Nicky 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, Scarfo led the family through its bloodiest period until his conviction in 1988.

During his criminal career, Scarfo engaged in organized crime activities such as drug trafficking, extortion, labor union racketeering, and gambling. 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.

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. 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. He was 5 feet, 5 inches tall. 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, and 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, and spent about six months in prison. 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. 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 help Virgilio receive a lighter sentence on murder charges he was facing 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 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. Weeks later, Caponigro faced the consequence of killing a Boss without the approval of the 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 under his porch in 1981; his murder was orchestrated by his underboss Peter Casella, as well as capo Frank Narducci Sr. This move later resulted in Narducci being gunned down and Casella being banished from the mob, after which he fled to Florida.

Testa's murder sparked a war within the family. Scarfo seized the top position for himself, promoting Salvatore Merlino to underboss and naming Frank Monte 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 for gun possession. While in prison, Scarfo always had two bodyguards accompanying him who were associates of the Mexican Mafia; Scarfo referred to them 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.

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. 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, 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 Scarfo to order a hit on Caramandi, which in turn influenced the 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, racketeering, and first-degree murder, being sentenced to consecutive prison terms of 14 years, 55 years, and life, respectively, although the life sentence was later overturned. Scarfo's nephew, Phil Leonetti, who he had promoted to underboss in 1986, also turned state's evidence in 1989 after a RICO conviction.

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.

Death

Scarfo began his sentence at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarfo, Nicodemo
1929 births
2017 deaths
20th-century American criminals
American crime bosses
American gangsters of Italian descent
American male criminals
American people convicted of manslaughter
American people convicted of murder
American people who died in prison custody
American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Criminals from Brooklyn
Gangsters from New York City
Gangsters from Philadelphia
Gangsters sentenced to life imprisonment
Inmates of ADX Florence
People convicted of murder under the RICO Act
People of Calabrian descent
People of Campanian descent
Philadelphia crime family
Prisoners and detainees of Pennsylvania
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States federal government
Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention