Merlino's Luck

Joey Merlino, the flashy former boss of the Philadelphia crime family, is one of the luckiest mobsters in the mafia.  Merlino has survived numerous assassination attempts and gotten away with murder.  He has done a lot of time, but none that took him off the streets for good.  He has lived a charmed life with lots of toys.  

He was out in Los Angeles and even made it on TMZ at the airport with Howard Stern wack packer Johnny Fratto. I wonder if he actually got one of these wannabe Hollywood types to buy his life’s rights?

Merlino might have hit the prosecutorial lottery in his latest case.  Merlino, along with 46 other members and associates of the mafia, were picked up on charges ranging from illegal gambling to medical fraud in 2016.

The problem is with the informant in the case, John Rubeo, a former Genovese associate.

John Rubeo recorded over 800 conversations with various mobsters including Merlino.  

The problem is, John Rubeo erased a lot of the conversations.  

I have nothing for respect for the FBI.  All the agents I ever had dealings with were consummate lawmen.  They were all by the book and kept their word to me.

I wore two wires most of the time, really small MP3 recorders hidden in things like my watch. It only had an on switch and there was no speaker.  I recorded and dropped them off and then was given new ones everyday. All my calls I recorded through their system and I had no access to the system.  My car was wired, and again I only had an on switch.  I had to meet my handlers and there were always two of them, a couple times a week.  They would debrief me and write it down for 302’s.  I used to forward text and emails via email daily.  I wonder how was it possible for Joph Rubeo to delete any conversations.  How did they not properly debrief him?

Two agents and their supervisor are in hot water over the lapses.

It is possible that Merlino and the 46 others including a Genovese underboss and capo could walk free.  It does leave a huge hole in the case, because as defendants they are entitled to all the evidence even that which maybe exculpatory.

If evidence has been destroyed, how could they possible have a fair trial?

Joey Merlino may actually walk on this case and his life rights could turn into another really bad Hollywood mafia movie.

NYPD Assistant Chief Edward Delatorre, is one of the best real estate investors in New York.

This guy is so good that he was able to get four properties that belonged to various Bonanno family members, including Vinny Basciano and Dominick Cicale, located in the Bronx, at below market rates.

I wonder why he even bothers to work for the NYPD anymore.  A company owned by his wife bought a lot that at one time had a home on it where the Bonanno’s had an initiation ceremony.  The home belonged to Cole's mother.  The home is gone and the lot had a 990,000 dollar loan against it.  Delatorre's wife’s company bought it and sold it to an LLC owned by Delatorre.

Much like many of today’s political elite, these people are excellent investors!  Just look at some of the people in Congress and Senate who never hold a private sector job, yet leave office with millions in the bank.  Why do they not share their investment secrets with us regular people?

The Genovese Family and “Operation Fistful”

It is a crime group that people claim is “dead,” yet law enforcement keeps taking down different crews that still pull down cash. The latest bust went down in New Jersey, called “Operation Fistful.”  It was a joint investigation by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, conducted with assistance from the New York and Queens County District Attorneys’ Offices and other law enforcement agencies.

The operation targeted a group of associates that were part of a New Jersey crew operating under the supervision and control of two alleged “made” members of the Genovese crime family: Charles “Chuckie” Tuzzo, 82, of Bayside, N.Y., (“capo”), and Vito Alberti, 57, of Morristown NJ, a Genovese “soldier.”

The investigation centered on the check cashing businesses of Genovese associate Domenick Pucillo. He ran both legal and illegal check cashing business that he used to launder and shylock money through. The shylock operation was a simple but profitable enterprise.  Pucillo would make loans to those close to him for 1 point or 1% a week which comes to 52% a year.  The other shylocks would add a half point or much more, and then put it to work by loaning it out.  The business took in 4.7 million dollars in interest alone while the investigation had them under surveillance.

The operation was mainly based out of Tri-State Check Cashing, Inc., with headquarters at 17 Avenue A in Newark, NJ which was owned by Pucillo.  Vito Alberti got a piece of the whole shylock business and loans that he handled he took 2 points off the top.  They would have people who got the loans give them checks which they would cash weekly at the check cashing business so it looked like a legitimate transaction.

Vincent Coppola, the son of Genovese Capo Michael Coppola, ran a sports betting operation that took in 1.7 million and generated 400k in profits that he shared with Alberti and Capo Chuckie Tuzzo at the same time.

They also had a very lucrative side business which they named Viriato Corp. Viriato was used for their illegal check cashing business that was run out of a neighborhood bar.  They cashed over 400 million in checks and took in 9 million in tax free fees, which they all split.  People would write them large checks to cover under the table payroll or whatever they wanted to get cash for that was not traceable.  They did not have to file a CTR aka Currency Transaction Report like you do at a bank for anything over or totaling 10k.  

Viriato Corp got the cash from Tri-State Check Cashing and cashed checks, which they deposited and then wrote big checks to Tri-State which they filed CTRs on.

They then gained control of GTS Auto Carriers which transported cars from the docks to other locations.  They looted the company and used it to launder more checks through while the task force was watching.

The whole operation was a cash machine.  They took in almost 700k in cash from a drug dealer who paid them a fee to launder it, and then they used that cash to cash checks.  

It's a circle of undeclared cash kept in play by mixing it up with their legitimate businesses.  So much for a dying crime industry. The mafia is alive and well in New York and New Jersey.  This was just one small part of a crew that involved one made guy in the family and his capo. Imagine what the rest of the family has going on.

Chickie DeMartino

The Colombo War did a lot of damage to the family.  Last week I told some of the Michael Persico story.  A lot of those crimes date back to the war and the FBI keeps getting these guys for their crimes.  One of those surviving a long sentence is Vincent “Chickie” DeMartino, but he went on trial with Wild Bill Cutolo and crew for their part in the war.  They were acquitted of the racketeering charges.   

Chickie had a long history of run ins with the law starting with his first prison stint.

In 1984 Jack Graziano, Gabe Scianna and Chickie were dealing in stolen cars. Jack Graziano was supposed to distribute the proceeds but he didn't do it quick enough so Chickie told him he would kill him.  The FBI had a wiretap and caught this on tape.  Chickie and Gabe went to Jack's home with baseball bats and smashed every window in his house along with his car.  One of Jack’s children was hurt by the flying glass.  

A five man hit team was waiting for Vic Orena, Boss of the rebel faction of the Colombo Family, Vic spotted them and was able to drive away before they could shoot him.  One of those on the hit team was a Persico loyalist named Hank “The Bank” Smurra.

Chickie was fresh out of prison for a bank robbery conviction and he had just been inducted into the family. He had decided to stick with the rebel faction and he became one of their most ardent supporters.  

When the rebels decided to hit one of the Persico’s most dangerous Capos - Greg Scarpa, Chickie was on the hit team.  Chickie was in the van that brought the shooters to Scarpa’s home.  He charged out with the others but one of the men was nervous and his gun went off when they were getting out of the van.  Greg Scarpa was able to drive away.

They decided to go after Hank Smurra who had been with the hit team that let Vic get away. Hank was in Sheepshead Bay getting some donuts with Mike “Black Mike” Calla when Chickie walked up to the car and blasted him.  Black Mike was able to run away without getting hit by the shots.  

He was in on a planned hit on two of Greg Scarpa’s men, but while they were waiting one of the team’s pistols misfired, so they called it off.  Chickie was running and gunning until he was arrested with a pistol along with others.  The whole time Chickie was running around blasting people he was on parole.  

Chickie’s run came to an end after the Colombo War.  He had a long time beef with Joe “Joe Campy” Campanella so after Wild Bill Cutolo disappeared, he lobbied for the death of Joe Campy.  The Persicos gave him the hit.  So he had his associate borrow his wife’s blue mini van and they caught up with Joe Campy on the beach.  Joe was placing a beach chair in his trunk when the blue van stopped and the door slid open.  Chickie let his hate for Joe Campy overcome his common sense so he yelled “Joe Campy” before firing, and this gave Joe time to raise his arm and run.  He only wounded Joe Campy and there were a lot of witnesses, so it was not to hard to track the men down.

Chickie will be released from Butner FMC on January 1st, 2025 and he will be 69 years old.  Maybe age will slow him down.  Chickie was beaten up in prison by John Baudanza and a friend, but knowing John, he “Japped him”