Philly Mob On Trial: Frankie The Fixer's Encore Not As Sweet For The Defense

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

Frankie the Fixer changed his tune.

And the music wasn't quite as sweet for the defense in the racketeering retrial of mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and his nephew, George Borgesi.

A government informant whom the prosecution opted not to call this time, Frank DiGiacomo, 49, took the stand today as the final defense witness in the eight-week old trial that is expected to go to the jury next week.

While DiGiacomo, an admitted con man, hustler and mob enforcer, helped the defense with his testimony in the first trial last year, his performance this morning was a mixed bag, not as pointedly hostile toward key government witness Louis "Bent Finger Lou" Monacello and on occasion damaging to Ligambi and Borgesi.

Last year, much to the prosecution's chagrin, DiGiacomo discredited Monacello and undermined much of his testimony. This time, while still labeling his former mob associate as a "greedy," sneaky and dangerous individual, he emphasized that both he and Monacello worked for and reported to Borgesi and Ligambi.

"I never called him boss," DiGiacomo said of his relationship to Monacello, a statement that was at odds with his testimony in the first trial.

"That was my boss, right there," he added, pointing to the 74-year-old Ligambi seated at the defense table.
You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/01/frankie-fixers-encore-not-as-sweet-for.html

Philly Mob Associate Jailed In Murder For Hire Case

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

Here we go again.

Last year it was  mobster Anthony Nicodemo, arrested for allegedly carrying out a gangland hit while mob boss Joe Ligambi was on trial in U.S. District Court.

This year it's Ronald Galati, a notorious wannabe wiseguy. Galati, whose name surfaced during the testimony of Louis "Bent Finger Lou" Monacello two weeks ago in the ongoing Ligambi retrial, was arrested Saturday for allegedly hiring a hit man (or men?) to knock off a witness in a pending insurance fraud investigation in which he is the principal target.

Galati, 63, who owns an auto body shop in South Philadelphia, has been in this situation before. The question being asked in law enforcement and underworld circles is whether the fast-talking mob associate, who was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for insurance fraud back in 1995, is ready to roll the dice in a case that could land him in state prison for the next 15 years?

The retrial of Ligambi and his co-defendant and nephew George Borgesi resumes this morning before Judge Eduardo Robreno. The case could go to the jury early in January. But there are those who believe the racketeering conspiracy charge the defendants are currently fighting could be the least of their problems if Galati rolls.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2013/12/mob-associate-jailed-in-murder-for-hire.html#more

Bent Finger Lou Depicts Uncle Joe's Dysfunctional Philly Mob Family

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

To hear Louie Monacello tell it, his 20 years of dealing with the Philadelphia mob were part Godfather and part Family Feud.

On the witness stand for a second day in the racketeering retrial of mob boss "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and Ligambi's nephew George Borgesi, Monacello continued to offer the jury a picture of organized crime built around fear, violence, threats and extortion.

But he also spent much of today deconstructing the Ligambi-Borgesi family, portraying the gangsters as part of a dysfunctional family where greed and power trumped bloodlines and loyalty.

"Don't be fooled," he told the jury. "Him and his uncle were always at odds. They can't stand each other."
You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2013/11/witness-depicts-uncle-joes.html

Bent Finger Lou back On The Stand In Philadelphia Federal Mob Trial

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

When Louis "Bent Finger Lou" Monacello took the witness stand this afternoon in the racketeering conspiracy retrial of mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and his nephew, George Borgesi, the tone of the three-week-old trial shifted.

This was no longer an expert gambling witness or a beleaguered bar owner with a poker machine or an FBI agent interpreting secretly recorded conversations. This was Borgesi's one-time friend and, if the government is to believed, his chief partner in crime.

Monacello and Borgesi go back 30 years. They know a lot about one another. And much of it will get laid out for the jury. As he did at the first trial, Monacello, 47, began to paint a verbal portrait of his underworld involvement with both defendants.

It's not a pretty picture.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2013/11/bent-finger-lou-back-on-stand.html

Little Nicky, Crazy Phil & Bent Finger Lou: The Top Ten Philly Mob Nicknames

Philly.com offers a piece on the top ten Philly mob nicknames, which includes Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti (shown in the above photo) and Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo (shown in the below photo).

 

You can check out the top ten Philly mob nicknames via the below link:

 

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/top10/Top_10_Philly_Mob_Nicknames.html 

 

You can also read my interview with Philip Leonetti, the former Philadelphia-South Jersey Cosa Nostra organized crime underboss, via the below link:

 

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2013/01/crime-beat-column-mafia-prince-q-with.html

 

Note: The above photos were provided courtesy by Philip Leonetti. 

Philly Mob Boss Wanted DJ Jerry Blavet Whacked

John P. Martin at the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the ongoing organized crime trial in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia's reputed mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi vowed in 2009 to kill radio celebrity and restaurant owner Jerry Blavat, a mob turncoat testified today.
 

Ligambi was livid over a July 2009 Philadelphia Magazine article on the local mob and believed Blavat was the source of the story, Louis "Bent Finger Lou" Monacello told a federal court jury.
"He was ranting and raving, 'That [expletive] Jerry Blavat, he set this up ... Jerry Blavat, I'm gonna kill this [expletive],' " Monacello said, recounting his September 2009 conversation with Ligambi.
There were no signs that the threat against Blavat, a Philadelphia radio icon and owner of Memories, a Margate, N.J. restaurant frequented by wiseguys, extended beyond words.

Still, Monacello said, "If I were Jerry Blavat, I'd be nervous."

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

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20121113_Wiseguy__Mob_boss_wanted_DJ_Jerry_Blavat_whacked.html

You can also read the Philadelphia Magazine article in question via the below link:

http://www.phillymag.com/articles/what-ever-happened-to-the-south-philly-mob/

Former Philly Mob Insider 'Bent Finger Lou' Monacello Testifies In Racketeering Trial

John P. Martin at the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the Philadelphia organized crime trial and the testimony of a former mob associate.

Louis "Bent-Finger Lou" Monacello said he never killed anyone.
 

He stole cars, supervised gambling operations, collected debts and "tax" payments that reputed Philadelphia mob boss Joseph Ligambi allegedly demanded from other criminals. Occasionally, Monacello told jurors Friday, he smashed windows, slashed tires, even cracked heads.

Once, on orders from above, Monacello staked out a South Philadelphia rival's house for three months before finally catching the man as he left to walk his dog one night, he said. Bat in hand, Monacello went to work. "I swung with all my might," Monacello said, "and split [his] head open."

Monacello, 46, was the latest in a parade of informants and turncoats to testify in the racketeering trial of Ligambi, his nephew George Borgesi, and five other defendants. 

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

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20121110_Former_mob_insider_Monacello_testifies_in_racketeering_trial.html