Examine individual changes

'{{short description|member of the American mafia}}{{Use American English|date=October 2017}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2017}} {{Infobox criminal |name = Nicodemo Scarfo |image = Nicky Scarfo.jpg |caption = |birth_name = Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo |birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|3|8|mf=y}} |birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S. |death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|1|13|1929|3|8|mf=y}} |death_place = [[Butner, North Carolina]], U.S. |other_names = "Little Nicky", "Little Lethal Nicky", "Lethal Nicky", "The Killer" |occupation = [[Crime boss]], [[mobster]], [[extortionist]], [[racketeer]] |conviction = [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], [[racketeering]], [[first-degree murder]] (1987–1989) |conviction_penalty = 14 years imprisonment, 55 years imprisonment, [[life imprisonment]] (1987–1989) |spouse = Domenica Scarfo (second wife) |children = 3, including [[Nicodemo Scarfo Jr.]] |relatives = [[Phil Leonetti]] (nephew) |allegiance = [[Philadelphia crime family]] }} '''Nicodemo Domenico''' "'''Little Nicky'''" '''Scarfo''' (March 8, 1929 – January 13, 2017) was a member of the [[American Mafia]] who became the [[Mob boss|boss]] of the [[Philadelphia crime family]] after the deaths of [[Angelo Bruno]] and [[Phil Testa]]. During his criminal career, Scarfo had a murderous reputation,<ref>{{cite news|title=On the anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, a look at history's most fearsome mob bosses|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/feared-mob-bosses-article-1.2531333|access-date=March 10, 2016|agency=The New York Daily News|publisher=Nicholas Parco|date=February 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nicodemo - Little Nicky - Scarfo|url=http://www.lacndb.com/php/Info.php?name=Nicodemo%20-%20Little%20Nicky%20-%20Scarfo|website=La Cosa Nostra Database|publisher=LCNDB|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref> also engaging in organized crime activities such as drug trafficking and gambling.<ref name=life/> In 1988, he was convicted of multiple charges including conspiracy, racketeering and first degree murder. His trial was met with damaging testimonies of several informants, who had carried out his murders, and his top lieutenants including his [[underboss|second in command]] and nephew, [[Phil Leonetti|Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti]]. Scarfo died in prison on January 13, 2017, while serving his 55-year sentence.<ref>{{cite web|title=NICODEMO SCARFO|url=https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/|website=Federal Bureau of Prisons|publisher=USA Gov|access-date=March 9, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Always A Joker, Never A Rat. In Mobster's Obituary, Unexpected Family|url=http://articles.philly.com/2000-01-25/news/25600074_1_death-notice-nicodemo-little-nicky-scarfo-prison-term|website=Philly.com|publisher=George Anastasia|access-date=March 9, 2016}}</ref> He is also the father of [[Nicky Scarfo Jr.]], a [[Lucchese crime family|Lucchese family]] soldier, who was sentenced in 2015, to 30 years in prison for security fraud, racketeering, and illegal gambling. ==Early life== Scarfo was born on March 8, 1929, in [[Brooklyn]], New York, to Philip and Catherine Scarfo, Italian immigrants from [[Naples]] and [[Calabria]].<ref name=life>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/nyregion/nicky-scarfo-mob-boss-who-plundered-atlantic-city-in-the-80s-dies-at-87.html|title=Nicky Scarfo, Mob Boss Who Plundered Atlantic City in the '80s, Dies at 87|publisher=nytimes.com|date=January 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118205954/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/nyregion/nicky-scarfo-mob-boss-who-plundered-atlantic-city-in-the-80s-dies-at-87.html|archive-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref> At the age of 12, Scarfo and his family moved to [[South Philadelphia]], where he worked as a young laborer and later graduated at [[Benjamin Franklin High School (Philadelphia)|Benjamin Franklin High School]] in 1947.<ref>via [[Associated Press]]. [https://www.uticaod.com/news/20170117/nicodemo-scarfo-ex-philadelphia-mob-boss-dies-in-prison?template=ampart "Nicodemo Scarfo, ex-Philadelphia mob boss, dies in prison"], ''[[Utica Observer-Dispatch]]'', January 17, 2017. Accessed July 22, 2019. "Scarfo graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in 1947, where classmates voted him 'loudest,' 'most talkative' and 'best cutter'."</ref> He became an amateur boxer, fighting in small clubs throughout Philadelphia, earning himself a reputation for his aggressive temper in the ring. After failing to become a success in the boxing world, Scarfo joined his uncle Nicky Buck, a Philly Mob soldier, in illegal activities in Philadelphia.<ref name=prison/> He also worked as a bartender at a club owned by his uncle and was apprenticed by him and his two brothers. Scarfo's nephew <nowiki>[[Phil Leonetti]]</nowiki> would later say that his Uncle Nicky Scarfo was mentored by Philadelphia mob Captain and feared hit man Felix Ditullio aka Skinny Razor. Leonetti claimed that when Scarfo was just a teenager, Ditullio and Scarfo murdered a man who owned a fruit stand in South Philly. He was stabbed to death by the two men and then Leonetti claims they cut his balls off and stuck them into the dead mans mouth. <ref name=prison/> ==Criminal years== In 1954, Scarfo was proposed for membership into the Philadelphia crime family. He was inducted by then boss [[Joseph Ida]] at a ceremony held in New Jersey, alongside two of his uncles who were also inducted as full-fledged [[Soldato|soldiers]]. Scarfo was reportedly arrogant and stubborn, having declined to marry the daughter of [[Consigliere]] Joe Rugnetta, leaving him embarrassed and disrespected, briefly causing friction within the family. In 1963, Scarfo pleaded guilty to manslaughter for fatally stabbing a [[longshoreman]]; he spent about six months in prison.<ref name=life/> After his release, he was sent to [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]] by [[Angelo Bruno]] to oversee the operations there. Scarfo served almost two years in prison from 1971 to 1973 for refusing to testify for the [[New Jersey State Commission of Investigation]].<ref>http://www.state.nj.us/sci/pdf/ocbars2.pdf</ref> He served his time with boss Angelo Bruno and Genovese crime family members [[Gerardo Catena]] and [[Louis Manna]], the latter of whom he formed a close relationship with. In 1976, Atlantic City legalized gambling, and Scarfo prioritized gambling as his main source of income. At the time he was dispatched to Atlantic City, it was considered a backwater. However, its rise as a gambling mecca made Scarfo a powerhouse. His cement contracting company, which was shared with his nephew, ''Scarf, Inc'', received good business as developers built new casinos in Atlantic City; Scarfo would intimidate businesses into buying from his company, including [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Donald Trump and the mob|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/31/politics/trump-mob-mafia/|publisher=CNN|author=Chris Frates |access-date=March 9, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Journalist Calls Out Donald Trump on Potential Mob Ties in Resurfaced Report |url=http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/journalist-calls-out-donald-trump-on-potential-mob-ties/|website=The Libertarian Republic |author=Micah J. Fleck|access-date=March 9, 2016}}</ref> In 1978, Scarfo and his associate, Nicholas "Nick the Blade" Virgilio, shot and murdered judge [[Edwin Helfant|Edwin J. Helfant]] for refusing to cooperate with them and to help Virgilio receive a lighter sentence as he was facing murder charges, in exchange for $12,500. Scarfo acted as the getaway driver. Meanwhile, Virgilio fired numerous rounds into the judge as he dined with his wife in a restaurant. He made it a public execution and made him an example to anyone that wasn't willing to give him what he wanted.<ref>{{cite web|title='The Blade' Is Cut Down Killer Nicholas Virgilio Dies In Prison |url=http://articles.philly.com/1995-03-18/news/25702337_1_virgilio-mob-boss-angelo-bruno|publisher=Philly.com|author=Kitty Caparaella|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Her Memory Of 'The Blade' Wasn't Sharp Fed's Witness Mistakes Scarfo For Virgilio|url=http://articles.philly.com/1988-10-04/news/26271690_1_virgilio-nicodemo-little-nicky-scarfo-defense-lawyer|publisher=Philly.com|author=Toni Locy|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=N.J.'s most notorious murders {{pipe}} The mobsters|url=http://www.nj.com/inside-jersey/index.ssf/2015/04/njs_most_notorious_murders_the_mobsters.html |publisher=NJ.com|author=Vicky Hyman|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref> In 1979, criminal associate and contractor Vincent Falcone was shot twice and killed by Phil Leonetti on orders of Scarfo after making negative remarks about the company and Scarfo.<ref>{{cite news|title=Book excerpt from 'Mafia Prince:' The story of Philip Leonetti's mob hit of Vincent Falcone as ordered and watched by Nicky Scarfo |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/book-excerpt-mafia-prince-america-violent-mafia-family-bloody-fall-la-cosa-nostra-article-1.1203881|access-date=March 9, 2016|work=NY Daily News|date=November 19, 2012}}</ref> ==Power struggle== Longtime Boss Angelo Bruno was murdered in 1980. His murder was orchestrated by his Consigliere, [[Antonio Caponigro]]. Weeks later, Caponigro faced the consequence of killing a Boss without the approval of the American Mafia Commission. He was found shot dozens of times in a car trunk and $300 in bills were jammed in his mouth and anus as a sign of his own greed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mobster's South Philly House Up for Historical Nomination|url=http://philly.curbed.com/2016/2/15/11029054/angelo-bruno-home-historical-nomination|website=Philly Curbed|publisher=Melissa Romero|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref> [[Phil Testa]] became the new Boss of the Philadelphia crime family, appointing Scarfo as his Consigliere. However, his tenure as Boss would be a short one. Testa was killed by a [[nail bomb]] under his porch in 1981, on orders of his Underboss and drug trafficker Peter Casella and [[Caporegime|Capo]] Frank Narducci Sr., which later resulted in Narducci being gunned down and Casella being banished from the Mob and fleeing to Florida. Testa's murder sparked a war within the family. Scarfo seized the top position for himself, promoting his nephew as his Underboss and [[Frank Monte]] as his Consigliere.<ref>{{cite news|title=This Mob Shot Its Brains Out Crime boss Ralph Natale, in rare testimony against his own, tells a tale of murder--and ineptitude.|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2001/may/04/news/mn-59280/2|accessdate=10 March 2016|agency=The LA Times|publisher=Stephen Braun|date=May 4, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mob Violence Is Personal For Narducci's Sons|url=http://articles.philly.com/1988-10-05/news/26272097_1_upper-body-bloodied-head-brothers|website=Philly.com|accessdate=10 March 2016}}</ref> Scarfo would go on to lead the family for a decade with a bloody rampage, fueled by paranoia and aggression.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Mafia Prince Next Door|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-leonetti/mafia-prince-next-door_b_2280929.html|website=Huffington Post|publisher=Phil Leonetti|accessdate=10 March 2016}}</ref> Between August 1982 and January 1984, Scarfo was imprisoned in a Texas penitentiary for gun possession. During that time, aging Capo [[Harry Riccobene]] began to form another faction that opposed Scarfo. The war would cost him his little brother's life, his brother Mario to become a government informant and Riccobene himself to be given a life sentence for first degree murder.<ref>{{cite news|title=Too tough to fuggedabout: Notable Mafia nicknames|url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/11/too-tough-to-fuggedabout-notable-mafia-nicknames.html|accessdate=10 March 2016|agency=Fox News|publisher=Fox News|date=May 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Former Philly Police Captain Dies at 71|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Former-Philly-Police-Captain-Dies-at-71-239250551.html|accessdate=10 March 2016|agency=NBC News Philadelphia|publisher=NBC News|date=January 8, 2014}}</ref> In 1984, Scarfo ordered the death of [[Salvatore Testa]], one of his Capos and top hitmen, as Testa's ambition and growing popularity made Scarfo feel threatened. Testa was the son of former Boss Phil Testa, who had been Scarfo's close friend and mentor.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Story Of Sal Testa, Former Scarfo Protege|url=http://articles.philly.com/1987-04-11/news/26193585_1_salvatore-testa-philip-chicken-man-testa-angelo-bruno|website=Philly.com|publisher=Michael B. Coakley|accessdate=10 March 2016}}</ref> As a result of Salvatore Testa's murder, Scarfo gained a reputation for disloyalty, and several criminal organizations across the United States began to distrust him.<ref>{{cite web|title=What happened to the Scarfo crime family?|url=http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/what-happened-to-the-scarfo-crime-family/article_2d6ce05e-3a2e-11e5-a9f2-9bc632e6723d.html|website=Press of Atlantic City|publisher=Donna Weaver & Brian Ianieri|accessdate=10 March 2016}}</ref> ==Downfall of Scarfo== In 1985, Scarfo plotted to extort $1 million from major commercial developer [[Willard Rouse]], sending his soldier Nicholas Caramandi and another associate to do it. Rouse refused and immediately contacted the FBI. The FBI began a case to tackle Scarfo, sending an undercover agent to pose as a representative of Rouse. This led Caramandi, a notable and feared hitman, to cooperate and testify against the organization.<ref>{{cite web|title=Scarfo Guilty of Rouse Extortion|url=http://articles.philly.com/1987-05-07/news/26164699_1_nicodemo-little-nicky-scarfo-scarfo-case-mob-captain|website=Philly.com|publisher=Jim Smith|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Reputed Mob Boss Has Florida Ties|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-01-10/news/8701020925_1_scarfo-fbi-greater-philadelphia|website=Sun Sentinel|publisher=Deborah Petit|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=CRIME CHIEF GUILTY IN EXTORTION PLOT|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/07/us/crime-chief-guilty-in-extortion-plot.html|access-date=March 10, 2016|agency=The New York Times|publisher=NY Times|date=May 7, 1987}}</ref> In 1986, Caramandi was indicted for his role in the extortion case and decided to testify in court.<ref name=life/> Between 1987 and 1989, Scarfo was convicted three times—for [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], [[racketeering]], and [[first-degree murder]], being sentenced to consecutive prison terms of 14 years, 55 years and life, although the life sentence was later overturned.<ref name=prison>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/20170116_Mafia_tyrantTyrannical_Mafia_boss_Nicodemo__Little_Nicky__Scarfo__87__dies_in_prison__hhospital.html|title=Tyrannical Mafia boss Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo, 87, dies in prison hospital|first=By George Anastasia, Staff|last=Writer|website=inquirer.com}}</ref> His nephew, [[Phil Leonetti]], also testified against him after facing a 45-year prison sentence, in 1989.<ref name=prison/> During the trial that had ensued, Scarfo's son, Mark Scarfo attempted suicide on November 1, 1988. Mark, then only 17 years old, had been taunted for years by classmates about his father's criminal activities. Increasingly despondent over his father's possible imprisonment, Mark Scarfo hanged himself in the office of his father's concrete supply company in Atlantic City. He was discovered by his mother, and paramedics were able to resuscitate him. He suffered [[cardiac arrest]] and his brain was deprived of oxygen. He entered a coma where he remained until his death in April 2014.<ref>Sheehan, Kathy. "Scarfo's Son 'Put Through Hell'." ''Philadelphia Daily News.'' November 3, 1988; Locy, Toni. "Scarfo Son in Coma After Apparent Suicide Try." ''Philadelphia Daily News.'' November 2, 1988; "Son's Hanging Halts Alleged Mob Chief's Trial." ''Associated Press.'' November 2, 1988; [http://jerseymanmagazine.com/mob-scene-taccetta.php Anastasia, George. "Mob Scene: Michael Taccetta." ''Jersey Man Magazine.'' May 1, 2014.]</ref><ref>Caba, Susan. "Scarfo Jr. Gets Probation and Fine for Conviction in Hospital Beating." ''Philadelphia Inquirer.'' June 13, 1990; Caparella, Kitty. "Scarfo Jr. Guilty in Beating Case." ''Philadelphia Daily News.'' June 13, 1990.</ref> ==Death== Scarfo began his sentence at the [[United States Penitentiary, Atlanta|Atlanta Federal Penitentiary]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Reputed Mob Leader and 16 Others Are Convicted|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/20/us/reputed-mob-leader-and-16-others-are-convicted.html|access-date=March 10, 2016|agency=The New York Times|publisher=Robert Strauss|date=November 20, 1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=SCARFO AND 11 INDICTED IN JERSEY AS CRIME CONSPIRATORS|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/04/nyregion/scarfo-and-11-indicted-in-jersey-as-crime-conspirators.html|access-date=March 10, 2016|work=The New York Times|publisher=Donald Janson|date=November 4, 1986}}</ref> He was later transferred to the [[Federal Medical Center, Butner|Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina]], where he died of natural causes on January 13, 2017. His register number was 09813-050.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/|title=Inmate Locator|website=www.BOP.gov|access-date=October 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/atlantic/index.ssf/2017/01/former_mob_boss_nicodemo_little_nicky_scarfo_dead.html|title=Former mob boss Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo dead at 87|website=NJ.com|access-date=October 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=scarfo&Middle=&FirstName=nicodemo+&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=21&y=18|title=Inmate Locator|website=www.BOP.gov|access-date=October 25, 2017}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist|30em}} {{s-start}} {{s-other|[[American Mafia]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Philip Testa]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Philadelphia crime family<br />Boss|years=1981–1991}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Stanfa]]}} {{s-end}} {{Philadelphia crime family}} {{American Mafia}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Scarfo, Nicodemo}} [[Category:1929 births]] [[Category:2017 deaths]] [[Category:Philadelphia crime family]] [[Category:American mobsters of Italian descent]] [[Category:American mob bosses]] [[Category:American people convicted of murder]] [[Category:American people of Campanian descent]] [[Category:People convicted of racketeering]] [[Category:People from Brooklyn]] [[Category:People of Calabrian descent]] [[Category:People convicted of murder by the United States federal government]] [[Category:American people convicted of manslaughter]] [[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Catholics from New York (state)]] [[Category:Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention]] [[Category:Mobsters sentenced to life imprisonment]]'