The Philly Mob On Trial: The Saga Of Nicky Skins Continues

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

Pete the Crumb Caprio was a no-show this morning at the retrial of mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and his nephew George Borgesi.

The 84-year-old mobster-turned-informant reportedly tripped, fell and broke his knee while on his way to a safe house after testifying Thursday. Caprio, who was offering the jury a history lesson on the Philadelphia mob, is expected to be recalled as a witness once he recovers.

Prosecutors hoped the testimony of the admitted murderer would establish the fact that Ligambi and Borgesi were leaders of the Philadelphia crime family, a key element in the racketeering conspiracy charge they are facing.
Caprio was a longtime member of the organization and a member of a crew based in Newark. He was a soldier and later a capo. In testimony at previous trials, he has admitted that he plotted to kill Ligambi, Borgesi and another Philadelphia mob leader in the late 1990s with the idea of taking over the family.

Before that could happen, Caprio was indicted on unrelated murder and racketeering charges. He then cut a deal with the government to cooperate.

Changing gears with Caprio on the shelf, the prosecution today began setting the stage for the jury to hear from another North Jersey mob figure although he won't be on the witness stand. Just as they did in the first trial that ended in February, prosecutors plan to play a tape made by Nicholas "Nicky Skins" Stefanelli, the Gambino crime family soldier who wore a wire for the FBI for two years. Stefanelli, 69, committed suicide in March 2012, but tapes that he made for the feds live on.

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

http://www.bigtrial.net/2013/11/the-saga-of-nicky-skins-continues.html#more

Philadelphia Mob History Lesson: Former Hit Man Peter "Pete the Crumb' Caprio Testifies At Philly Organized Crime Trial

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

A rear courtroom door opened and a slight man shuffled to the witness stand, clad in a black V-neck sweater over a white collared shirt and patterned tie.
 

Now 83, he looked too frail to lift a baseball bat, much less crush it against another man's skull, as he said he once would.

"Wow," a defense lawyer blurted out. "He got old," someone else whispered. A dozen years have passed since Pete "The Crumb" Caprio became a turncoat against his associates in the Philadelphia mob. At least three times since, federal prosecutors have trotted out Caprio, a once-feared captain, to tell juries about his life, exploits, crimes, and similar details about others.  The Crumb was back again Monday, called to deliver a history lesson for jurors at the racketeering trial of reputed mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and six underlings.

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

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20121119_Now_83__former_hitman_testifies_at_Philly_mob_trial.html

Reputed Philly Mob Boss Joseph Ligambi's Would-Be-Killer To Testify Against Him

 

George Anastasia, the Philadelphia Inquirer's veteran organized crime reporter, wrote a story about the two "old school" gangsters scheduled to testify against the reputed boss of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra organized crime family, Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi.

One of the two, Peter "Pete the Crumb" Caprio, Anastasia notes, was involved in a plot to kill Ligambi back in 1999.

You can can read the story and watch the Mob Scene video via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20120404_Mob_informants_expected_to_testify_against_Ligambi.html?viewAll=y