Nicodemo Salvatore "Nicky" Scarfo Jr.Anastasia, George. "'Nicky Jr.': Where Does the Boss' Son Fit In?" The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 10, 1991. (born June 9, 1965), sometimes known by the nicknames "Junior", "Nick Promo", and "Mr. Apple" is an American mobster and a member of the Lucchese crime family.Esposito, Richard and Schone, Mark. "'Little Nicky' Scarfo's Son Busted In Jersey." ABC News. November 1, 2011. Accessed 2012-03-31. Scarfo Jr. is the son of former Philadelphia crime family boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr.
In 1989, Scarfo Jr. was the victim of an assassination attempt by a masked gunman on Halloween. The attempted hit, by a gunman wearing a Batman mask,McGarvey, Brendan. "Nick Out of Time?" Philadelphia City Paper. March 31-April 6, 2005. Accessed April 12, 2008. occurred at Dante and Luigi's,Dante and Luigi Web site. The establishment claims to be Philadelphia's oldest Italian restaurant. an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Morrison, John F. "Halloween Hit Man Shoots Scarfo Jr." Philadelphia Daily News. November 1, 1989. After the murder attempt, his father arranged for him to be inducted into the Lucchese crime family in the mid-1990s. Scarfo Jr. became the caporegime of the Lucchese family's Jersey Crew in the early 2000s before getting arrested.
Early life Nicky Scarfo Jr. was born to Nicodemo and Domenica Scarfo. He has an older half-brother, Chris (born in 1957), also another older half- brother, Garibaldi (born in 1963), and a younger brother, Mark (born in 1970). Nicky is the first cousin of Phil Leonetti, an admitted former underboss of the Philadelphia crime family.
The Scarfo family moved from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, New Jersey before Nicky Jr.'s birth. Nicky Scarfo Jr. grew up on North Georgia Avenue in the Ducktown section of Atlantic City. His grandmother, Catherine Scarfo, owned the building and lived there. Nancy and Phil Leonetti also lived in the building.Anastasia, George. "Mob Trial Hears Scarfo Jr., On Tape, Psyching For A Hit." The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 4, 1994. Despite his father's position within the Philadelphia mob, the Scarfos were not wealthy while Nicky was growing up.
In 1980, Scarfo Sr. became Philadelphia crime family's consigliere, and then in 1981 he was named family boss. Only then did the Scarfos begin to live a more lavish lifestyle. In 1983, Nicky graduated from Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey. By one account, Nicky Scarfo Jr. was not involved in crime during his teens and did not intend to become involved in the syndicate. As one classmate noted, "When I knew him, he was a good guy. He was just a regular guy who tried to do the right thing and everyone knew who his father was, but we never talked about that."Quoted in Anastasia, George. "'Nicky Jr.': Where Does the Boss' Son Fit In?" The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 10, 1991.
Philadelphia crime family Early years in Philadelphia After graduation, Nicky Scarfo Jr. allegedly became involved in organized crime. He became a close friend of Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, the son of Scarfo crime family underboss Chuckie Merlino.McGarvey, Brendan. "Sins of the Fathers." Philadelphia City Paper. July 12-18, 2002. Accessed April 12, 2008. However, the relationship with Joey Merlino was to prove inauspicious. Their friendship, which was very close, ruptured in 1988 when Chuckie Merlino was convicted of racketeering and sentenced to 45 years in a federal penitentiary. Merlino was then demoted by the elder Scarfo,Caparella, Kitty. "Recalling A Bloody Hit." Philadelphia Daily News. April 24, 2001. and Nicky Scarfo Jr. allegedly ended his friendship with Joey Merlino at this time. Philadelphia crime family boss Ralph Natale later testified in court that Merlino "hated" Scarfo from this time onward.Anastasia, George. "Mob Boss Natale Tells of 'Descent Into Hell'." The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 31, 2001.
In the late 1980s, Nicky Scarfo Sr. came under increasing legal pressure as the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a massive investigation of the Scarfo crime family's operations. Twenty members of Scarfo's organization were imprisoned, and many more came under indictment. Five members of the Philadelphia crime family turned state's evidence against the elder Scarfo, including soldiers Nicholas Caramandi and Eugene Milano, capos Thomas DelGiorno and Lawrence Merlino (Chuckie Merlino's brother), and underboss (and Scarfo relative) Phil Leonetti.Anastasia, George. The Last Gangster. Paperback ed. New York: Avon Books, 2005.
During the trial, 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.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; https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/20170116_Mafia_tyrantTyrannical_Mafia_boss_Nicodemo__Little_Nicky__Scarfo__87__dies_in_prison__hhospital.html On November 4, 1988, just three days after Mark's suicide attempt, Nicky Scarfo Jr. and a friend assaulted a woman in an elevator at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. The woman said the two men had looked menacingly at her, and she pretended to reach for a gun in her coat. The two men then punched her, pushed her to the floor, and kicked her several times. Scarfo was arrested for assault, convicted, fined, and put on probation for the incident.Caba, Susan. "Scarfo Jr. Gets Probation and Fine for Conviction in Hospital Beating." The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 13, 1990; Caparella, Kitty. "Scarfo Jr. Guilty in Beating Case." Philadelphia Daily News. June 13, 1990.
Nicodemo Scarfo Sr. was convicted on November 19, 1988, on more than 32 counts of racketeering, which included eight counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, two counts of illegal distribution of methamphetamine, one count of loansharking, 14 counts of extortion, and one count of illegal gambling.United States v. Scarfo, 711 F. Supp. 1315 (E.D.Pa. 1989); Strauss, Robert. "Reputed Mob Leader and 16 Others Are Convicted." The New York Times. November 20, 1988.
Nicky Scarfo Jr. may have attempted to use his father's conviction as a means of rising within the syndicate. In October 1989, Scarfo Jr. bodyguard George Fresolone turned state's evidence and began wearing a wire.Barry, Jim. "Trouble With a Capital N." Philadelphia City Paper. April 19–26, 2001. Accessed April 12, 2008. Fresolone taped Scarfo Jr. plotting the death of his cousin, Phil Leonetti, an act which would have allowed him to rise within the Philadelphia criminal organization: My father says, he says, this one is definitely my responsibility. He can't rest. ... I told him, I says, "I ain't resting till it's f-ing done"... How can I rest? How could I sleep at night? ... It's always eating at me, eating at me. The evidence was later used to help indict Scarfo Jr. on racketeering and conspiracy charges in 1990.
Halloween assassination attempt His father's conviction severely undermined Nicky Scarfo Jr.'s position in the Philadelphia crime family, as many family members were angry at the elder Scarfo's alleged mismanagement of organized crime enterprises and his arrogance.
On the evening of October 31, 1989, Nicky Scarfo Jr. was dining at an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia when a man wearing a Batman mask and holding a plastic Halloween candy bag entered the restaurant and approached Scarfo's table. The man pulled a MAC-10 machine pistol from the bag and fired at Scarfo. He was struck eight times in the neck, arms and torso, but no vital organs were hit.Anastasia, George. "Scafidi Details Mob Hits, Attempts." The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 25, 2001. Scarfo returned home just nine days later.Caba, Susan and Terry, Robert J. "Scarfo's Condition Upgraded." The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 8, 1989; Terry, Robert J. and Coakley, Michael B. "Scarfo Zips Home From Hospital, Police In Tow." The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 9, 1989.
Theories for the hit took several forms. Initially, law enforcement officials believed that the hit had been ordered by one of the Five Families in New York City in an attempt to take over Philadelphia's organized crime operations.Anastasia, George. "Authories: Hit Was Ordered in N.Y." The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 1, 1989; "Scarfo Assault Theories." San Jose Mercury News. November 2, 1989. However, police later said they suspected Joey Merlino of being the gunman, with Nicky Scarfo Jr. seen as a proxy for his father—the message being that the elder Scarfo was no longer in control of the Philadelphia crime family.Caparella, Kitty and Smith, Jim. "Body of Evidence Against Mob Grows." Philadelphia Daily News. March 22, 2001.Caparella, Kitty. "Coming Soon: Mob's Secrets." Philadelphia Daily News. June 6, 2001.Anastasia, George. "Questions Abound After Scarfo Shooting." The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 5, 1989; McGuire, Jack and Heine, Kurt. "Scarfo Hit Was Anything But Smooth." Philadelphia Daily News. November 9, 1989; "What's In A Hit? Seeking Meaning in Young Scarfo's Misfortune." The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 10, 1989.Anastasia, George. "In Prison, Scarfo Jr. Fumes In Isolation." The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 15, 1994. Merlino has steadfastly denied any involvement. However, Tommy Scafidi would testify in 2001 that Merlino was the gunman and that Merlino's second-in-command Michael Ciancaglini drove the getaway car. Scafidi said he was asked to participate in the hit, but refused.Cipriano, Ralph. "Straight From the Horsehead's Mouth." Philadelphia Weekly. June 7, 2006. Accessed April 12, 2008.Rubinkam, Michael. "Mobster Testifies Against Merlino, Six Others." Associated Press. April 24, 2001. This was confirmed by testimony from former Philadelphia crime family boss Ralph Natale, who also turned state's evidence and said that Merlino told him about committing the crime while they served time together in 1990. At least one other mobster testifying on behalf of the government alleged that soldier Peter "Pete the Crumb" Caprio also knew of the hit and attempted to prevent it. Authorities also suspected Charles "Chaz" Iannece of the attempted murder because he delivered a controversial kiss on the cheek to Scarfo shortly before the gunman attacked."Chaz" Iannece is the son of jailed mob soldato Charles "Charlie White" Iannece. The younger Iannece is allegedly a hitman and extortionist, and deeply involved in the distribution of methamphetamine for the Scarfo crime family in the 1980s. See: DiFilippo, Dana. "Giant Meth Ring Busted." Philadelphia Daily News. September 20, 2008.
Lucchese crime family Inducted into the Lucchese crime family