Nicky Scarfo, The “Hothead” Mafia Kingpin Of Philadelphia
Bettmann/Getty ImagesNicky Scarfo ruled Philadelphia with violence and intimidation for years.
Nicky Scarfo stood just 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed only 135 pounds, but he ruled as Philadelphia’s Mafia boss with violence and terror unlike anything seen before or since.
Born in Brooklyn on March 8, 1929, Scarfo grew up in an Italian-American family with strong ties to the Italian Mafia, according to The New York Times. After high school, Scarfo went to Philadelphia to work with three of his mob-affiliated uncles and quickly gained a reputation for violence.
Philly was run by a mobster named Angelo Bruno but Bruno’s assassination in 1980 — and the subsequent assassination of Bruno’s successor, Philip Testa — made room at the top. And Nicky Scarfo soon seized power.
Bettmann/Getty ImagesNicky Scarfo (right) arrives at Philadelphia International Airport on January 20, 1984. Carrying his bag is Salvatore Testa, the son of slain mob leader Phil “Chicken Man” Testa, who Scarfo would have killed later that year.
Capitalizing on the legalization of gambling in Atlantic City, Scarfo ran an extensive and profitable criminal enterprise. But he also ruled through fear, intimidation, and violence. Scarfo ordered the deaths of fellow mobsters and had their bodies left in the street as a deterrent for others.
Widely called a “hothead” even by the other unhinged killers in his midst, Scarfo saw brutal violence not just as a business necessity, but as an unending source of deranged glee.
In 1979, when he had an associate of his named Vincent Falcone murdered just for underestimating his power, Scarfo not only insisted on being present, but he joyously watched the whole thing while drinking an entire bottle of scotch and giddily exclaiming, “I love this. I love it.” Meanwhile, Scarfo once used his 10-year-old nephew to help him transport a corpse and, on another occasion, stabbed a longshoreman to death in a bar fight — with a butter knife.
As The New York Times reports, Scarfo’s hotheadedness didn’t engender loyalty but resentment. Fellow mobsters — including Scarfo’s own nephew — eventually testified against him. By the time he died in prison in 2017 at the age of 87, Scarfo was serving a lengthy sentence for everything from murder to extortion to illegal gambling.
How Vincent Palermo Allegedly Served As The Inspiration For Tony Soprano
RedditThe story of New Jersey mob boss Vincent Palermo mirrored that of TV kingpin Tony Soprano so closely that Palermo’s men were once caught on an FBI wiretap discussing The Sopranos.
Many people were first introduced to the inner workings of the Mafia through the television show The Sopranos, which ran on HBO from 1999 until 2007. The show followed the life of Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, a man who lived a double life as a mob boss and a family man in suburban New Jersey. And his character was allegedly based on a real New Jersey mobster: Vincent Palermo.
Born in Brooklyn on June 4, 1944, Palermo is similar to Tony Soprano in a number of ways. Like Soprano, Palermo was the de facto boss of the New Jersey crime family, named DeCavalcante in real life and DiMeo on the show. Palermo and his crew also infamously ran a strip club called Wiggles, just as Soprano and his men operated the Bada Bing! in the TV show.
HBOLike Tony Soprano, Vincent “Vinny Ocean” Palermo started out as acting boss for his imprisoned predecessor and operated out of a strip club.
Drama within Palermo’s crew also mirrored Tony Soprano’s. Just like in the show, many members of Palermo’s crime family agreed to work with the authorities in order to avoid long prison sentences. And just like Tony Soprano, Palermo was comfortable using violence.
The FBI even picked up a recording of Palermo’s men talking about the TV show. According to Screen Rant they said: “Is that supposed to be us? Every show you watch, more and more, you pick up somebody… There’s a pork store. Yeah, in Jersey, right? They got a topless joint over there. Jesus.”
But whereas Tony Soprano’s exact fate is ambiguous, Palermo’s is well-known. Palermo eventually became a government informant himself, entered witness protection, and moved to Houston, where he continued to operate strip clubs until they were shut down, with Palermo now living his life far from the spotlight.
