Philadelphia mob boss John Stanfa spent much of his criminal life besieged by law enforcement and waging war with a group of young upstarts who wanted his turf.
In the end it was Stanfa's own words, and the words of men he had trusted, that proved to be his undoing."I'll cut out his tongue and we'll send it to the wife," Stanfa says in one of 178 taped conversations played for a federal jury that convicted him Tuesday of murdering rivals and running extortions and rackets.
On tape, Stanfa suggests sticking three suspected rivals in pre-mix concrete overnight. "This way, the concrete hardens and we'll go dump them," the former bricklayer said.
Stanfa was convicted on 10 counts, including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal numbers, obstruction of justice and other charges.
Stanfa, 54, and associate Frank Martines, 42, could face in life in prison. Maximum penalties for six other associates convicted Tuesday range from 45 to 80 years in prison. Sentencing had not been scheduled.
Jack M. Myers, Stanfa's lawyer, said he would appeal.
The balding, barrel-chested Stanfa was silent as the verdict was read, but came to life when a prosecutor argued that Stanfa should lose his two food businesses and his New Jersey home because he conducted mob business there or bought them with mob proceeds.
"It's a lie," Stanfa said, rising to his feet.
Jurors were unable to decide the forfeiture issue, and the judge declared a hung jury. The government said it would not pursue the matter.
Jurors heard testimony from more than 40 witnesses during the seven-week trial, including three admitted hit men who said Stanfa ordered them to kill.
Stanfa ordered the killings of more than 10 people over a two-year period. While four were carried out, Stanfa's henchmen botched scores of hits, once by loading the wrong shells into a shotgun.