Salvatore Joseph "Chuckie" Merlino (June 29, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an American

mobster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...

who was a member of the

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

. He served as

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 ...

for

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 ...

from 1981 to 1986.

Biography

Merlino was born on June 29, 1939, in the Ducktown district of

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

. He was married to Rita Giordano, and fathered five children,

Joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...

, Natale, Maria, Liza Ann and Jason. Merlino's brother Lawrence, was also a mobster who later turned government witness. He was charged along with Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo with the July 1963 stabbing murder of William Dugan. Merlino was acquitted, while Scarfo was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the case.Organized Crime in America
p. 159

U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...

(1983) The Merlino brothers were inducted into the

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

as "

made men 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 a ...

" in an

initiation ceremony Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...

conducted by family boss Philip "the Chicken Man" Testa and underboss Peter Cassella in June 1980.Organized Crime in Pennsylvania: A Decade of Change
p. 175, Pennsylvania Crime Commission (1990) When Nicky Scarfo took over the crime family in 1981, he promoted Merlino to underboss. In 1984, Salvatore "Salvie" Testa broke off his engagement to Merlino's daughter Maria. Enraged, Merlino got permission from Scarfo to murder Testa, despite him being a loyal member of the crime family. Merlino developed a drinking problem. In 1986, Merlino got into an argument with members of the

Pagan's Motorcycle Club Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply the Pagans, is an outlaw motorcycle club formed by Lou Dobkin in 1957 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The club rapidly expanded and by 1959, the Pagans, originally clad in blue denim jackets a ...

and then ran over one of them. The Pagans retaliated by shooting up his listed home address. However, the house actually belonged to Merlino's mother (who was unharmed). Afterwards Scarfo demoted Merlino and cut off ties with him. Merlino was one of 17 mobsters indicted for racketeering in 1988. On November 19, 1988, he was found guilty of RICO, RICO conspiracy, taking part in an illegal gambling business and two counts of methamphetamine distribution. On May 10, 1989, Merlino was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison. In 1987, Merlino was one of seven people indicted for the 1985 murder of mobster Frank D'Alfonso. On April 6, 1989, Merlino was found guilty of helping plan the murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. In 1992, an appellate court panel overturned the murder convictions, citing prosecutorial misconduct and trial-court error. At the retrial in 1997, Merlino and his fellow defendants were acquitted of the murder. Merlino was serving his time for racketeering at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Worth. His projected release date was August 3, 2016. He died on October 22, 2012.

References

1939 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American criminals American male criminals American gangsters of Italian descent Philadelphia crime family People convicted of racketeering American people acquitted of murder American people who died in prison custody Gangsters sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention People from Atlantic City, New Jersey Criminals from New Jersey {{US-crime-bio-stub