Margate, New Jersey
Margate City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Margate City's population was 5,317, a reduction of 1,037 over the previous decade.Ducktown, Atlantic City) was an American lawyer in
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 (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
Judiciary of New Jersey The Judiciary of New Jersey comprises the New Jersey Supreme Court as the state supreme court and many lower courts.
New Jersey's judiciary is unusual in that it still separates cases at law from those in equity, like its neighbor Delaware but unli ...
Somers Point, New Jersey
Somers Point is a city that is the oldest settlement in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was settled by Europeans in 1693 and was incorporated as a borough in 1886. Somers Point was incorporated as a city in 1902. As of the ...
and
Galloway Township, New Jersey
Galloway Township is a township in Atlantic County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. At of total area of land and water, Galloway Township is the largest municipality in the state.Philadelphia Mafia family member Nicholas (Nick The Blade) Virgilio who was a close associate of
Nicky Scarfo
Nicodemo Domenico "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr. (March 8, 1929 – January 13, 2017) was a member of the American Mafia who became the boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the deaths of Angelo Bruno and Phil Testa.
During his criminal c ...
. His murder was suspected to be related to the murder of Giuseppe (Pepe) Leva, a
Pomona, New Jersey
Pomona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Galloway Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey.Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
Egg Harbor Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The U.S. Census Bureau in the 2020 census reported the population as 47,842, an increase of 4,519 over the 43,323 counted in the previous decade in the 2 ...
for intervening during a brawl between Leva and Phil Leonetti. His law offices were located at the Guarantee Trust Building art 1125 Atlantic Avenue in
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 (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
that she shared with Herman Orman. At the time of Helfant's murder, he was on trial in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city, capital city (New Jersey), city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.
on charges relating to his allegedly accepting $700 to fix an assault and battery case in 1968. A controversial judge, Helfant earned the nickname, "The Fining Squire" during his tenure on the bench in the 1960s and 1970s because of his propensity for fining young underage youth who used phoney identification to enter
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...
bars during the summer months. He was murdered while on trial in
Mercer County, New Jersey
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Trenton, also the state capital, but also directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is included within the Federal Communications Commission ...
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city, capital city (New Jersey), city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.
on charges of obstructing justice for the 1968 assault case. He was married to a woman named Marcie and was the father of several sons, including Perry who became a defence attorney and Richard, who would later become entertainment coordinator for Sands Atlantic City.
Background
In 1972 Nicholas Virgilio was convicted of murder. A fellow mafioso,
Nicodemo Scarfo
Nicodemo Domenico "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr. (March 8, 1929 – January 13, 2017) was a member of the American Mafia who became the boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the deaths of Angelo Bruno and Phil Testa.
During his criminal c ...
, contacted Helfant and delivered $12,000 to him, which was to be given to the Supreme Court judge handling the murder case as a bribe, in exchange for a lenient sentence for Virgilio.
However Virgilio received a 12-20 year sentence. In 1978 he was released on early parole, and vowed revenge on Helfant who apparently had not fulfilled his end of the deal.
Virgilio tracked Helfant and his wife to a cocktail lounge The Flamingo Lounge in Ducktown, Atlantic City, where he shot Helfant 5 times with a .22 caliber pistol while he was drinking at the bar with his wife.
At the time of his death, Helfant was facing conviction for bribery, due to accusations of taking bribes to kick out cases in the Somers Point Municipal Court, where he worked as a part-time Justice.
In 1988 the then boss of the Philadelphia mafia and 16 co-defendants were charged under the 1970
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.
RICO was e ...
(RICO) and several other murders and drug dealing, extortion and loan-sharking. The defendants were convicted of Helfant's murder.
Virgilio was sentenced to a 40-year jail sentence, partly for this murder, but died of a heart attack on March 15, 1995 at the
Federal Medical Center
The Federal Bureau of Prisons classifies prisons into seven categories:
* United States penitentiaries
* Federal correctional institutions
* Private correctional institutions
* Federal prison camps
* Administrative facilities
* Federal correcti ...