GR SOURCES: ‘Georgie Boy’ Trying To Recapture Old Mob Glory In Philly, Potentially W/ Help From Out Of Town

Philadelphia wiseguy and one-time mob consigliere George (Georgie Boy) Borgesi keeps making power moves. According to exclusive Gangster Report sources, the 53-year old Borgesi, continues to build up a formidable crew in his attempts to reclaim his former stature in the underworld and is now leveraging out-of-state mafia contacts he made in prison to his advantage. Some have visited him in Pennsylvania in recent months, assert these sources.

Borgesi (seen on the left of this article’s featured image) got out of prison in 2014 after nearly a decade-and-a-half behind bars and was untethered from any form of government supervision back in the summer. His out-of-state mob buddies spawn from various Midwest and East Coast Borgatas, including Italian crime families or subunits of crime families operating in Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri and Ohio. When he was consigliere of the mafia in Philadelphia in the late 1990s, Georgie Boy was in charge of a crew in Boston run by Beantown mob associate-turned-Philly button man, Robert (Boston Bobby) Luisi, Jr. (flipped).

“Georgie’s re-establishing ties in Boston and translating a bunch of relationships and friendships he forged in the can into ties for himself on the outside, guys he can reach out to for stuff, it ain’t no joke, this guy’s making moves all over the place, this is just another power play,” said one source.

Per a number of reports and sources on the street in South Philly, today Borgesi heads one of four factions currently operating in the City of Brotherly Love’s mob and has been on shaky terms with childhood pal and perpetually-suave syndicate boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino since they were both incarcerated in different federal correctional facilities in the 2000s (reportedly because of a raid of Borgesi’s rackets perpetrated by another boyhood friend and fellow gangster, Marty Angelina, that went unpunished and Borgesi’s former chief of staff “Bent Finger Lou” Monacello becoming an informant). Borgesi and his increasingly-growing band of loyalists – including Italian, Irish and labor-union connected hoodlums – recently set up shop at a clubhouse headquarters on the corner of 11th and Jackson, a former pizza parlor across the street from a church, where members of the crew usually congregate outside or inside of to talk business away from possible wiretaps.

FoxPhilly29 television investigative reporter Dave Schratwieser broke the news of the new Borgesi basecamp earlier this year. Schratwieser’s report showed photos of Borgesi holding conversations in walk-and-talks around the clubhouse with Merlino emissaries and lieutenants.

Magnetic, quick-witted and as camera-friendly as ever, Skinny Joey Merlino, 53, was released from prison in 2011 and splits his time between South Florida and his home base in South Philly. Merlino is alleged to have inducted a fresh class of made members into the Philadelphia mafia last fall. As a conciliatory gesture, several of the new initiates are said to be loyal to Borgesi, who served as Skinny Joey’s consigliere 20 years ago until they went down together in a giant RICO case that dropped in the summer of 2000. The FBI was present snapping photos at the post blood-oath ritual celebration dinner held at a swanky Center City eatery, per sources in law enforcement.

Street sources say Georgie Boy’s out-of-state mob contacts have visited Philadelphia and met with Borgesi and those in his inner-circle on more than one occasion in the past half year – different groups coming in at different times. One source claims a meeting between Borgesi and a non-Philly mafia contingent taking place in the days surrounding the October making ceremony first reported by resident local mobologist George Anastasia at Bigtrial.net in early February. Another source says the visits, which apparently have been relatively public in nature (Borgesi and the entourage of out-of-towners were seen partying at area hot spots) are a “show of strength” on Georgie Boy’s part and that the visitors have all stayed at the same ritzy hotel.

“Joey don’t want waves and Georgie is surfing the Atlantic,” joked one GR source linked to Merlino’s inner circle. “He’s (Joey) not looking for any beef, he’s trying his best to calm this thing down.”

Borgesi and Merlino met face-to-face in Florida where Merlino runs a restaurant bearing his name in Boca Raton last month, per multiple sources. The Philadelphia mob’s acting boss and Borgesi’s uncle, 76-year old, Joseph (Uncle Joe) Ligambi, was also present at the sit down, according to the sources, in a mediation capacity. The three Goodfellas were involved in a series of sit downs last year following Borgesi “getting off paper” in July, these same sources say.

Another issue at hand, sources claim, is Borgesi’s desire to retrieve at least a portion of Delaware County, racket territory he long controlled and today allegedly belongs to Family heavyweight John (Johnny Chang) Ciancaglini. Johnny Chang’s dad, 81-year old Joseph (Chickie) Ciancaglini, is the crime family’s reputed consigliere, replacing Ligambi, allegedly coming out of semi-retirement last summer to assume day-to-day boss duties, a post he originally held from 1999-2011, because of the fragile state the Philadelphia mafia is presently in.

Ligambi and Borgesi beat a 2011 RICO bust with a pair of hung juries. Chickie Ciancaglini walked free from more than 30 years of incarceration in 2014. The elder Ciancaglini, a convicted racketeer and murder conspirator, was a capo in the 1980s in the early part of the murderous Nicodemo (Little Nicky) Scarfo regime (1981-1990).

Merlino’s dad, Salvatore (Chuckie) Merlino – died behind bars in 2012 – was Little Nicky’s underboss and Ligambi’s mentor in the underworld. Ligambi became a Man of Honor in Scarfo’s final making ceremony in 1986 beside Phil Narducci, reputed to be another current faction leader in the Philly mob. The fourth reputed faction head is Scarfo Era soldier Joseph (Joey Punge) Pungitore.

Pretty well known around Philly gangland circles for his nasty temper, Borgesi is alleged to have engaged in some type of physical altercation with a mob underling last week at the clubhouse on 11th & Jackson, per at least three sources, regarding the underling not properly taking care of a problem for imprisoned Mafioso Anthony (Tony Nicks) Nicodemo who pled guilty in state court to a murder conspiracy in 2015 and is doing a so-called “quarter piece” (25 years) as a guest of the government. Nicodemo, 44, came up in the mafia in the 1990s as Skinny Joey’s driver and bodyguard.

While Merlino and Borgesi have found themselves suspects (even charged) in a parade of mob hits, neither have ever been convicted of a homicide. During Bent Finger Lou Monacello’s testimony at trial, he told the jury Borgesi bragged to him of participating in 11 gangland murders, by flashing 11 fingers at him as they discussed life and death in the mob in a 1999 car ride. Merlino, Borgesi and their tightknit clique of lifelong friends and lieutenants took over the Philadelphia mafia by force in the 1990s, fighting and winning a war against then-sitting Sicilian-born Godfather John Stanfa (1990-1994).