Joseph Anthony "Uncle Joe" Ligambi (born August 9, 1939) is an American mobster and former acting boss of the Philadelphia crime family.[1] Ligambi is known among law enforcement circles to have a more "old school" approach, in sharp contrast to boss Joseph Merlino's, flamboyant, high-profile style. Ligambi was credited by the Philadelphia Police Department's Criminal Intelligence Unit with "quietly bringing stability back to the troubled Philadelphia-South Jersey branch of the American Mafia" during the 2000s. The New York Mafia families were pleased with Ligambi and his approach, as well as his ability to turn the Philadelphia crime family back into a stable group.[2]
Joseph Ligambi | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 9, 1939 South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Philadelphia crime family mobster |
Early life
editLigambi was born on August 9, 1939, in South Philadelphia, one of four children born to Italian immigrant parents.[3] His father was a cab driver. He attended South Philadelphia High School before dropping out his junior year to join the United States Air Force, where he eventually earned his high school diploma.[4] Ligambi is the uncle of Philadelphia mobster George Borgesi.[5]
Early criminal career
editUnlike many other gangsters who started their careers in crime as teenagers or young adults, Ligambi didn't have a criminal record before age 32 when he was arrested for cigarette smuggling. In the 1970s, he started to associate himself with mobster brothers "Yogi" and Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino and worked as a bartender at a frequent mobster hangout. Ligambi would become a protege of Merlino who in turn was close to powerful crime family member Nicodemo Scarfo. During this time, Ligambi started making money helping run illegal book making operations for the Merlino crew. He earned a reputation as an expert in sports handicapping, particularly for football. By 1981, the Philadelphia crime family was being led by Scarfo, with Merlino serving as his underboss.
In 1985, Scarfo ordered the murder of Mafia associate Frank "Frankie Flowers" D'Alfonso for refusing to pay tribute to him. When Philadelphia mobsters Thomas DelGiorno and Eugene Milano became government witnesses, they testified in court that on July 23, Ligambi and Philip Narducci were the triggermen in the broad daylight hit and Frank Narducci (Philip's brother) was the driver. DelGiorno, Milano, Merlino and Francis "Faffy" Iannarella helped plan the murder.[6] Ligambi became a made man in the Philadelphia crime family in 1986, at the age of 47.[7]
Murder conviction and acquittal
editIn 1987, Ligambi was arrested alongside Scarfo and others for the D'Alfonso murder.[8] On April 5, 1989, Ligambi, Chuckie Merlino, Nicodemo Scarfo Sr, Francis Iannarella, Frank Narducci and Phil Narducci were convicted of the murder and were all given life sentences. In 1992, an appellate court panel overturned the murder convictions, citing prosecutorial misconduct and trial-court error.[9] At the retrial in 1997, Ligambi and his fellow defendants were acquitted of the murder.[10]
Acting boss
editAt the time of Ligambi's release in 1997, the family was being run by Ralph Natale and Joey Merlino, the son of Ligambi's mentor Salvatore. While Ligambi was in prison, Merlino led a crew of young mobsters who fought a war and took over the Philadelphia crime family. One of these young mobsters was George Borgesi, Ligambi's nephew. After the arrest of Merlino, Borgesi and several others in 1999, Ligambi was chosen to take over as acting boss of the family. In 2001, Merlino was sentenced to 14 years in prison. After Ligambi took over, he remained in the shadows, rarely being mentioned in the media, while taking a much less "trigger-happy" approach to running the family.[11]
Ligambi had a no-show job with Top Job Carpeting run by fellow Philadelphia crime family member, Mauro Goffredo.[12]
On May 23, 2011, Ligambi and 14 other members and associates of the crime family were indicted by the FBI on racketeering charges related to illegal gambling operations, video poker gambling machines and loan sharking.[13][14] In February 2013, Ligambi was denied bail after the jury dismissed gambling and extortion charges.[15] On January 28, 2014, two juries were hung on the racketeering charges, and Ligambi and Borgesi were acquitted and released.[16]
In 2020 court documents, Ligambi was identified as the consigliere of the Philadelphia crime family.[17]
References
edit- ^ Volk, Steve (August 18, 2004). "A Wiser Guy". Philadelphia Weekly. Philadelphia. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012.
- ^ Anastasia, George (December 2, 2007). "A 'Family Man' Who's Content In Shadows". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012.
- ^ "Joseph A. Ligambi". Division of Gaming Enforcement Exclusion List. State of New Jersesy. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ Porello, Rick (December 17, 2001). "Meet The New Boss". AmericanMafia.com. Internet. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012.
- ^ Barry, Jim (August 2001). "The Boys of Summer". Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia. Archived from the original on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Informant Tells Of Beating D'alfonso Four Years Later, In 1985, The Bookmaker Was Slain. Eugene gino Milano Said He Wasn't Involved". Articles.philly.com. 1997-02-08. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ "Ligambi: Ex-bartender kept low profile - philly-archives". Articles.philly.com. 2011-05-23. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ "Feds take down reputed Philly mob boss Ligambi". Policeone.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ "Murder Of A Mob 'Gentleman' Will Be Back In Court". Articles.philly.com. 1997-01-20. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ "Scarfo, Pals Not Guilty But Only One Defendant Has A Shot At Freedoms". Articles.philly.com. 1997-02-21. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ "Still home for holidays". Articles.philly.com. 2011-05-24. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ "N.J. report describes reported Mob boss Joseph Ligambi's ties to garbage-disposal companies - philly-archives". Articles.philly.com. 2011-12-07. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ "FBI seizes reputed Philadelphia mob boss". United Press International. 2011-05-23. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Reputed mob boss Ligambi, others indicted". inquirer.com. May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Reputed Philly mob boss Joseph Ligambi denied bail before retrial". abc7chicago.com. February 25, 2013.
- ^ "Reputed Philadelphia mob boss Joseph Ligambi goes free". abc7chicago.com. January 28, 2014.
- ^ Eastern District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney’s Office. "Fifteen Members and Associates of the Philadelphia Mafia Indicted on Federal Racketeering and Related Charges". U.S. Department of Justice. Department of Justice. Retrieved 28 November 2020.