Nicodemo Scarfo
Born
Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo

(1929-03-08)March 8, 1929
New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 13, 2017(2017-01-13) (aged 87)
Butner, North Carolina, U.S.
Other names"Little Nicky", "Little Lethal Nicky", "Lethal Nicky", "The Little Guy", “The Little Guy Down The Shore”
Occupation(s)Crime boss, mobster, extortionist, racketeer
SpouseDomenica Scarfo (second wife)
Children3, including Nicodemo Scarfo Jr.
RelativesPhil Leonetti (nephew)
AllegiancePhiladelphia crime family
Conviction(s)conspiracy, racketeering, first-degree murder (1987–1989)
Criminal penalty14 years imprisonment, 55 years imprisonment, life imprisonment (1987–1989)

Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo Sr. (March 8, 1929 – January 13, 2017) also known as "Little Nicky", was an American mobster who served as boss of the Philadelphia crime family from 1981 to 1990. Infamously known for his murderous reputation, Scarfo led the family through it’s bloodiest period until his conviction in 1988.[1][2]

During his criminal career Scarfo engaged in organized crime activities such as drug trafficking, extortion, labor union racketeering and gambling.[3] In 1988, he was convicted of multiple charges including conspiracy, racketeering and first degree murder. His trial consisted of the damaging testimonies of several informants, who had carried out his murders. Scarfo died in prison on January 13, 2017, while serving his 55-year sentence.[4][5]

He was the father of Nicky Scarfo Jr., a Lucchese family soldier, who was sentenced in 2015 to 30 years in prison for security fraud, racketeering, and illegal gambling.

Early life

Scarfo was born on March 8, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, to Philip and Catherine Scarfo, Italian immigrants from Naples and Calabria.[3] At the age of 12, Scarfo and his family moved to South Philadelphia, where he worked as a day laborer and later graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in 1947.[6] He became an amateur boxer, fighting in small clubs throughout Philadelphia, earning himself a reputation for his aggressive temper in the ring. After failing to become a success in the boxing world, Scarfo joined his uncle Nicky Buck, a Philly Mob soldier, in illegal activities in Philadelphia.[7] He also worked as a bartender at a club owned by his uncle while being apprenticed by Buck, alongside his two other uncles.[7]

Criminal years

In 1954, Scarfo was proposed for membership into the Philadelphia crime family. He was inducted by then boss Joseph Ida at a ceremony held in New Jersey, alongside two of his uncles who were also inducted as full-fledged soldiers. Scarfo was reportedly arrogant and stubborn, having declined to marry the daughter of Consigliere Joe Rugnetta, leaving him embarrassed and disrespected, briefly causing friction within the family. In 1963, Scarfo pleaded guilty to manslaughter for fatally stabbing a longshoreman; he spent about six months in prison.[3] After his release, he was sent to Atlantic City, New Jersey by Angelo Bruno to oversee the operations there. Scarfo served almost two years in prison from 1971 to 1973 for refusing to testify to the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation.[8] He served time with boss Angelo Bruno and Genovese crime family members Gerardo Catena and Louis Manna, the latter of whom he formed a close relationship with.

In 1976, Atlantic City legalized gambling, and Scarfo prioritized gambling as his main source of income. At the time he was dispatched to Atlantic City, it was considered a backwater. However, its rise as a gambling mecca made Scarfo a powerhouse.

His cement contracting company "Scarf, Inc", which was shared with his nephew, received business as developers built new casinos in Atlantic City; Scarfo would intimidate businesses into buying from his company. In 1978, Scarfo and his associate, Nicholas "Nick the Blade" Virgilio, shot and murdered judge Edwin Helfant for refusing to cooperate with them and to help Virgilio receive a lighter sentence as he was facing murder charges, in exchange for $12,500. Scarfo acted as the getaway driver. Meanwhile, Virgilio fired numerous rounds into the judge as he dined with his wife in a restaurant. He made it a public execution and made him an example to anyone that wasn't willing to give him what he wanted.[9][10][11] In 1979, criminal associate and contractor Vincent Falcone was shot twice and killed by Scarfo's nephew Phil Leonetti on Scarfo's orders, after making negative remarks about the company and Scarfo.[12]

Power struggle

Longtime Boss Angelo Bruno was murdered in 1980. His murder was orchestrated by his Consigliere, Antonio Caponigro. Weeks later, Caponigro faced the consequence of killing a Boss without the approval of the American Mafia Commission. He was found shot dozens of times in a car trunk and $300 in bills were jammed in his mouth and anus as a sign of his own greed.[13] Phil Testa became the new Boss of the Philadelphia crime family, appointing Scarfo as his Consigliere. However, his tenure as Boss would be a short one. Testa was killed by a nail bomb under his porch in 1981, on orders of his Underboss and drug trafficker Peter Casella and Capo Frank Narducci Sr., which later resulted in Narducci being gunned down and Casella being banished from the Mob and fleeing to Florida.

Testa's murder sparked a war within the family. Scarfo seized the top position for himself, promoting Salvatore Merlino as his Underboss and Frank Monte as his Consigliere.[14][15] Scarfo would go on to lead the family for a decade with a bloody rampage, fueled by paranoia and aggression.[16] Between August 1982 and January 1984, Scarfo was imprisoned in FCI La Tuna for gun possession. While in prison, Scarfo always had two bodyguards accompanying him; who were associates of the Mexican Mafia, whom he referred to as his “pistoleros”. During that time, aging Capo Harry Riccobene began to form another faction that opposed Scarfo. The war would cost him his little brother's life, his brother Mario to become a government informant and Riccobene himself to be given a life sentence for first degree murder.[17][18]

In 1984, Scarfo ordered the death of Salvatore Testa, one of his Capos and top hitmen, as Testa's ambition and growing popularity made Scarfo feel threatened. Testa was the son of former Boss Phil Testa, who had been Scarfo's close friend and mentor.[19] As a result of Salvatore Testa's murder, Scarfo gained a reputation for disloyalty, and several criminal organizations across the United States began to distrust him.[20]

Downfall of Scarfo

In 1985, Scarfo plotted to extort $1 million from major commercial developer Willard Rouse, sending his soldier Nicholas Caramandi and another associate to do it. Rouse refused and immediately contacted the FBI. The FBI began a case to tackle Scarfo, sending an undercover agent to pose as a representative of Rouse. This led Caramandi, a notable and feared hitman, to cooperate and testify against the organization.[21][22][23] In 1986, Caramandi was indicted for his role in the extortion case and decided to testify in court.[3] Between 1987 and 1989, Scarfo was convicted three times—for conspiracy, racketeering, and first-degree murder, being sentenced to consecutive prison terms of 14 years, 55 years and life, although the life sentence was later overturned.[7] Scarfo's nephew, Phil Leonetti, who he had promoted to Underboss in 1986, also turned state's evidence in 1989 after a RICO conviction.[7]

During the trial, Scarfo's son Mark Scarfo attempted suicide on November 1, 1988. Mark, then only 17 years old, had been taunted for years by classmates about his father's criminal activities. Increasingly despondent over his father's possible imprisonment, Mark Scarfo hanged himself in the office of his father's concrete supply company in Atlantic City. He was discovered by his mother, and paramedics were able to resuscitate him. He suffered cardiac arrest and his brain was deprived of oxygen. He entered a coma where he remained until his death in April 2014.[24][25]

Death

Scarfo began his sentence at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.[26][27] He was later transferred to the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, where he died of natural causes on January 13, 2017. His register number was 09813–050.[28][29][30]

References

  1. ↑ "On the anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, a look at history's most fearsome mob bosses". Nicholas Parco. The New York Daily News. February 14, 2016. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Nicodemo - Little Nicky - Scarfo". La Cosa Nostra Database. LCNDB. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Nicky Scarfo, Mob Boss Who Plundered Atlantic City in the '80s, Dies at 87". The New York Times. January 17, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017.
  4. ↑ "NICODEMO SCARFO". Federal Bureau of Prisons. USA Gov. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Always A Joker, Never A Rat. In Mobster's Obituary, Unexpected Family". Philly.com. George Anastasia. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  6. ↑ via Associated Press. "Nicodemo Scarfo, ex-Philadelphia mob boss, dies in prison" , Utica Observer-Dispatch, January 17, 2017. Accessed July 22, 2019. "Scarfo graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in 1947, where classmates voted him 'loudest,' 'most talkative' and 'best cutter'."
  7. 1 2 3 4 Writer, By George Anastasia, Staff. "Tyrannical Mafia boss Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo, 87, dies in prison hospital". inquirer.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ Kitty Caparaella. "'The Blade' Is Cut Down Killer Nicholas Virgilio Dies In Prison". Philly.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  10. ↑ Toni Locy. "Her Memory Of 'The Blade' Wasn't Sharp Fed's Witness Mistakes Scarfo For Virgilio". Philly.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  11. ↑ Vicky Hyman (April 10, 2015). "N.J.'s most notorious murders | The mobsters". NJ.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Book excerpt from 'Mafia Prince:' The story of Philip Leonetti's mob hit of Vincent Falcone as ordered and watched by Nicky Scarfo". NY Daily News. November 19, 2012. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Mobster's South Philly House Up for Historical Nomination". Philly Curbed. Melissa Romero. February 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  14. ↑ "This Mob Shot Its Brains Out Crime boss Ralph Natale, in rare testimony against his own, tells a tale of murder--and ineptitude". Stephen Braun. The LA Times. May 4, 2001. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Mob Violence Is Personal For Narducci's Sons". Philly.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  16. ↑ "The Mafia Prince Next Door". The Huffington Post. December 12, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Too tough to fuggedabout: Notable Mafia nicknames". Fox News. Fox News. May 11, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Former Philly Police Captain Dies at 71". NBC News. NBC News Philadelphia. January 8, 2014. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  19. ↑ "The Story Of Sal Testa, Former Scarfo Protege". Philly.com. Michael B. Coakley. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  20. ↑ "What happened to the Scarfo crime family?". The Press of Atlantic City. Donna Weaver & Brian Ianieri. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Scarfo Guilty of Rouse Extortion". Philly.com. Jim Smith. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Reputed Mob Boss Has Florida Ties". Sun Sentinel. Deborah Petit. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  23. ↑ "CRIME CHIEF GUILTY IN EXTORTION PLOT". NY Times. The New York Times. May 7, 1987. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  24. ↑ Sheehan, Kathy. "Scarfo's Son 'Put Through Hell'." Philadelphia Daily News. November 3, 1988; Locy, Toni. "Scarfo Son in Coma After Apparent Suicide Try." Philadelphia Daily News. November 2, 1988; "Son's Hanging Halts Alleged Mob Chief's Trial." Associated Press. November 2, 1988; Anastasia, George. "Mob Scene: Michael Taccetta." Jersey Man Magazine. May 1, 2014.
  25. ↑ Caba, Susan. "Scarfo Jr. Gets Probation and Fine for Conviction in Hospital Beating." The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 13, 1990; Caparella, Kitty. "Scarfo Jr. Guilty in Beating Case." Philadelphia Daily News. June 13, 1990.
  26. ↑ "Reputed Mob Leader and 16 Others Are Convicted". Robert Strauss. The New York Times. November 20, 1988. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  27. ↑ "SCARFO AND 11 INDICTED IN JERSEY AS CRIME CONSPIRATORS". The New York Times. November 4, 1986. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Inmate Locator". www.BOP.gov. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Former mob boss Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo dead at 87". NJ.com. January 16, 2017. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Inmate Locator". www.BOP.gov. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
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