Netflix is showing a new series called “Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia” about a big fight between two mob guys, John Stanfa and Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino.
Back in the day, the boss of the Philly mob, Nicky Scarfo, was out. The big bosses from other places wanted Stanfa, an older mob guy, to take over. But a younger group liked Merlino, who was known for being flashy.
The Netflix series tells the story of how Stanfa and Merlino fought for power. It has interviews with police and people who used to work with the mob. The fight between Stanfa and Merlino caused a lot of violence and sent people to jail for a long time.
Here’s a look at John Stanfa’s life before and after the events shown in “Mob War.”
Stanfa came to the U.S. from Italy in 1964. He was 23 years old and said he was a bricklayer. He got married and lived in New York City for a bit.
Later, he and his wife moved to Philadelphia.
When Stanfa moved to Philadelphia, he said he worked in construction to take care of his family. But the police said he knew people in the Gambino crime family from when he lived in New York.
His brothers and a brother-in-law were also part of the Sicilian Mafia, which is how he got connected.
In 1980, Stanfa was in a car with the boss of the Philadelphia family, Angelo Bruno, when someone shot and killed Bruno. Stanfa was hurt a little. He talked to the police about it but then disappeared for a while.
He was found in Baltimore working at a pizza shop. He was arrested and taken back to Philadelphia because he lied to the police about meeting with mobsters after Bruno died.
Stanfa was found guilty of lying in 1981 and spent eight years in jail.
When he got out in 1988, the police said he wanted to take over the Philadelphia family. He had help from the Genovese and Gambino families, who were very powerful.
But he acted like a regular guy, running a food business with one of his sons.
By 1990, Stanfa was in charge of the Philadelphia family.
While Merlino was in jail for a robbery in 1990, he planned to take over from Stanfa with another mob guy named Ralph Natale.
When Merlino got out of jail in 1992, the fighting started between Stanfa’s people and Merlino’s people.
In 1993, things got really bad. Stanfa’s men shot and hurt Merlino and killed one of his top guys. Then, someone shot up Stanfa’s car, and his son was hurt.
Merlino has always said he wasn’t involved in any of the violence.
In 1996, Stanfa was sentenced to life in prison for murder and other crimes. He was found guilty of most of the charges against him.
Some of his former hitmen testified against him, saying that Stanfa ordered the attacks on Merlino.
Stanfa is still in prison in Connecticut.
