Ralph Samuel Natale (March 6, 1935 – January 22, 2022) was an American mobster. He was the boss of the

Philadelphia crime family The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Bruno–Scarfo crime family,< ...

from 1995 until 1999, when he became the first

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 terms Italian Mafia and Italian Mob apply to ...

boss to

turn state's evidence A criminal turns state's evidence by admitting guilt and testifying as a witness for the state against their associate(s) or accomplice(s), often in exchange for leniency in sentencing or immunity from prosecution.Howard Abadinsky, ''Organized ...

. Natale helped sentence Joey Merlino to a 14-year sentence in 2001, but in January 2005, was also sentenced for racketeering, receiving a 13-year sentence. He was released in May 2011 and entered the

witness protection program Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after trials, usually by police. While witnesses may only require p ...

Early life

Natale was born on March 6, 1935, in

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."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

Italian American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...

parents; he had one younger brother. Natale's grandparents were Italian immigrants, and his paternal grandparents died in the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, H1N1 subtype of the influenz ...

in Philadelphia. Michael, Natale's father, was an associate of the

Philadelphia crime family The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Bruno–Scarfo crime family,< ...

and operated a

numbers A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

operation for them. His relationship with his father was very poor; he had once repeatedly kicked him because Natale missed his curfew. Natale was mentored by hitman Felix "Skinny Razor" DiTullio. Natale ran the Bartenders Union Local 170, running it on behalf of Angelo Bruno. One of the three former 170 union leaders, Joseph McGreal, demanded that Natale be removed as the union leader; McGreal was subsequently murdered in 1973, with Andrew Thomas DelGiorno believed to be the killer. According to Natale, he became a

made man In the Sicilian and American Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. In order to become eligible to be "made", an associate must fulfill several requirements, such as being Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by ...

in a secret

ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil ...

with Bruno and

Carlo Gambino Carlo Gambino (; August 24, 1902 – October 15, 1976) was a Sicilian crime boss who was the leader and namesake of the Gambino crime family of New York City. Following the Apalachin Meeting in 1957, and the imprisonment of Vito Genovese i ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. In 1970, Natale murdered conman George Feeney after he insulted Natale and Bruno. He was also known for assisting the Philadelphia mob in taking over casinos in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

during the late 1970s.

Criminal career

In 1979, Natale was convicted of arson for firebombing a furniture store in an

insurance fraud Insurance fraud is any intentional act committed to deceive or mislead an insurance company during the application or claims process, or the wrongful denial of a legitimate claim by an insurance company. It occurs when a claimant knowingly attem ...

scheme; he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The following year, he was convicted of participating in a drug deal involving 500,000

quaalude Methaqualone is a hypnotic sedative. It was sold under the brand names Quaalude ( ) and Sopor among others, which contained 300 mg of methaqualone, and sold as a combination drug under the brand name Mandrax, which contained 250 mg me ...

s and 10 kilos of cocaine; he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. It was during his prison sentence that he met Joey Merlino and the two allegedly conspired to take over the Philadelphia crime family from John Stanfa.Caparella, Kitty. "Recalling A Bloody Hit". ''Philadelphia Daily News''. April 24, 2001.Anastasia, George. "Mob Boss Natale Tells of 'Descent Into Hell'". ''Philadelphia Inquirer''. March 31, 2001. In 1990, he conspired and ordered the murder of bookmaker Louis "Louie Irish" DeLuca. James "Jimmy Brooms" DiAddorio was shot six times and murdered whilst he was talking on the phone four months later; his murder also directly ordered by Natale. Stanfa was arrested for

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 ...

violations in March 1994, was convicted in 1995, and sentenced to life in 1996. With most of Stanfa's supporters also arrested and convicted, Merlino, released from prison in November 1994, named Natale, who was released from prison on parole, as the new boss while positioning himself as his

underboss Underboss () is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian Mafia, Sicilian and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the Crime boss, boss. The un ...

. During Natale's reign, Merlino was the real power in the family, allowing Natale to become boss to direct law enforcement attention away from himself. On October 5, 1995, when John Veasey, Philly mafia hitman-turned government witness, was set to testify against John Stanfa and his men, his brother William Veasey was murdered. A year later, Natale had North Jersey capo Joseph Sodano murdered because he refused to attend two separate meetings. His last confirmed involvement in murder was with 61-year old Anthony Turra in March 1998, who was found shot to death in front of his home before he could come to trial for plotting to murder Merlino.

Informant

In June 1998, Natale was jailed for a parole violation; Merlino subsequently took control of the family and cut off support to the imprisoned boss. Angered by this, Natale offered to secretly record conversations with Merlino, but it was not until September 1999, when he was indicted for financing drug deals, that he formally struck a deal to cooperate. In doing so, Natale became the first sitting boss in the history of the American Mafia to become government informant. Natale testified against Merlino during his 2001 racketeering trial, but was unable to secure a conviction for the murders he alleged Merlino committed. On December 3, 2001, Merlino was however convicted of racketeering charges and given a 14-year prison sentence. Natale had admitted to committing eight murders and four attempted murders. In January 2005, Natale was sentenced to 13 years in prison for drug dealing, racketeering and bribery. He was released in May 2011, and placed in

witness protection Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after trials, usually by police. While witnesses may only require p ...

Later life and death

Natale had five children with his wife Lucy Natale: three daughters and two sons. He had another daughter with a previous girlfriend; she disowned her father. Natale had a brother who was a music conductor as of 2001 at a casino based in Atlantic City. In March 2017, Natale published a book called ''Last Don Standing: The Secret Life of Mob Boss Ralph Natale'', alongside Larry McShane and Dan Pearson. In late 2016, it was announced that actor Frank Grillo would play as Natale in an upcoming feature film. On January 22, 2022, Ralph Natale died at the age of 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Natale, Ralph 1935 births 2022 deaths American crime bosses American gangsters of Italian descent American Mafia cooperating witnesses American people convicted of arson American people convicted of drug offenses FBI informants convicted of crimes Gangsters from Philadelphia People convicted of racketeering People who entered the United States Federal Witness Protection Program Philadelphia crime family Writers from Philadelphia