Hi guys

I've read a lot about the Scarfo mob and one guy that was very interesting was Phil Leonetti. I'm sure you've read his book and the many others out there and his many TV interviews, which are all good and tells us about the Scarfo era.
However, I find Leonetti to be someone with a complex. When he talks about murder he says things like "we" are the good guys and we were against the bad guys. When he explains his 'friend' Salvie Testa he says it was a shame and he wished Testa never got killed and it was his uncle who had him killed because he was paranoid and power hungry and it had nothing to do with him he was just an innocent spectator when his uncle wanted to kill Testa. Yet in the book Blood and Honour Nicky the Crow quoted Leonetti as saying, "This motherfucker, I'm getting sick and tired of looking at him." Sounds like he loved Sal Testa. Also during his 1996 interview he tries to make out he was a good guy by killing bad people. That's why I say he has a complex because I think he wants to the world to see him as a 'nice guy' while blaming everything on his Uncle Nicky. In that same interview Tommy Del hidden, said Phil would have never left the mob if he hadn't been sentenced to 45-years-in prison. Phil said he flipped because he was saving his son from the mob, and because his Uncle was out of control and killing everyone including his best fried the one he said, "That motherfucker, I'm getting sick and tired of looking at him." When you read his book he tries to discredit Tommy Del, Joe the Plumber, Nicky Crow, and George Fresolone by saying they should have never been welcomed in the organization because they were no good. He says that because they made him look like a CRAZY killer who liked to murder people in their own records/books of meeting him. He didn't like that because he wants to portray himself as the victim. In the end the guy didn't want to spend 45-years in prison and he ratted out everyone he could to stop that from happening. I hope in the future he can be more honest about his past instead of blaming his uncle. Phil was a willing pupil, he says it himself and loved everything about La Cosa Nostra, apart from doing prison time for it, and that's what it all boils down to. Has nothing to do with his son, wife (former girlfriend of Vince Falcone) or his mother, it was because he didn't want to face prison, and he certainly didn't do it because Salvie Testa was murdered.
So Phil if you ever browse these pages and read this please be honest and stop weaselling your way out of things.

But as Silvio Dante says, "It will never fuckin happen!"

If anyone else has an opinion on Phil Leonetti please reply.

Well personally I think as a father of course he didn't want to miss his only son grow up. Phil had no choice with his life because of uncle Nicky. He was trying to give his kid a chance at life besides the mob. But who is to say that if he only got a 10-15 years that it would have been se outcome. But as much as he was forced into the "life" he lived it and loved it.

I'm sure the father In him wanted the family life but the criminal in him wanted a way out of a long prison term. At least he didn't end up like Sammy the Bull and end up back in jail. But who am I to say what he was up to. Lol

Hi Phillymob

Yeah I have to agree that he has turned his life around and hasn't gone back to that way of life, but I doubt he made the jump with the Government solely because of his son. If that was the case why did he not go away sooner when he started 'despising' his uncle who he said had gotten out of control and he was planning to kill him. It took a 45-year prison sentence for him to see 'the light' and put his priorities in order.

Also what is interesting is the fact that in his book he doesn't mention his son's mother and how he met her. You just seem to read along and suddenly he mentions his son. I'm wondering if the mother is the girl Joe Salerno mentions about when he said he saw Phil stick a knife to her throat. Could she have been the mother of Phil's son or just one of his girlfriends. I believe this girl was a waitress. If anyone has any information please pass it along.

What was good about reading Joe Salerno's book and watching Phil's 1996 interview was the way Salerno said Phil would get that 'look' in his eyes when he was trying to decide weather he liked you or not, that was chilling Salerno said. I noticed it a few times when the interviewer Forest challenges him on some issues you can see that glare in his eyes. I bet he did wrestle the gun away from his uncle so he could shoot Vince Falcone in the heart again unlike Phil's version were he said Nicky ordered him to fire.

Be great to see what he looks like now.

Seems that Chris Scarfo stood up to his father...and never got involved. I think him and Phil are around the same age.

IMO Phil flipped because he didn't want to serve 45 years in prison. I'm sure worrying about his son was part of it too but i think the main guy Phil was worried about was himself.

Just my opinion.

I tend to agree Giancarlo , I must admit out of all the books I've read I did feel some sympathy towards leonetti , scarfo was a despotic maniac

I've read Blood and Honor and Mafia Prince and I'm pretty familiar with that era. I honestly feel like although mafia prince was a good read there is a lot of self serving BS in there. Caramandi seems like he has less motivation to lie IMO and I believe his account about Testa over Leonettis. I also gamble with a few gents who grew up in that era and were pretty close to the Pungs and in the know. From what they say when Salvie Testa got killed everyone was happy and fine with it, and all of the regret and thinking it was such a mistake came years and years later and is probably BS. Mafia Prince is a great read but you can easily tell Leonetti is grasping at straws trying to justify things and make himself look better.

Also BTW it is absurd to think he flipped for any other reason besides the fact he was looking at football numbers in federal prison.

VegasMike

Your right the guy is grasping at straws. He had more concern about what he had to eat the night that he went along with Salvie's murder then secretly regretting it. I just hope, which will never happen, that he stops pushing everything on Nicky who lets remember was a mad killer, and start just being honest about the role he played during his time as a Philly mobster. Phil has this complex about trying to be the nice friendly killer who did what he had to do because it was against bad people. You can see it in his interview and book that if no charges hadn't been brought against him he would have taken over the organization (if New York allowed) and carried on the way he was without having thoughts about running away and starting a new life like he tries to make out in his book. He loved La Cosa Nostra and he loved murder as much as his uncle did. As Tommy Del said, "The only difference between him and Scarfo, was that Scarfo came first."

I agree Vegas. Any person that is involved in their own book is always gonna make it sound the best for themselves. Look at Bill Bonanno Anthony Casso and so on..... I mean their not gonna make themselves look bad ya know. But hey the books make for awesome reading there is no denying that. I enjoyed Mafia Prince

You know I really liked that book but I never really thought about the things you guys are saying.But now when I think about it yeah I guess he wasn't a so called guy that went along for the ride.I sort of admired him afterwards but I never really got anybody else's point of view on it.Yes he definetley was a willing participant.I thought when Scarfo's son had that self-inflicted accident that he thought what if that was my son.Sometimes you wonder how different things would have been if Salvie was still alive.

You guys are reading Phil real good.He was not in any way a disrespectful kid or teen.He never stole, bullied, scammed or swindled,till he hit 16 maybe 17.Then Nicks influence came with vengeance.Phil totally changed started hanging with Philly guys.This also had to do with Nick moving up.Phil had his 10 guys he hung with in the area one is a superintendent of a large school district in south jersey another is a very successful businessman and freeholder a third is a CEO of a major utilities.Down here in AC the town is so diff from Philly and NY.So what i am saying he did not grow up a hardened career criminal until he was an adult. So when it fell apart he saw that that was it. He was tired of all the shit.This guy and lots of us grew up right across the street from our catholic school and convent on georgia ave.Only 4 guys from ducktown became made men..

I am very inclined believe what Serpiente posts. I get a strong He knew these guys; you can tell he did.

With that said, another side of looking at Philip is that if he had acted any differently in front of everyone else, with respect to Salvie, he would have been dead before Salvie. That's a fact. Uncle or not, Nicky Sr. told him LCN came first. Boss makes the rules. Nicky was so tied up with Genovese by that time, they may have been in his ear to get rid of Salvie; too much publicity. Think about the Chin. We all know we don't always say what we feel; Phil is entitled to that possibility as well.

But, the fact is, he knowingly participated, directly/indirectly, in every killing the minute he started in with his uncle. He was an accessory to the Reds Caruso thing; technically.

I agree,I enjoy reading all Serpiente's post.Seems to have a great deal of authentic info.Very interesting.In the 96 interview Leonetti was asked if he felt remorse or regret for any of the murders.He bluntly says no.He hasn't lost a minutes sleep over anything in his past.I believe he was just as jealous and wary of Testa as Scarfo.That he not only wanted him killed but he pushed for it as well.If the Scarfo mob never went to prison he would have never ratted.He would have many more murders under his belt by now in my opinion

I'll second that about Serpiente,seems to know AC like the back of his hand,telling us those stories before about the ''Blade'' Virilgio and others.

Maybe he didn't start his criminal career until he was in his teens/early adult years but his mentality was that of a criminal when he was a young kid. The man says it himself in his 1996 interview when his Uncle told him all about the Red Caruso murder, Phil said he felt great when his uncle needed his help and was happy how his uncle explained how he killed the guy. What I'm saying about Phil is that he is a very good manipulator about his own portrayal in the public's eye with His quiet demeanour his good looks and charm played well in front of the cameras while he masked an underbelly of violence, and if you notice if anyone tries to question his violent past he puts it all on his Uncle Nicky. I'm not saying Nicky Scarfo Sr wasn't ruthless, but I don't believe Phil when he tries to play the victim. Those who knew him like the Crow, Tommy Del, George Fresolone, and semi-legit Joe Salerno all say he was just as violent as his uncle.

Does anyone know anything about his son's mother? I'm curious about that part of his life because in his book he don't mention anything about his son being born or anything. I'm wondering if the mother is the girl who he stuck a knife to her throat, which Joe Salerno says he witnessed one time in Phil's kitchen.

bracci : I was not told this by Phil it was told to me by one of our boys.This is second hand from years ago. She was a waitress from Philly, like i said he started to spend a lot of time there.From what i was told she was a bit of a party girl. I guess cus he did have parental custody not often woman give up there baby. I don't recall if it was right from the start. His wife now he calls her Maria that is not her name. She was a local girl and has a twin sister and two others and a brother that used to work at scarf Inc.(the brother worked for scarf inc. not the girls)The two sisters worked at the restaurant on the corner of georgia ave. and artic ave.

Thanks Sepertine

Yeah I guess something happened with him having custody of his son over the mother. Did you know Phil well? If you did, did anything change when you learnt that he was a stone cold killer? Where people more cautious around him? I like to see if he portrayed himself differently than the one he shows off in his interviews.

Seems to be conflicting viewpoints on Leonetti, like Serpiente is saying, that guy in the Primetime interview who runs the bakery says the same thing, he was never a violent person, even in his senior years in High School, and he would've never thought he'd go on to be what he became. Yet others say he's this kid who had a perplexity for violence. I know one thing, he's not special from any other rat, he flipped because he didn't want to spend the majority of the rest of his adult life in prison, so he ratted everybody out.

I'm still waiting for his book to arrive at my door, I ordered it about a week ago, yet I'm still aware of the self serving shit that may be in it.

Hey whats up Serp?

Did "Maria" happen to have a brother named Vince? I think he died in the early 1980's?

bracci: Yes i did know him ,like you would know someone that grew up on your block most of your life.And i did feel diff but i knew .I have an uncle in the life.It was more like a your team my team thing almost(I dont know how to put it)other people on the block "Yea" when they found out.Then the others that knew Nick were ready for it.

Gcarlo There was a brother that worked for scarf inc. Carman, And there was a older one that was never around for some reason ,I forgot till u asked he was Michael.

Sinatra : The Bakers name is used in his book also, He is one of the bakers that make the bread for the White House Subs (not D.C.)

Look one day we were running around in gray sweat pants and shirts with chuck taylors ,Next day Phil was in big black boots blue or black jeans black knit turtle neck and a half length leather jacket with a 2" belt looking the part..

Thanks Serp. I was thinking of this one guy named Vince who was friends with Phil...and i'm pretty sure he died in the early 1980's. Was wondering if it was a natural death or something else...the guy was only 30 or maybe 31.

Man" i will have to think vince, tony ,lots of those names around back then...

No big deal...i just didn't want to say his last name in case he was this Maria's brother. The Vince i'm talking about was partners with Phil in some concrete company. He's mentioned in Phil's book.....and i think he died in the early 80's....but i'm not positive on that.

You know a lot of people Phil and reporters and feds and me have said some not so good thins about Nick sr. he was loved by alot of people around here. I will put some posts out about him. He was a good guy to people in this area. I have to think and put to words. (not real good at it )but i will.

O yea " Big Big guy , if it is i know him and he is still in bizz..

Dam i just saw you said he died in the 80s, one got wacked. the other one i am talking was an employee of Phil then went off on his owen. He is still in bizz in somers point.

Serp the guy i'm thinking of was Vince Bancheri....he's mentioned a few times in Phil's book. Him and Leonetti had a concrete company but then i think he went to work at Scarfo's company. I don't have the book in front of me but i'm pretty sure thats basically what Phil wrote in his book. I think he lived in Ventnor.