"Old School" South Philly Mobster Pleads Guilty To Murder

George Anastasia, a veteran organized crime reporter and the author of Gotti's Rules, reports on the guilty pled of Anthony Nicodemno for bigtrial.net.

He's a throwback, a standup guy in a mob decimated by turncoat witnesses.  

And as a result, he's looking at 23 more years in state prison.

On the eve of his retrial for the December 2012 murder of Gino DiPietro, mobster Anthony Nicodemo pleaded guilty this morning to third degree murder, conspiracy and weapons charges.

Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart, under the terms of a plea deal, sentenced the reputed South Philadelphia hitman to a minimum of 25 years in prison. With two years already served, Nicodemo, 43, will be able to apply for parole in 2038.

According to several sources, Nicodemo rejected offers to cooperate that could have resulted in substantially less jail time. The married father of two young children opted instead to live by an underworld code that has been shattered again and again by members of the Philadelphia mob.
Omerta, the code of silence, is like the Liberty Bell, broke and inoperative. So many members and associates of the Philadelphia mob have chosen to cooperate that the once secret society has
crumbled.

But Nicodemo, who is also a suspect in the murder of mobster John "Johnny Gongs" Casasanto, proved to be old school.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2015/02/nicodemo-gets-25-50-for-dipietro-murder.html#more

My review of Gotti's Rules will appear in the Philadelphia Inquirer on February 15th.

You can read an earlier post on Anastasia's new organized crime book via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2015/01/george-anastasias-gottis-rules-in-new.html

Dumbest Mob Hit In Philadelphia History? A Juror's View Of The Nicodemo South Philly Murder Trial

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia is covering the Nicodemo murder trial for Bigtrial.net.

She listened to two days of testimony in the Anthony Nicodemo murder trial last month and said she wasn't buying the defense argument that Nicodemo was carjacked and became an unwitting getaway driver in the murder of Gino DiPietro.

"The story about the carjacking was absurd," the former Common Pleas Court panelist wrote in one of several e-mail exchanges with Bigtrial.net. She also said she surmised the shooting was a mob hit even though the judge had barred any mention of organized crime. And she correctly assumed that Nicodemo was being held without bail and that he was able to afford a high priced defense attorney.

The juror agreed to share her insights from the two days she heard testimony, but asked to remain anonymous. She was the first of three jurors dismissed during the case which ended in a mistrial on May 20. Lawyers for the defense and prosecution are to meet with Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart Thursday for a status conference during which a new trial date could be set.Nicodemo, 42, has been held without bail since his arrest on the day of the shooting, December 12, 2012.

... DiPietro, 50, was a convicted drug dealer who, according to some underworld and law enforcement sources, was cooperating with authorities at the time he was killed. His murder was described by one investigator as the "dumbest" mob hit in the history of Philadelphia.

No one, the investigator said, uses their own vehicle as the getaway car. And any experienced hitman knows that the first order of business after a shooting is to dispose of the murder weapon. The shooting occurred as mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and six co-defendants were being tried in a racketeering case in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. A shooting during a mob trial is also considered bad underworld form.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/06/a-jurors-view-of-nicodemo-trial.html

Mistrial In South Philly Murder Trial

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia is covering the Anthony Nicodemo trial in Philadelphia for Bigtrial.net.

Shortly after mobster Anthony Nicodemo's attorney offered a bizarre carjacking defense last week to explain how his client became an unwitting getaway driver in the December 2012 murder of Gino DiPietro, a person following the trial rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"There's no way a common-sense jury buys that story," the observer said.

But common sense doesn't always apply in Common Pleas Court, a sometimes illogical Alice in Wonderland judicial world where the unexplainable happens. This morning, as the defense was preparing to call its first witness, it happened again.

Judge Jeffrey Minehart declared a mistrial late this morning after dismissing two more jurors in the case. That left the panel with just 11 members and apparently neither side wanted to proceed at that point. The case blew up amid reports that police have opened an investigation into possible jury tampering.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/05/mistrial-in-nicodemo-murder-case.html

Will Reputed South Philly Mobster Take The Stand In Murder Trial?

Veteran organized crime reporter and author George Anastasia is covering the Anthony Nicodemo murder trial in Philadelphia for Bigtrial.net.

Anthony Nicodemo smiled and waved to family members and friends as he left the 11th floor courtroom this afternoon following a second day of testimony in his murder trial.

The burly, 42-year-old mobster, who is facing a potential life sentence, appeared calm and relaxed as he headed back to the prison cell he has occupied since his arrest minutes after Gino DiPietro was gunned down on a South Philadelphia street more than two years ago.

Assistant District Attorney Brian Zarallo could wrap up his case tomorrow. Court does not meet on Friday. That would set the stage for what might be the biggest decision in Nicodemo's life. Does he take the stand in his own defense?

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/05/will-nicodemo-take-stand.html#more

South Philly Reputed Mob Figure Anthony Nicodemo, Unwitting Getaway Driver?

Veteran organized crime reporter and author George Anastasia offers a piece on the trial of Anthony Nicodemo.

The gunman who shot and killed Gino DiPietro in December 2012 made his getaway in a black Honda Pilot owned and driven that day by South Philadelphia mob figure Anthony Nicodemo.

That fact was not in dispute as Nicodemo's murder and conspiracy trial opened this afternoon in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. What came next was rather murky.

Using the same set of facts, Assistant District Attorney Brian Zarallo and defense attorney Brian McMonagle told the jury decidedly different stories about what went down in the 2800 block of Iseminger Street on the afternoon of December 12.

Zarallo, pointing to a .357 magnum that was found in Nicodemo's vehicle, said authorities had the "smoking gun" that tied the hulking, 42-year-old mob soldier to the murder. He also said that a witness got the license tag of the black Honda Pilot as it drove away and that within minutes police were knocking on Nicodemo's door in the 3800 block of South 17th Street, a five-minute ride from the murder scene.

But McMonagle, in an impassioned opening statement, said his client was not involved in the shooting. He just happened to be parked near the murder scene when an unknown gunman jumped in his car and forced him to drive away.

Law enforcement sources who have been following the case shook their heads and rolled their eyes. Nicodemo, they pointed out, has been held without bail since his arrest on the day of the shooting. Yet this is the first time he has offered any explanation of what happened. If, in fact, he was the victim of what amounted to a carjacking, they said, then he could have offered that explanation when they came knocking on his door minutes after DiPietro was killed.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/05/anthony-nicodemo-unwitting-getaway.html#more

South Philadelphia Mob Soldier Indicted For Murder

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia is covering the trial of a suspected South Philadelphia mob hitman for Bigtrial.net.

Mobster Anthony Nicodemo has been indicted on first degree murder and conspiracy charges in the shooting death of a South Philadelphia drug dealer and suspected government informant.

The indictment was announced this afternoon at a status hearing for Nicodemo in Common Pleas Court. The 41-year-old mobster, who has been held without bail since his arrest in December, did not attend the session.

His lawyer, Brian McMonagle, declined to comment.

The indictment is expected to up the ante in the case against Nicodemo who now faces life in prison or a potential death sentence for the murder of Gino DiPietro. The case has also fueled speculation about whether Nicodemo, long a suspect in a second gangland murder, would agree to cooperate in order to get out from under his legal problems.

The conspiracy charge in the DiPietro case would seem to indicate that authorities believe Nicodemo did not act alone in carrying out the hit. In fact, several sources have said investigators believe he may have been the driver, rather than the shooter, in a slaying that one police source has called one of "the dumbest" mob hits in Philadelphia history.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2013/03/mob-soldier-indicted-for-murder.html#more

You can also read coverage of the case by Robert Moran at the Philadelphia Inquirer via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130311_Reputed_mobster_indicted_in_South_Philly_slaying.html

Philadelphia D. A. Bypasses Preliminary Hearing, Opts For Indicting Grand Jury In Mob Killing

Joseph A. Slobodzian at the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the prosecution of a suspected mob hitman.

Anthony Nicodemo, 41, was arrested Dec. 13 in the daytime slaying of 50-year-old Gino DePietro outside his South Philadelphia home.

The killing occurred as a federal court jury was hearing evidence in the racketeering trial of seven alleged Philadelphia mobsters. Some trial observers speculated about a possible connection between trial and killing, and lawyers feared the news might taint the jury.

As policy, prosecutors do not confirm or deny the existence of a grand jury or the target of the investigation. It is thus impossible to know if some concrete threat or the usual reluctance of witnesses in organized crime cases motivated the decision.

What is known is that Nicodemo's preliminary hearing on murder and related charges was supposed to have been held Wednesday before a Municipal Court judge.

Instead, the hearing was canceled and defense attorney Brian J. McMonagle confirmed that prosecutors had elected to use an indicting grand jury.

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

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130221_Philadelphia_D_A__bypasses_preliminary_hearing__opts_for_indicting_grand_jury_in_mob_killing.html

Mob Hit Again An Issue At Philadelphia Racketeering Trial

The veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia is covering the federal organized crime trial in Philadelphia for BigTrial.net

Suspected mob hit man Anthony Nicodemo is sitting in a city prison awaiting a preliminary hearing in a homicide case that could have a dramatic impact on the Philadelphia mob.

Since his arrest on Dec. 12, underworld and law enforcement sources have been speculating on whether the 41-year-old South Philadelphia wiseguy would become a government cooperator in order to get out from under the charges he faces.

That speculation has created an undercurrent in the ongoing racketeering trial of mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and six co-defendants. Ironically, the trial ended Monday with Nicodemo's name being mentioned by a federal prosecutor and defense attorneys crying foul.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2013/01/mob-hit-again-issue-at-racketeering.html#more

Mob Soldier Charged In "Dumb" Gangland Hit

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia has been covering the federal organized crime trial in Philadelphia for BigTrial.net.

Mob soldier Anthony Nicodemo has been charged with first-degree murder in a gangland shooting that one police investigator called the "dumbest" mob hit he has ever seen.

A former federal prosecutor agreed, calling the broad daylight slaying of Gino DiPietro Wednesday afternoon "amateurish" but indicative of what the Philadelphia crime family has become.
Nicodemo, 41, was taken in to custody less than 30 minutes after the shooting. Witnesses had spotted him fleeing the scene in an SUV and gave authorities the license tag number. The vehicle was registered in Nicodemo's name and listed at his address, a few blocks from where DiPietro was gunned down.

The married father of two young children was arrested at that home without incident. He was charged with murder, conspiracy and weapons charges Thursday afternoon after a ballistic test linked a gun found in his car with a bullet fragment from the murder scene. Police also found gloves and a ski mask in the vehicle, a black Honda Pilot, according to an investigative source.Using a car registered in your own name to carry out a mob hit is considered an underworld blunder of the highest order. Usually a stolen vehicle or an untraceable "junker" is used and then quickly abandoned.

Getting rid of the murder weapon -- in this case a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum -- is also paramount.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2012/12/mob-soldier-charged-in-gangland-dumb-hit.html

Alleged Mobster Charged With Murder In South Philadelphia Slaying

 

Robert Moran and Joseph A. Slobodzian at the Philadelphia Inquirer offer a report on the apparent mob murder in South Philadelphia.

Anthony Nicodemo, a reputed mob soldier, was charged Thursday night in the daytime slaying Wednesday of Gino DiPietro outside his home in South Philadelphia, city police said.
 

Authorities matched a bullet fragment found on DiPietro's clothes with a gun found in an automobile registered to Nicodemo, a police source confirmed Thursday.

Nicodemo, 41, of the 3200 block of South 17th Street, was charged with murder and related offenses.
Also Thursday, a federal judge said he would individually question the 15 jurors in the federal racketeering trial of seven alleged Philadelphia mobsters when court resumes Tuesday to see if they had been exposed to news coverage of the slaying.

DiPietro, 50, was gunned down in the 2800 block of South Iseminger Street shortly before 3 p.m. A black Honda SUV was seen speeding away, and police later matched the description with Nicodemo's 2011 Honda Pilot, which was parked in the block where he lives with his wife and two children. A gun was found in the Honda.

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

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20121214_Alleged_mobster_charged_with_murder_in_S__Phila__slaying.html

Apparent Mob Hit In South Philly

 

William Bender and Morgan Zalot at the Philadelphia Daily News offer a report on what appears to be an organized crime-related murder in South Philadelphia.

As federal prosecutors rested their case against reputed Mafia boss Joseph Ligambi, police investigated an apparent mob hit Wednesday in South Philly that left a 50-year-old man dead of gunshot wounds.
 

Police were questioning Anthony Nicodemo, 41, a reputed mob soldier, in connection with the killing, and were seeking a warrant to search his Packer Park home.

Yellow crime-scene tape stretched across Iseminger Street near Johnston and cops were scouring the scene for evidence in what appeared to be the city's first mob hit in nearly a decade.

A woman from the neighborhood who said she was afraid to give her name said she'd heard five gunshots around 3 p.m., when a man neighbors and police sources identified as 50-year-old Gino DiPietro was shot several times in the back and fatally wounded on the narrow street.

"He was in out and out trouble. He'd been in jail for drugs," a neighbor said of DiPietro, who'd apparently been ambushed while getting into his truck on the block.

DiPietro was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital and pronounced dead at 3:21 p.m.

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

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20121212_Apparent_mob_hit_in_S__Phila_.html

You can also watch Omari Fleming's Fox29 News report on the murder via the below link:

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/20329181/police-50-year-old-man-shot-in-south-philly