Leland M. Beloff (born April 17, 1942) is a former American politician and convicted criminal. Mob boss Nicky Scarfo, who himself had been an amateur boxer followed the careers of young fighters from South Philadelphia, including Beloff. He was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Democratic member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

and the

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council is the legislative body of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is composed of 17 councilmembers: ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large from throughou ...

, who resigned from office after being convicted in Federal court on extortion charges. His district was Olde City, Philadelphia. The City Council would not approve any property development without consent of the district councilman. This gave Beloff power over the developers that would be given permits to build. In 1985 Beloff backed a construction project for an apartment building in return for a luxury apartment in Old City and then moved his mistress into the apartment that was rent-free. It was the failed extortion attempt by Lee Beloff, Nick Caramandi and Thomas DelGiorno that led to Caramandi deciding to turn as a cooperating witness against Scarfo after hearing that Scarfo put a murder contract on him. Beloff was sentenced to 10 years in prison, along with Philadelphia Mob boss

Nicodemo Scarfo 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, Scarf ...

, for extorting money from Center City 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, ...

. In 1998, he and his wife were convicted on voter fraud charges. He received a three-year sentence served concurrently with his earlier sentence. He was paroled in 1993 and went on to become Democratic ward chairperson. He was arrested in 2011 on disorderly conduct but the charges were later dropped. Beloff has been a resident of

Longport, New Jersey Longport is a Borough (New Jersey), borough situated on the Jersey Shore on Absecon Island, within Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. As of the 2020 United States cens ...

, and Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.Schneider, Howard
"Beloff Planning To Keep Seat"
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', June 30, 1986. Accessed November 19, 2013. "During a 20-minute interview in the den of his Longport home, Beloff, a former actor and prize-fighter - unshaven from his court appearance the day before and clad in a brightly colored striped bathrobe - offered no explanation or theories for the arrests."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beloff, Leland Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes People from Longport, New Jersey Philadelphia City Council members Politicians convicted of extortion under color of official right Living people 1942 births 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly