John Stanfa
Encyclopedia
Giovanni "John the Dour Don" Stanfa (born December 7, 1940) is a former acting (de facto) boss of the Scarfo crime family. Convicted of multiple charges in 1995, Stanfa is currently serving five consecutive life sentences.
, Giovanni Stanfa was the youngest of four children, two others who are said to be involved with the Mafia
as well. After the Ciaculli massacre
, the married Stanfa emigrated to the United States
.
. Stanfa became involved with criminal activities in the area, mostly due to his friendship with Gambino crime family
Boss Carlo Gambino
of New York, who had very close ties to the boss of the Philadelphia crime family, Angelo Bruno
, who had just gotten a seat in the National Commission
. Stanfa was assigned as Bruno's personal driver after becoming a made man
in the Philadelphia family during the late 1960s.
Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno
became and remained the most powerful Mafia boss over the area for over two decades, and gained the crime family the powerful reputation it has today. Stanfa's status in the family was influenced by Bruno's success. On March 21, 1980, Bruno was shot and killed by a shotgun blast in the back of the head as he sat in his car. It is speculated that the motive was Bruno's resistance to involving the family in narcotics and drug trafficking. According to US law enforcement, Stanfa as Bruno's driver, sat in front of him but managed to flee the scene.
It has not been proven if Stanfa was involved in the conspiracy
hatched by Bruno's Consigliere
, Anthony "Tony Bananas" Caponigro, who was found three weeks later stuffed in a trunk of a car in New York, reportedly on the orders of the Commission
in retaliation for Bruno's murder. After refusing to testify before a grand jury about his involvement in the murder, Stanfa was indicted on perjury
charges. He fled the area and went into hiding. On April 21, 1981, Stanfa was apprehended and sentenced to eight years in prison after nearly a year on the run from US law enforcement and the charges against him.
and Giovanni Stanfa in hiding and later imprisoned, a power vacuum was left with the Philadelphia crime family. The self-claimed boss, Philip "Chicken Man" Testa
was murdered as well by a nail bomb in front of his home in 1981, and in the end, powerful Atlantic City captain Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo
claimed victory as the new boss of Philadelphia. Scarfo brought a new and notorious regime at the top, as he had allegedly ordered the murders of more than 30 people throughout his reign in the 1980s. He tried to gain more influence in New York with the Five Families
through then-current Gambino crime family boss John Gotti
but failed. Scarfo was soon indicted on massive charges and sent to prison for the rest of his life in 1989, as his nephew and Underboss, Phil Leonetti
testified against him. It was around this time that Stanfa got out of prison.
. Both Piccolo and Stanfa reportedly ran the family for the imprisoned Scarfo during the early 1990s.
During the reign of Stanfa, the mob family was divided into two quarreling factions, one supporting Stanfa as boss, and the other backing Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino
for boss. Merlino was mainly supported by previous members of the Philadelphia family while Stanfa, in an unusual tactic recruited for his side several men who were not of Italian heritage, including the Veasey brothers. According to the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, Frederick T. Martens, "Stanfa brought in people, like the Veasey brothers, who had no background in the mob but who were willing to break legs and pull a trigger". One of the Veasey brothers named John Veasey was made and became a hit man and Capo
in the Stanfa faction.
In 1993, an all-out war broke out between Stanfa and Joseph Merlino, who was eager to control the Philadelphia crime family on his own. (The 2nd Philly Mafia war is later been known as one of the most violent Mob wars of the modern time.)
assassination-attempt organized by Stanfa. Merlino survived, but his associate, Michael "Mikey Chang" Ciancaglini, was killed. In retaliation, Stanfa’s son was shot in the face on August 31 of that same year. The shooting took place on an expressway
and was driven by Vietnam Vet, Freddy Aldrich, who is credited with saving all three of their lives that day by pushing the van to the side of the road and forcing it off an exit. Stanfa reportedly sanctioned Merlino's assassination over two dozen times.
Merlino survived, but was sent to prison that same year on violation of his parole. In prison, Merlino was backed by reputed Philadelphia mobster Ralph Natale
, who had close connections to New York and the Genovese crime family. The Genovese family decided to back Natale in the Second Philly War of the Philadelphia crime family. Stanfa still held control of the family, but he was indicted of multiple crimes along with 23 of his associates.
, loansharking, murder
and conspiracy to commit murder on March 17, 1994. In November 1995, Stanfa was convicted of all charges and sentenced to five consecutive life sentences. When it became clear that he would not continue to run the Philadelphia family, Stanfa's power declined and the New York and the Gambino crime family cut off connections.
As of March 2009, Stanfa is serving his five consecutive life sentences at the United States Penitentiary (USP), located in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.
Early life and Mafia member
Born in the Sicilian city of CaccamoCaccamo
Caccamo is a town and comune located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Province of Palermo.-History:The official founding of Caccamo was not until 1093, when the Normans began building the castle on a rocky spur overlooking a cliff. The castle itself is actually now being slowly converted...
, Giovanni Stanfa was the youngest of four children, two others who are said to be involved with the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
as well. After the Ciaculli massacre
Ciaculli massacre
The Ciaculli massacre on 30 June 1963 was caused by a car bomb that exploded in Ciaculli, an outlying suburb of Palermo, killing seven police and military officers sent to defuse it after an anonymous phone call. The bomb was intended for Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco, head of the Sicilian Mafia...
, the married Stanfa emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Philadelphia
Giovanni Stanfa settled his family in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Stanfa became involved with criminal activities in the area, mostly due to his friendship with Gambino crime family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
Boss Carlo Gambino
Carlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
of New York, who had very close ties to the boss of the Philadelphia crime family, Angelo Bruno
Angelo Bruno
Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno was a Sicilian-American mobster who ran the Philadelphia crime family for two decades. Bruno gained his nickname and reputation due to his preference for conciliation over violence.-Early years:Born in Villalba, Sicily, Bruno emigrated to the United States in his...
, who had just gotten a seat in the National Commission
The Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
. Stanfa was assigned as Bruno's personal driver after becoming a made man
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
in the Philadelphia family during the late 1960s.
Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno
Angelo Bruno
Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno was a Sicilian-American mobster who ran the Philadelphia crime family for two decades. Bruno gained his nickname and reputation due to his preference for conciliation over violence.-Early years:Born in Villalba, Sicily, Bruno emigrated to the United States in his...
became and remained the most powerful Mafia boss over the area for over two decades, and gained the crime family the powerful reputation it has today. Stanfa's status in the family was influenced by Bruno's success. On March 21, 1980, Bruno was shot and killed by a shotgun blast in the back of the head as he sat in his car. It is speculated that the motive was Bruno's resistance to involving the family in narcotics and drug trafficking. According to US law enforcement, Stanfa as Bruno's driver, sat in front of him but managed to flee the scene.
It has not been proven if Stanfa was involved in the conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
hatched by Bruno's Consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
, Anthony "Tony Bananas" Caponigro, who was found three weeks later stuffed in a trunk of a car in New York, reportedly on the orders of the Commission
The Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
in retaliation for Bruno's murder. After refusing to testify before a grand jury about his involvement in the murder, Stanfa was indicted on perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
charges. He fled the area and went into hiding. On April 21, 1981, Stanfa was apprehended and sentenced to eight years in prison after nearly a year on the run from US law enforcement and the charges against him.
Involvement in the Philly War
With the death of Angelo BrunoAngelo Bruno
Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno was a Sicilian-American mobster who ran the Philadelphia crime family for two decades. Bruno gained his nickname and reputation due to his preference for conciliation over violence.-Early years:Born in Villalba, Sicily, Bruno emigrated to the United States in his...
and Giovanni Stanfa in hiding and later imprisoned, a power vacuum was left with the Philadelphia crime family. The self-claimed boss, Philip "Chicken Man" Testa
Philip Testa
Philip Carlo Testa , also known as "The Chicken Man" or "The Julius Cesar of the Philadelphia Mob" or "Philly", was a Sicilian-born American Mafia figure known for his brief leadership of the Scarfo crime family...
was murdered as well by a nail bomb in front of his home in 1981, and in the end, powerful Atlantic City captain Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo
Nicodemo Scarfo
Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Domenico Scarfo is a member of the American Mafia who eventually became the Boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the death of Angelo Bruno and Phil Testa...
claimed victory as the new boss of Philadelphia. Scarfo brought a new and notorious regime at the top, as he had allegedly ordered the murders of more than 30 people throughout his reign in the 1980s. He tried to gain more influence in New York with the Five Families
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
through then-current Gambino crime family boss John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
but failed. Scarfo was soon indicted on massive charges and sent to prison for the rest of his life in 1989, as his nephew and Underboss, Phil Leonetti
Phil Leonetti
Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti is a Philadelphia gangster who became the underboss of the Scarfo crime family under his uncle, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo before becoming a government informant. At the time, he was the highest-ranking member of the American Mafia to break his blood oath and turn...
testified against him. It was around this time that Stanfa got out of prison.
Acting boss of the Scarfo family
Around 1991, Giovanni Stanfa was elevated to the new acting boss of the Philadelphia crime family. He had the backing of the Gambino crime family of New York. Stanfa had Anthony "Tony" Piccolo as ConsigliereConsigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
. Both Piccolo and Stanfa reportedly ran the family for the imprisoned Scarfo during the early 1990s.
During the reign of Stanfa, the mob family was divided into two quarreling factions, one supporting Stanfa as boss, and the other backing Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino
Joseph Merlino
Joseph Salvatore "Skinny Joey" Merlino was the boss of the Philadelphia crime family from 1994 to 1999, despite Ralph Natale being officially the boss, and was said to have led it primarily in extortion, bookmaking, drug trafficking, and loan sharking.-Family mob ties:Joseph Salvatore Merlino a.k.a...
for boss. Merlino was mainly supported by previous members of the Philadelphia family while Stanfa, in an unusual tactic recruited for his side several men who were not of Italian heritage, including the Veasey brothers. According to the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, Frederick T. Martens, "Stanfa brought in people, like the Veasey brothers, who had no background in the mob but who were willing to break legs and pull a trigger". One of the Veasey brothers named John Veasey was made and became a hit man and Capo
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
in the Stanfa faction.
In 1993, an all-out war broke out between Stanfa and Joseph Merlino, who was eager to control the Philadelphia crime family on his own. (The 2nd Philly Mafia war is later been known as one of the most violent Mob wars of the modern time.)
Involvement in the Second Philly war
On August 5, 1993, Joseph Merlino was shot and wounded in a drive-by shootingDrive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
assassination-attempt organized by Stanfa. Merlino survived, but his associate, Michael "Mikey Chang" Ciancaglini, was killed. In retaliation, Stanfa’s son was shot in the face on August 31 of that same year. The shooting took place on an expressway
Controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a highway designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress/egress regulated...
and was driven by Vietnam Vet, Freddy Aldrich, who is credited with saving all three of their lives that day by pushing the van to the side of the road and forcing it off an exit. Stanfa reportedly sanctioned Merlino's assassination over two dozen times.
Merlino survived, but was sent to prison that same year on violation of his parole. In prison, Merlino was backed by reputed Philadelphia mobster Ralph Natale
Ralph Natale
Ralph Natale is a former American mobster. He was the leader of the Philadelphia crime family from 1995 until 1999, when he became the first American Mafia boss to turn state's evidence....
, who had close connections to New York and the Genovese crime family. The Genovese family decided to back Natale in the Second Philly War of the Philadelphia crime family. Stanfa still held control of the family, but he was indicted of multiple crimes along with 23 of his associates.
Trial and life sentences
Giovanni Stanfa was indicted on labor racketeering, extortionExtortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, loansharking, murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and conspiracy to commit murder on March 17, 1994. In November 1995, Stanfa was convicted of all charges and sentenced to five consecutive life sentences. When it became clear that he would not continue to run the Philadelphia family, Stanfa's power declined and the New York and the Gambino crime family cut off connections.
As of March 2009, Stanfa is serving his five consecutive life sentences at the United States Penitentiary (USP), located in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.
Quotes
- “You know what I’ll do. I’ll get a knife...I’ll cut out his tongue and we’ll send it to the wife. That’s all... We put it in an envelope. Put a stamp on it... Honest to God.”
See also
- Crime Families
- Five FamiliesFive FamiliesThe Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
- BonannoBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
- ColomboColombo crime familyThe Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
- GenoveseGenovese crime familyThe Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
- GambinoGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
- LuccheseLucchese crime familyThe Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
- Bonanno
- Scarfo
- Five Families
- Places
- Caccamo, SicilyCaccamoCaccamo is a town and comune located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Province of Palermo.-History:The official founding of Caccamo was not until 1093, when the Normans began building the castle on a rocky spur overlooking a cliff. The castle itself is actually now being slowly converted...
- Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
- Caccamo, Sicily
External links
- http://www.mafianj.com/sci89/bruno.shtml
- http://www.citypaper.net/articles/101995/article018.shtml