Philadelphia mafia ranks are once again growing with the release from prison of Gaeton Lucibello a one time capo in the crime family. Highly respected on the streets going all way back to the Stanfa era of the Philly mob. The now 62 year old wiseguy completed his four year prison stretch after being convicted of racketeering back in 2012. With multiple factions now on the streets in Philly from different era’s the landscape of the mafia in Philadelphia keeps getting more and more complex.

“Gaeton Lucibello“

As Lucibello hits the streets former Philly mafia under boss Marty Angelina is being sent to a half way house setting up his return to the streets as well. Angelina is believed to have been named under boss after the conviction of Joseph Massimino in 2005 by the acting boss Joseph Ligambi. Both Lucibello and Angelina rose in the ranks in the Ligambi regime which has now come to an end as the Philadelphia mob runs through a time of transition. They are likely to both be looking for where they fit into the new mix.

“Marty Angelina“

Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino is still believed by many to be running the crime family from Florida although he is currently doing a four month stretch for a parole violation. His long time right hand man Steven Mazzone who is alleged acting boss and John “Johnny Chang” Ciangalini the acting under boss run day to day operations on the streets. Even though Merlino claims he has given up the mob life many mob insiders along with area’s of law enforcement aren’t buying it.

“Steven Mazzone“

Many of the Scarfo-era mobsters have also returned to the streets and have begun to carve out a niche for themselves in the underworld landscape. Philip Narducci is believed to have emerged as a force among that faction after serving a couple decades behind bars and is considered to now be a force once again along with the independent 10th and Oregon crew. Brothers Joey and Tony Pungitore have also re-established themselves after doing their own long bids in the can as part of that Scarfo-era bunch.

“Philip Narducci“

Joseph “Chickie” Ciancaglini is also now back on streets and is said to have been named the new official under boss of family with his son Johnny Chang handling day to day duties as acting under boss. Chickie now 80 years old holds the title but may be more of a counselor then anything else with reports of his heath being in question. With multiple factions on the streets in Philly and more mobsters returning to streets it seems the puzzle of who ends up on top is going to be an ever changing one for time being.

“Joseph (Chickie) Ciancaglini“

Louis “Big Lou” Fazzini a soldier in the Philadelphia mafia is back on the streets after finishing a three year prison stretch on racketeering charges related to illegal bookmaking and loansharking. He was part of the case in 2012 that included then acting boss Joseph Ligambi and other high ranking members of the Philly mafia. The 48 year old mobster was part of the families North Jersey based crew ran by capo Joseph “Scoops” Licata.

“Louis Fazzini“

Back in 2010 Fazzini was caught by FBI surveillance saying that he was inducted into the Philly mob by Ligambi during a traditional mafia induction ceremony. According to the feds Fazzini is a season player in the mafia in Philadelphia and ran various rackets for Licata on the streets. It was Licata who sponsored Fazzini for membership into the mob family.

Big Lou Fazzini was also part of a sit down between leaders of the Philly mafia and the Gambino crime family back in 2010. The entire meeting was taped by former Gambino mobster turned rat Nicholas “Nicky Skins” Stefanelli who later committed suicide before he could testify. Big Lou now joins recently released alleged Philly mafia boss Josepeh “Skinny Joey” Merlino and soldier Gaeton Lucibello on streets both also recently released.

Next up for release is former Philly mob under boss Marty Angelina who will be released from a half way house in July of this year. The Philadelphia mob continues to see mobster come home and it becomes more and more of an interesting mix as these made guys hit the streets.

Philadelphia mafia continues to regroup and grow with the return of two veteran mobsters George Borgesi and Marty Angelina. Borgesi was released back in January after doing a 14 year prison stretch on RICO charges and for first time in years is now off of all government restrictions. Marty Angelina is himself finishing up a four plus year prison stay for racketeering and is set to be released from a half way house this week. According to mob sources both are ready to return to the fold adding to the cluster of mobsters back on streets.

“George Borgesi“

Borgesi held the number three spot in the Philly mafia in the late 1990’s before being convicted and his considered a loose cannon by some. Some with in the Philly mob hierarchy are worried that Borgesi’s antics and propensity to stir things up could cause problems with in the delicate frame work between the three factions now on streets. Other decision makers with in the family believe Borgesi is owed since he went away and did his time in a stand up way ever saying a word.

“Marty Angelina“

Angelina formerly held the rank on under boss in the late 2000’s and was taken down in the same case that netted Borgesi. Although he isn’t known to be quite the lightning rod and problem that Borgesi may be he still carries plenty of baggage and a hot headed temperament along with his return to the streets. Both he and Borgesi are long time Joseph Merlino allies and will try and find a way to fit back into the Merlino and Steven Mazzone led faction of the current Philly mafia landscape.

It will be interesting to see how both Angelina and Borgesi transition back into roles with in the mafia and what effect it may have on the balance between the three factions now on streets. Both the Scarfo era factions one led by Phil Narducci and other led by Joseph Pungitore have established footholds back on streets and the fragile state of affairs could be a powder keg waiting for a reason to blow. Most of the major players are now back on the streets for the mafia in Philadelphia and although they have all seemingly been getting along so far mob insiders believe the balancing act will be tricky moving ahead.

The Philadelphia mafia for the first time in years has its current hierarchy not only back on the streets, but free of any restrictions allowing them to meet and mingle freely. But things aren’t all fun in the sun as many of the Philly mobsters enjoy the summer along the Jersey shore. Its seems that an internal beef between high ranking Wiseguys George Borgesi and Marty Angelina is causing tensions to rise within the crime family. According to mob researcher and author Scott Burnstein and his gangsterreport family leaders are attempting to mediate the situation and resolve things peacefully.

“Angelina and Borgesi“

The beef between Borgesi and Angelina stems from what Borgesi saw as an attempt to move in on his rackets by Angelina while he was in prison. Borgesi left his business in the hands of former mob pal Lou Monacello and believes Angelina attempted to shake him down while moving on his territory. Monacello sought to retaliate against Angelina for his move on Borgesi territory, although without mob approval. Monacello would later flip and become a government witness partly because he feared Philly mob leaders had marked him for death for seeking to harm or even kill Agelina.

Since Angelina’s release from prison in July things has only continued to escalate between the former childhood friends, according to reports and multiple sit downs have taken place recently. It’s even been reported that George has even requested permission from mob boss Joseph Merlino to whack Angelina. He is upset that Merlino didn’t stop Angelina from moving on his turf to begin with and isn’t happy more of his rackets haven’t been returned to him since his release. His old territory Delaware County, which he controlled for years is now in the hands of Philly mobster Johnny Ciancaglini.

Borgesi has rallied support from former Philadelphia mob bosses and current consigliere Joseph Ligambi who is also George’s uncle. Angelina seemingly has the backing of reputed boss Joey Merlino and current street boss Steven Mazzone gives both sides some leverage within the families administration. Reputed Underboss Joseph “Chickie” Ciancaglini and son Johnny Chang have stepped in and attempted to mediate things and find a peaceful solution to the situation before things boil over into a violent conflict.

The mafia around the country as a whole has been in a state of decline for some time now as its power and influence diminishes. The five families of the New York mafia remain the most powerful mob families in the country some of which have seen a rejuvenation of sorts the past couple of years. Although the American Mafia may never reach the heights of its heyday again some of the New York families have been able to reorganize of late due to many factors, including diminished efforts from law enforcement as the anti-terrorism fight took center stage. Question is can the mob families in Philadelphia and New England which have fallen on hard times in last few years find some of the same success as we head into 2016.

Philadelphia Mafia

“Joey Merlino“

The Philadelphia mafia has definitely been one of the more interesting mob families over the last couple of decades and has sustained its share of setbacks. A major trial targeting the Philly mafia leadership this year led to convictions of some of the family’s hierarchy once again leading to a state of unrest. The release of some key figures from prison of late has led to the family having more made guys on the streets as it had in years although this has led to more questions then answers as to the current state of the Philly mob family and its future. Recently released made guys include Joseph “Chickie” Ciancaglini, Gaeton Lucibello, Marty Angelina, Michael “Mikey Lance” Lancellotti, and George Borgesi.

There seems to now be three factions operating with in the Philly mafia, including one believed to be led by current acting boss Steven Mazzone and alleged boss Joey Merlino, another led by veteran Scarfo era mobster Phil Narducci, along with another by fellow Scarfo era mobster Joseph “Joey Punge” Pungitore. With the influx of veteran made guys back on the streets and settling in many wonder if the mafia in Philadelphia can find harmony among these internal factions. If they can find a way to make things work peacefully the Philly mob may actually be in a position to re-establish itself and recapture some of its dwindling influence heading into 2016.

New England Mafia

“Carmen DiNunzio“

Few mafia families have seen its ranks decimated more and taken more setbacks over the last few years than the New England mob. The Patriarca crime family has seen its long time power base in Providence virtually dismantled in the last couple of years leading to a shift in power back to the Boston based faction. Convictions of high ranking members, including alleged one time acting boss Anthony DiNunzio and powerful captains Edward “Eddie” Lato and Frank “Bobo” Marrapese continued to diminish the ranks. The indictment of newly installed alleged acting boss Anthony Spagnolo left the New England mob in disarray heading into 2015. The mafia in New England has quietly been trying to pick up the pieces and recover from damage done by law enforcement over the past year.

Heading into 2016 the family has seen the return of powerful captain Matthew “Matty” Guglielmetti and alleged under boss Carmen “The Cheeseman”DiNunzio among others. Carmen and his brother Anthony  are both believed to be key players in the Patriarca family hierarchy moving forward. It’s unclear as to who the current boss of the family is heading into 2016 but its believed that The Cheeseman is likely to have taken the reigns upon his release earlier this year. With Carmen back on streets and the Boston faction almost intact, along with powerful captains like Guglielmetti returning the New England mafia may be able to reorganize and begin to re-establish itself to an extent.

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The Philadelphia mafia remains at least by traditional mob standards to be a dysfunctional family as various factions try and coexist on the streets. According to sources this hasn’t stopped the Philly mob from adding to its ranks with a recent making ceremony led by alleged boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino. At least three new members were inducted into the mafia in Philadelphia, according to sources one of which was somehow related to Phil Narducci. With the current instability within the family the move to induct one of Narducci’s guys seems to be a sort of good will gesture to keep things peaceful. Even with the addition of some new blood the family remains fractured into various factions representing two different eras of the crime family’s history according to Scott Burnstein and his Gangsterreport.

“Joey Merlino“

The Scrafo era mobsters from the 1980’s are separated into two faction, one led by Phil Narducci and another by Joseph “Joey Pung” Pungitore. The Merlino faction from the 90’s which was once whole has now been split into two camps, one backing alleged family boss Joey Merlino and another backing former Merlino consigliere George Borgesi. Recent tensions between Borgesi and former underboss Marty Angelina caused a break in the Merlino faction according to reports. Sources confirm that Merlino tried to mediate the dispute unsuccessfully among the childhood friends after Borgesi requested permission to kill Angelina for moving in on his rackets while he was in prison. Borgesi is believed to now be establishing a power base mostly backed by non-made guys outside of South Philly.

Things remain quiet overall as the factions have peacefully co-existed so far with acting boss Steven Mazzone as a sort of intermediary between the key players in Merlino and Narducci who have never seen eye to eye. The feds maintain that Merlino is currently the official boss of the family with Mazzone serving as acting boss handling day to day operations while John “Johnny Chang” Ciancaglini serves as underboss. Former acting boss Joseph Ligambi and veteran mobster Joseph “Chickie” Ciangcaglini both serve as dual consigliere’s. Although it seems with the various factions that have developed the Philly mafia may not be fully functioning along the lines of the traditional mafia structure.

Merlino remains in Florida, where he has lived since his release from prison in 2011 but has made several trips back to Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore in the last few months now that he is off parole and has no limitations. Although some believe he is being influenced by some of his key people to spend more time in Philly overseeing things on the streets. It seems the mob in the City of Brotherly Love is a powder keg which could explode at any time and with the history of this Cosa Nostra family it would be a surprise to no one if things eventually became violent.

The Philadelphia mafia has quietly navigated its way through the last couple of years during which the family has grown and had somewhat of a resurgence.

According to recent reports, there are as many as 35 made guys currently on the streets in Philly and the Cosa Nostra family is as strong as its been in decades. The mafia in Philadelphia hasn’t had this kind of strength in numbers since back in the 1980s as numerous made guys find their way back to the streets after long prison sentences along with some newly inducted members. With so many players back in the fray along with legal troubles once again popping up for alleged boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino the hierarchy of the family seems to be in flux.

“Joseph Ligambi and George Borgesi”

In the mafia bad news for one usually, means the opportunity is knocking for someone else and veteran mobster George Borgesi seems to be making moves to re-establish himself as a power within the crime family. Borgesi made his way back to the streets in 2014 after doing 13 years in prison for a 2001 RICO conviction and beating a racketeering conspiracy rap. Both Borgesi and then acting boss Joseph (Uncle Joe) Ligambi were able to avoid convictions on various charges in two separate trials in 2013-14. Along with being Ligambi’s nephew he also grew up with Merlino, Steven Mazzone, and Michael (Mikey Chang) Ciancaglini. The four of them went to war in the 1990s against then Philly mob boss John Stanfa and eventually took control of the family after Stanfa was sent to prison.

Back in 2000 Borgesi had risen through the ranks and was promoted to acting consigliere under then underboss Steven Mazzone. His ascent up the ladder was cut short when he was sent to prison along with Merlino, Mazzone, and John (Johnny Chang) Ciancagalini. When Borgesi was released he complained to family leaders about the loss of control over the families Delaware County rackets to Johnny Chang and other rackets that he claimed were raided by fellow mobster Marty Angelina. Borgesi had reportedly been bumped down to soldier when released and there seemed to be a lot of bad blood. According to reports, a series of sit-downs took place over several months between Borgesi and Merlino in both South Philly and Florida leading to Borgesi being bumped back up to captain last year in an effort to ease tensions.

Borgesi has seemingly been very active ever since cultivating connections both inside and outside of his own organized crime family. It was reported last year that he met with members of multiple New York mafia families in both New Jersey and Florida along with other organized crime members. A new report from Scott Burnstein and his Gangsterreport has Borgesi meeting with New England mafia leader Matthew Guglielmetti in Rhode Island back in February according to a source. The reasons behind the recent meeting are unclear although Borgesi has previous links to New England once being responsible for a Philly mob crew that operates in Patriarca family territory. George seems to be leveraging old and new connections along with establishing new rackets in an effort to strengthen his power base and his position inside the Philly mafia family.

The 53-year-old mobster has been seen as a live wire and somewhat of a wild card by many over the years. Could he now be poised to once again begin a rise through the ranks of the new family hierarchy especially if boyhood pal Merlino is sentenced to another extended stay behind bars? The aging Ligambi was reportedly semi-retired before stepping back in recently as acting boss but his run seems to be coming to an end leaving the family with a void to fill perhaps sooner than later. There seem to be a few likely candidates that could step into that acting boss or even a more permanent role including Mazzone who has held the rank of acting boss in the past. It now seems that Borgesi may also be positioning himself to be part of that conversation as well given the opportunity.

Although Borgesi may not be seen by some as boss material when it comes to the American Mafia crazier things have happened. With the diminished earning power of the family and the legal hurdles that come with being boss many wonder if anyone really even wants the job these days. Well, George has always been a mobster for better or worse and it wouldn’t be a reach for him to be one of the few that still covets the job and title. The Scarfo era factions of the family which include Phil Narducci and Joseph Pungitore at least so far seem content to stay operating off the radar. So with some backing from Ligambi and a few of his other boyhood pals who would also prefer to stay in the background along with his New York and New England connections it seems plausible that Borgesi could one day sit atop the mountain in Philadelphia.

  Philadelphia mafia ranks are once again growing with the release from prison of Gaeton Lucibello a one time capo in the crime family. Highly respected on the streets going all way back to the Stanfa era of the Philly mob. The now 62 year old wiseguy completed his four year prison stretch after being [...]

The post Philly mafia heavyweight Gaeton Lucibello released from prison Marty Angelina to follow appeared first on About The Mafia.

  Louis “Big Lou” Fazzini a soldier in the Philadelphia mafia is back on the streets after finishing a three year prison stretch on racketeering charges related to illegal bookmaking and loansharking. He was part of the case in 2012 that included then acting boss Joseph Ligambi and other high ranking members of the Philly [...]

The post Philadelphia mafia soldier Louis Fazzini back on the streets appeared first on About The Mafia.

  Philadelphia mafia continues to regroup and grow with the return of two veteran mobsters George Borgesi and Marty Angelina. Borgesi was released back in January after doing a 14-year prison stretch on RICO charges and for the first time in years is now off of all government restrictions. Marty Angelina is himself finishing up [...]

The post Philadelphia mafia ranks continue to grow with return of Borgesi and Angelina appeared first on About The Mafia.

  The Philadelphia mafia for the first time in years has its current hierarchy not only back on the streets, but free of any restrictions allowing them to meet and mingle freely. But things aren’t all fun in the sun as many of the Philly mobsters enjoy the summer along the Jersey shore. It seems [...]

The post Philly mafia sees tensions rise as internal conflict brews appeared first on About The Mafia.

  The mafia around the country as a whole has been in a state of decline for some time now as its power and influence diminishes. The five families of the New York mafia remain the most powerful mob families in the country some of which have seen a rejuvenation of sorts the past couple [...]

The post Which Mafia family Outside of NY has the best chance to rebound in 2016 appeared first on About The Mafia.

  The Philadelphia mafia remains at least by traditional mob standards to be a dysfunctional family as various factions try and coexist on the streets. According to sources, this hasn’t stopped the Philly mob from adding to its ranks with a recent making ceremony led by alleged boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino. At least three [...]

The post Philly Mafia remains splintered but adds some new blood appeared first on About The Mafia.

  The Philadelphia mafia has quietly navigated its way through the last couple of years during which the family has grown and had somewhat of a resurgence. According to recent reports, there are as many as 35 made guys currently on the streets in Philly and the Cosa Nostra family is as strong as its [...]

The post George Borgesi is once again a major player within the Philly Mafia appeared first on About The Mafia.

  On this episode of Mob Talk Sitdown, the guys talk about Joey Merlino getting out of prison early and other current Philadelphia mafia news. According to Mob experts, George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser the new justice reform formula is helping Skinny Joey get out of prison sooner than expected. He was scheduled for release [...]

The post Mob Talk Sitdown: Joey Merlino out of prison early, Grand Jury Subpoena, and more appeared first on About The Mafia.

  On this episode of Mob Talk Sitdown, the guys take a look at how Mafia rules for being made have changed along with the locations of making ceremonies. Philadelphia mafia experts George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser go over some recent information pertaining to new-made guys and some of the interesting places they may have [...]

The post Mafia rules have changed + Philly News – Mob Talk appeared first on About The Mafia.