The Murderous And the Mundane: Taped Philadelphia Mobster Sheds Light On Organized Crime Insiders

 

George Anastasia, the Philadelphia Inquirer's veteran organized crime reporter, offers a story on how taped conversations of organized crime figures will be used in the upcoming racetereeing trial of suspected Philadelphia organized crime figures.

Joe Ligambi, the reputed Philadelphia mob boss, spent a decade operating in the shadows. Unlike his predecessor, the flamboyant Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, Ligambi, 73, seldom spoke to the media, avoided public displays of bravado, and preferred to spend his nights at home rather than in bars and nightclubs.
*
But secretly recorded conversations from a mob meeting at a New Jersey restaurant two years ago offer a rare opportunity to listen in as Ligambi breaks bread in a gossip-filled gabfest with several other mobsters.
*
It's Ligambi, in his own words, discussing the murderous and the mundane as the wine flowed during a five-hour luncheon meeting at La Griglia, a restaurant in Kenilworth.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120910_Taped_mobster_meeting_sheds_light_on_insiders.html?viewAll=y

You can also read my GreatHistory.com piece on George Anastasia's book on Philadelphia organized crime via the below links:

http://greathistory.com/philly-mob-files-mobsters-molls-and-murder-part-i.htm

http://greathistory.com/philly-mob-files-mobsters-molls-and-murder-part-ii.htm

http://greathistory.com/philly-mob-files-mobsters-molls-and-murder-part-iii.htm