Federal prosecutors identify Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino as the top dog for the Philadelphia Mafia in a court filing in the racketeering case against Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and 11 others as reported by George Anastasia for The Inquirer: "Ligambi, 72, is described throughout the document as the 'acting boss' of the Philadelphia crime family, a designation to underscore Merlino's status as the recognized leader of the organization."
The feds base their conclusion on a secretly recorded October 2010 meeting during which Joseph "Scoops" Licata -- described as running a North Jersey crew for the Philly mob and a co-defendant in the pending case -- apparently "explained that Merlino is calling the shots from jail" according to the court filing. The recording presumably was made by Gambino soldier and government informant Nicholas "Nicky Skins" Stefanelli who last February took his own life in a hotel room with a drug overdose two days after whacking video poker machine vendor Joseph Rossi.
The ongoing racketeering case against Ligambi and his co-defendants primarily involves gambling and loansharking allegations, and Merlino has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
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