PHILADELPHIA — The Philly mob is down but not out.
Government officials were pleased this month when former Mafia boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino got 14 years behind bars for racketeering and his top lieutenants also received long prison terms.
But federal law enforcement officials caution that the mob, though crippled, is still operating in Philadelphia.
"This clearly is a critical blow to the La Cosa Nostra in Philadelphia. However, it's not the end of the LCN," said Thomas Harrington, who heads the FBI organized crime unit in Philadelphia.
Now that Merlino is out of the picture, mob observers predict a bloody struggle for control.
More than 30 people have been killed in gangland violence since the 1980 assassination of crime boss Angelo Bruno, the "Docile Don," who was killed by a shotgun blast outside his South Philadelphia home. Bruno's successor, Phil "Chicken Man" Testa, was killed in 1981. Every boss since — Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, John Stanfa, Ralph Natale and now Merlino — is in prison.
But the job still holds appeal, and someone will eventually emerge as the leader.
"There's always somebody out there who wants to be the boss, who thinks that if they get the position they can survive," said Fred Martens, former executive director of the now-defunct Pennsylvania Crime Commission. "Everybody thinks it won't be them, that they're smart enough to beat the government."
At Merlino's trial, Joseph Ligambi was identified as the acting boss, an accusation his lawyer has denied. Meanwhile, some of the mobsters convicted with Scarfo in 1988 are scheduled to be released from prison in a few years, and prosecutors expect them to take up where they left off.
"After a conviction, there is a period of disruption and the new people jockey for the leadership positions. Oftentimes, that triggers additional violence until a person emerges as consensus leader," said Robert J. Carroll, who headed New Jersey's organized crime task force in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Merlino was convicted in July of racketeering, extortion, gambling and offenses. With time off for good behavior, he could be out of prison in nine years.
Merlino's trial was the government's third major assault on the Philadelphia mob in 13 years.
Prosecutors expect the cycle to continue.
"Any prosecutor or investigator who would suggest (the mob has) been totally removed from any operation is probably not realistic," said U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan.