Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 46

PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS Thursday. April 9, 1987 SCARFO ARREST Page 46 Odd ircjut Daily News File Photo Nicky Scarfo with Salvatpre Testa, who was killed in 1984 A Catalog Off (Death: 8 Nits, flMiss Scarfo Mob Linked To a Long String Of Local Slayings By TOM COONEY Daily News Staff Writer Eight murders and one attempted killing are mentioned in today's New Jersey charges against Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo and a group of his alleged associates in the Philadelphia-Atlantic City crime family. The victims in the killings: Edwin Helf ant, SO, an Atlantic City lawyer and former part-time Municipal Court judge in Somers Point, N.J. He was shot down as he sat with his wife in the bar of the Flamingo Hotel in Atlantic City on Feb. 15, 1978.

John Calabrese, 45, gunned down Oct. 6, 1981, as he walked along Christian Street near 9th in South Philadelphia. A relatively minor mob figure and drug dealer, he was killed apparently for failing to pay "street tax" to the mob. Authorities have said Francis "Faffy" Iannarella Jr. and Pasquale "Pat the Cat" Spirito killed Calabrese on the orders of Joseph "Chickie" Ciancaglini.

Pasquale "Pat the Cat" Spirito, 43, killed April 29, 1983, in his Cadillac on a South Philadelphia street. Reputedly a rising star in the crime family, he apparently was one of many victims of a power struggle. Robert Riccobene, 43, half-brother of Harry "the Hunchback" Riccobene, a mob big shot. Robert Riccobene was shot to death Dec. 6, 1983, outside his Southwest Philadelphia home, allegedly by Iannarella and Charles "Charlie White" Iannece on the orders of Salvatore Testa.

Salvatore Testa, 29, killed Sept. 14. 1984, and his body dumped beside a road in Gloucester Township, N.J. Son of former crime family leader Phil Testa, he was for a time one of Scarfo's closest associates. But, investigators say, he tried to take too much power.

Salvatore Tamburrino, shot 1 1 Mob Figures Linked to Killing By KURT HEINE Daily News Staff Writer The who's who of the Philadelphia-area mob fingered by New Jersey in charges revealed today includes: Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, a 57-year-old South Philadelphia native with a short stature and short fuse who is alleged to be mob boss. He is being held without bail, awaiting trial on racketeering charges and federal extorlion charges stemming from the alleged SI million shakedown of Penn's Landing developer Willard G. Rouse. Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti, 33, Scarfo's nephew, right-hand man and president of the Atlantic City con- struction firm Scarf who a fed- eral source says "shows a lot of promise" as a future mob leader. Lawrence "Yogi" Merlino, 40, identified as a mob soldier who supervises drug sales, "has a proclivity toward violence" and has been linked to seven mob murders, authorities say.

Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino, was replaced by Leonetti in the No. 2 job when he was sent to jail for trying to bribe a policeman. Francis "Faffy" Iannarella 39, fingered by authorities as a mob capo, or captain, who was schooled in gambling with Frank "Chickie" Narducci. Joseph "Joey Pung" Pungitore, 31, identified as a mob soldier and close associate and bodyguard of the late Salvatore Testa, who is said to control video gaming operations for the mob. Joseph Grande, 27, a mob soldier and little brother of Salvatore "Wayne" Grande, a suspect in the attempted murder of Harry "The Hunchback" Riccobene, is said to help with the mob's day-to-day operation.

Charles "Charlie White" Iannece, a mob soldier who has been implicated in murders. Frank Narducci and his brother, said it knew who was inducted into the Scarfo crime family as a result of the murder, but did not identify individuals. The attempted killing of Steven Vento a reputed drug dealer, whom the Scarfo family was attempting to rip off, according to the grand jury. Vincent Falcone, 30, a Margate cement contractor, was shot in the head and chest Dec 16, 1979. His body was found wrapped in a blanket in the trunk of his car.

Falcone allegedly was killed because he tried to shake down Leonetti and made "disrespectful remarks" about the reputed mob underboss. Scarfo and Leonetti were acquitted of the murder. T. Del Giorno: Informant Joseph Grande: soldier Francis Iannarella: capo Philip, are mob soldiers identified as hit-men by mobster-turned-informant Thomas "Tommy Del" Del Giorno. Nicholas "Nick the Blade" Virgi-lio, a "significant criminal associate of the Bruno crime family" with a record of two murder convictions, say authorities.

Scarfo, Leonetti, Salvatore Merlino, Iannarella and Iannece also are charged in connection with a "flimflam" ripoff of a man who wanted to buy $100,000 in counterfeit money from the men, according to the indictment. The grand jury said Scarfo and jis associates took the $40,000 the man had paid for the counterfeit bills and didn't give him anything in return. Scarfo, Joseph and Salvatore Grande and Pungitore also are charged with loan-sharking. The last count of the indictment charged Scarfo, Leonetti, Salvatore and Salvatore Grande, Iannarella and Pungitore with promoting Frank D' Alfonso: 1985 down inside his South Philadelphia variety store on Nov. 3, 1983.

Thomas "Tommy Del" Del Giorno told authorities that Scarfo's associate, Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti, ordered the killing. Frank "Frankie Flowers" D'Al- fonso, 56, a gambling specialist who was close to the late mob boss Angelo Bruno and who at one point was thought to have taken over leadership of the crime family. He was shot to death July 23, 1985, on a South, Philadelphia corner. Philip Narducci walked along Christian Street near 9th in South Philadelphia. The grand jury said DelGiorno and Iannarella were "made" or formally inducted into the Philadelphia-South Jersey crime family by Scarfo himself after the killing.

Pasquale "Pat the Cat" Spirito, 43, considered a rising star in the Philadelphia mob family, shot to death April 29, 1983. in his Cadillac on a South Philadelphia street. Robert Riccobene, 43, half-brother of mob figure, Harry "The Hunchback" Riccobene, shot to death Dec. 6. 1983, outside his Southwest Philadelphia home.

Salvatore Testa, 29, son of mob boss Phillip Testa, who Scarfo succeeded. Salvatore Testa was shot sev John Calabrese: 1981 and Joseph Lagambi were the trig-germen, authorities were told, with Philip's brother, Frank, driving the getaway car. Vincent Falcone, 30, shot to death Dec. 16, 1979, in Margate, N.J. Scarfo, Philip Leonetti and Lawrence Mer-lino later were acquitted of the murder despite the testimony of a man who said he'd witnessed the killing.

Victim of the attempted murder: Steven Vento shot but not killed as he sat in his car in South Philadelphia last year. eral times and his body dumped beside a road in Gloucester Township, Camden County, on Sept. 14, 1984. The grand jury said Iannece, Nicholas "Nicky Crow" Caramandi, now a federal witness, and Joseph Grande were "made" by Scarfo after the killings of Spirito, Riccobene and Testa. Salvatore Tamburrino, gunned down on Nov.

3, 1983, allegedly on orders of Leonetti. the grand jury said Scarfo "made" Phillip Narducci after Tamburrino's killing. Frank "Frankie Flowers" D'Al-phonso, 56, a gambling specialist who once was a close associate of late mob boss Angelo Bruno, shot to death July 23, 1985, as he stopped to light a cigarette outside a South Philadelphia variety store. The grand jury SCARFO Continued from Page 3 New Jersey's Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act. The grand jury cited the murders of these individuals to illustrate a 1 pattern of racketeering: Helfant, who kept the bribe he was supposed to pass along to another judge and was killed as a result.

"We have no evidence that the judge who was to receive the bribe! ever got anything," a law enforcement source said. John Calabrese, 45, a relatively minor mob figure and drug dealer, gunned fVt. 1981, as he.