The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania released the below information:
PHILADELPHIA – U.S.
Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Philip Narducci, 56, of
Philadelphia, and James Gallo, 44, of Philadelphia, entered pleas of guilty
today before Judge Timothy Savage on several counts relating to making and
collecting upon extortionate loans. Narducci is a member of the
Philadelphia organized crime family La Cosa Nostra (LCN), and Gallo is his
associate.
At the hearing, the
defendants both admitted that Narducci made usurious and extortionate loans
involving tens of thousands of dollars to an unnamed borrower. When the
borrower failed to make weekly interest payments – sometimes with an interest
rate above 80 percent - Narducci used threats of violence and actual physical
assault to force the borrower to repay the loans. One such incident
occurred at Chick’s Philly, a bar and restaurant operated by Narducci, on
Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia. In one particularly disturbing
exchange, Gallo told the borrower he should be scared of Narducci, saying,
“He’s a killer you f***ing idiot. He’s killed f***ing eight people.”
“Philadelphians
deserve to be safe and live without the fear or threat of violence, especially
from unscrupulous defendants like these,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “My
Office takes organized crime in this District very seriously, and will
investigate and prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This organized crime
network threatened the safety of our neighborhoods by extorting and assaulting
Philadelphians,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “Thanks to strong
collaboration between our law enforcement partners, we were able to put an end
to this criminal behavior and keep the people of Philadelphia safe. We will
continue working together to investigate and prosecute organized crime wherever
we find it.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of
the Attorney General, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of
the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, and Assistant United
States Attorney Jonathan B. Ortiz.
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