised court release and are free to move about and associate with whomever they choose. Both are experienced in the economy of the underworld. Ciancaglini, 55, works at a news kiosk in the parking lot outside Chickie's & Pete's restaurant on Packer Avenue. He appears to be doing well. He drives an Infiniti SUV and can be found most mornings talking with customers who stop by the stand, including several mob members and associates. His wife, Kathy, who owns the kiosk, is often seen tooling around town in a Mercedes. They live in a $350,000 townhouse not far from the newsstand. Mazzone, 48, reportedly Merlino's choice to run the organization, worked for a time at a fitness center in South Philadelphia, but it is unclear how he currently earns a living. Like Ciancaglini, he appears to be doing well. He drives a Nissan Pathfinder, is always impeccably dressed, and gives the impression that he doesn't have a care in the world. Mazzone was Merlino's underboss, according to federal authorities, and helped run the family through a turbulent period that included conflicts with mob boss John Stanfa and later with ally-turned-nemesis Ralph Natale. Ciancaglini is a veteran wiseguy, one of whose brothers was killed and another seriously wounded during the violent 1990s. His father, Joseph "Chickie" Ciancaglini, was a capo under mob boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo in the 1980s and is still serving time on racketeering charges. A move by Merlino and his associates to fill the vacuum created by the arrests of Ligambi and his top guys would bring the saga of Philadelphia mob full circle. Ligambi took the top spot, authorities say, after Merlino, Mazzone, Ciancaglini, and several others were arrested in 1999 and 2000. It also would be a bit of déjà vu, underworld style. Merlino rose to power in 1995 after a bloody war with the Stanfa faction. The Merlino crew didn't win the war, but it took over by default after Stanfa and more than 20 of his associates were jailed in a federal racketeering indictment. The feds have created a similar power vacuum with the arrest of Ligambi. The question is whether Merlino, who enjoyed a high-profile run but ended up in prison the last time he was in this situation, wants to move back into the power seat. Those who know him say he clearly would be interested in the financial benefits. But is he willing to take the risks? Mobster-turned-informant Ron Previte offered a succinct - and, law enforcement sources say, dead-on accurate - description of Merlino during his high-flying days as South Philadelphia's celebrity gangster. "Joey's agenda on Monday was to get to Tuesday," Previte said of Merlino's 1990s, live-for-the-moment underworld lifestyle. Law enforcement and underworld sources wonder whether Merlino is smart enough to realize that Tuesday has come and gone. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/122787709.html
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