Nicodemo Domenico "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr. (March 8, 1929 – January 13, 2017) was a member of the
American Mafia
The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its membe ...
who became the
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
of the
Philadelphia crime family
The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Philadelphia Mafia, the Philly Mob or Philly Mafia, the Philadelphia-South Jersey Mafia, or Bruno-Scarfo family is an Italian-American Mafia family based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed and ...
after the deaths of
Angelo Bruno
Angelo Bruno (born Angelo Annaloro; ; (May 21, 1910 – March 21, 1980) was a Sicilian Americans, Sicilian-American mobster, notable for being boss of the Philadelphia crime family for two decades until his assassination. Bruno was known as "the ...
and Phil Testa.
During his criminal career, Scarfo had a murderous reputation, also engaging in organized crime activities such as drug trafficking and gambling. In 1988, he was convicted of multiple charges including conspiracy, racketeering and first degree murder. His trial was met with 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.
He is also the father of Nicky Scarfo Jr., a
Lucchese family
The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as ...
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
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York, to Philip and Catherine Scarfo, Italian immigrants from
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. At the age of 12, Scarfo and his family moved to
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Benjamin Franklin High School in 1947. 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. He also worked as a bartender at a club owned by his uncle while being apprenticed by Buck, alongside his two other uncles.
Criminal years
In 1954, Scarfo was proposed for membership into the Philadelphia crime family. He was inducted by then boss
Joseph Ida
Giuseppe "Joseph" Ida (; 6 November 1890 − 1970s) was the head of the Philadelphia Mafia during the 1940s and 1950s, following the death of Giuseppe Dovi in 1946. Ida retired and returned to Italy in 1959, leaving the title of boss of the Philad ...
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
Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...
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
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
; he spent about six months in prison. After his release, he was sent to
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
by
Angelo Bruno
Angelo Bruno (born Angelo Annaloro; ; (May 21, 1910 – March 21, 1980) was a Sicilian Americans, Sicilian-American mobster, notable for being boss of the Philadelphia crime family for two decades until his assassination. Bruno was known as "the ...
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
The New Jersey State Commission of Investigation (SCI) is an independent governmental fact-finding agency in the U.S. State of New Jersey whose mission is to identify and investigate organized crime, corruption and waste, fraud and abuse in govern ...
. He served time with boss Angelo Bruno and Genovese crime family members
Gerardo Catena
Gerardo "Jerry" Catena (January 8, 1902 – April 23, 2000) was an American mobster and a top member of the Genovese crime family during the 1950s and 1960s, along with Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli, Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo and Michael "Big ...
and
Louis Manna
Louis Anthony "Bobby" Manna (born December 2, 1929, in Hoboken, New Jersey), is an American mobster and former consigliere of the Genovese crime family operating with the family's New Jersey faction.
Genovese family
Manna was a close associate ...
, 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
Edwin Helfant (12 April 1926 Margate, New Jersey – 15 February 1978 Ducktown, Atlantic City) was an American lawyer in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Edwin was a New Jersey Bar Association-certified lawyer and part-time Judiciary of New Je ...
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. In 1979, criminal associate and contractor Vincent Falcone was shot twice and killed by Scarfo's nephew
Phil Leonetti
Philip Michael Leonetti (born March 27, 1953) is an American former mobster who became the underboss of the Philadelphia crime family under his mentor, uncle and former boss, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, before becoming a government informan ...
on Scarfo's orders, after making negative remarks about the company and Scarfo.
Power struggle
Longtime Boss Angelo Bruno was murdered in 1980. His murder was orchestrated by his Consigliere,
Antonio Caponigro
Antonio Rocco Caponigro (January 22, 1912 – April 18, 1980), also known as Tony Bananas, was the consigliere of Angelo Bruno in the Philadelphia crime family. He is known for ending the peaceful Bruno regime by ordering his murder over a d ...
. 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. 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
A nail bomb is an anti-personnel explosive device containing nails to increase its effectiveness at harming victims. The nails act as shrapnel, leading almost certainly to more injury in inhabited areas than the explosives alone would. A nai ...
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
Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino (June 29, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an American mobster who was a member of the Philadelphia crime family. He served as underboss for Nicodemo Scarfo from 1981 to 1986.
Biography
Merlino was born on June 29, 1939, ...
as his Underboss and
Frank Monte
Frank Monte (June 21, 1931 in South Philadelphia – May 13, 1982 in South Philadelphia) was a member of the Philadelphia crime family. When Nicodemo Scarfo became boss, he named Monte as his consigliere. When Harry Riccobene refused to accept ...
as his Consigliere. Scarfo would go on to lead the family for a decade with a bloody rampage, fueled by paranoia and aggression. Between August 1982 and January 1984, Scarfo was imprisoned in
FCI La Tuna
The Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna (FCI La Tuna) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Anthony, Texas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. ...
for gun possession. While in prison, Scarfo always had two bodyguards accompanying him; who were associates of the
Mexican Mafia
The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as ''La eMe'' (Spanish for "the M"), is a Mexican American criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia did not originate in Mexico, and is entirely ...
, whom he referred to as his “pistoleros”. During that time, aging Capo
Harry Riccobene
Harry "The Hunchback" Riccobene (July 27, 1909 – June 19, 2000) was a high-ranking member of the Philadelphia crime family who became a major figure in the Scarfo-Riccobene gang war that followed the 1981 death of boss Philip Testa.
He was bo ...
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.
In 1984, Scarfo ordered the death of
Salvatore Testa
Salvatore "Salvie" Testa (March 31, 1956 – September 14, 1984), nicknamed "The Crowned Prince of the Philadelphia Mob", was an Italian-American mobster who served as a caporegime and later acting underboss for the Philadelphia crime family. Te ...
, 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. 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.
Downfall of Scarfo
In 1985, Scarfo plotted to extort $1 million from major commercial developer
Willard Rouse
Willard Goldsmith Rouse III (June 19, 1942 – May 27, 2003) was an American real estate developer, best known for his role in the construction of Philadelphia's One Liberty Place.
Early life and education
Willard Rouse, a native of Baltimore, ...
, 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. In 1986, Caramandi was indicted for his role in the extortion case and decided to testify in court. Between 1987 and 1989, Scarfo was convicted three times—for
conspiracy
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...
,
racketeering
Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit.
Originally and of ...
, and
first-degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
, being sentenced to consecutive prison terms of 14 years, 55 years and life, although the life sentence was later overturned. Scarfo's nephew,
Phil Leonetti
Philip Michael Leonetti (born March 27, 1953) is an American former mobster who became the underboss of the Philadelphia crime family under his mentor, uncle and former boss, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, before becoming a government informan ...
, who he had promoted to Underboss in 1986, also turned state's evidence in 1989 after a RICO conviction.
During the trial that had ensued, 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
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
Atlanta Federal Penitentiary
The United States Penitentiary, Atlanta (USP Atlanta) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Atlanta, Georgia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justic ...