1 00:00:07,465 --> 00:00:09,134 Am I to turn at all, or I'm good? 2 00:00:10,135 --> 00:00:14,055 [Dave] I start as the Mob reporter at Fox 29 in 1994, 3 00:00:14,139 --> 00:00:16,433 and I spend a lot of time covering Joey Merlino. 4 00:00:16,516 --> 00:00:18,059 Merlino's parole may be over, 5 00:00:18,143 --> 00:00:20,562 but his days in the spotlight certainly aren't. 6 00:00:20,645 --> 00:00:24,441 A member of the Merlino Mob got his hands on a stolen Lamborghini. 7 00:00:24,524 --> 00:00:26,151 Merli… There's a truck. Hold it. 8 00:00:27,235 --> 00:00:30,905 Joey Merlino gets a lot of headlines 'cause he's a young swashbuckler. 9 00:00:30,989 --> 00:00:32,532 [tense music playing] 10 00:00:32,615 --> 00:00:35,577 He dresses well. He carries himself well. 11 00:00:35,660 --> 00:00:36,745 He's cocky. 12 00:00:37,328 --> 00:00:39,414 [Dave] Joe, how you feeling about parole being over? 13 00:00:39,497 --> 00:00:42,751 -Good. We're going to Disney World. -[Dave] You're going to Disney World? 14 00:00:44,794 --> 00:00:47,338 When he walked in a room, he took the room. 15 00:00:50,341 --> 00:00:51,885 When he went to a nightclub, 16 00:00:51,968 --> 00:00:54,262 the lines parted, the velvet ropes opened, 17 00:00:54,345 --> 00:00:55,722 and in went Joey Merlino. 18 00:00:59,768 --> 00:01:02,395 Joey became something of a celebrity. 19 00:01:03,605 --> 00:01:07,400 Joey was not afraid of a camera, wasn't afraid of a reporter. 20 00:01:07,484 --> 00:01:11,112 In any give-and-take conversation, he could get the last word. 21 00:01:11,196 --> 00:01:14,574 One time, I said, "Joe, we're hearing that there's a hit on your head." 22 00:01:14,657 --> 00:01:17,160 [Dave] The number we're hearing is half a million dollars. 23 00:01:17,243 --> 00:01:19,245 And he paused for a second, and he's like… 24 00:01:19,329 --> 00:01:21,247 Half a million dollars, I'd kill myself. 25 00:01:21,331 --> 00:01:23,124 -[chuckles] -[dramatic music playing] 26 00:01:23,208 --> 00:01:24,584 I mean, it's classic. 27 00:01:25,168 --> 00:01:28,713 He knows how to manipulate the streets, the media, 28 00:01:28,797 --> 00:01:31,841 and he's just a bright guy when it comes to being a gangster. 29 00:01:31,925 --> 00:01:33,426 Ten years ago, if anybody had predicted 30 00:01:33,510 --> 00:01:35,720 you were going to stand on lot the day before Thanksgiving 31 00:01:35,804 --> 00:01:38,098 and give away 500 turkeys, would you have believed them? 32 00:01:38,181 --> 00:01:39,641 -Yeah. -[laughter] 33 00:01:40,725 --> 00:01:45,271 The media, they love the idea of the don in the neighborhood 34 00:01:45,355 --> 00:01:47,816 who's taking care of the locals. 35 00:01:48,358 --> 00:01:51,277 It makes a great story that sells newspapers. 36 00:01:53,822 --> 00:01:57,867 But to the FBI, he was a mobster, not a philanthropist. 37 00:01:57,951 --> 00:01:59,410 [tense music playing] 38 00:01:59,494 --> 00:02:00,662 And he had to be stopped. 39 00:02:02,288 --> 00:02:04,874 [Joey] For homeless kids, you know, they have nothing. 40 00:02:06,126 --> 00:02:09,796 I always give to people. Don't make me a bad guy, does it? 41 00:02:10,338 --> 00:02:11,840 [laughter] 42 00:02:15,468 --> 00:02:19,139 -[sirens wailing] -[music fades] 43 00:02:21,516 --> 00:02:23,518 [pensive music playing] 44 00:02:25,979 --> 00:02:28,982 [John Terry] I started off as a uniformed police officer 45 00:02:29,607 --> 00:02:31,151 with a canine partner. 46 00:02:31,693 --> 00:02:32,902 It was fun, quite frankly, 47 00:02:32,986 --> 00:02:35,947 being out on the street, chasing down bad guys. 48 00:02:36,614 --> 00:02:40,034 But I joined the FBI because I wanted to investigate organized crime. 49 00:02:40,535 --> 00:02:41,828 [beeps] 50 00:02:45,874 --> 00:02:47,458 After Stanfa went to jail, 51 00:02:47,959 --> 00:02:50,170 there was a tremendous amount of concern 52 00:02:50,253 --> 00:02:54,257 about Merlino and the young guns still being on the street. 53 00:02:55,550 --> 00:02:58,803 Illegal bookmaking, illegal loan-sharking, 54 00:02:58,887 --> 00:03:00,930 drug dealing, murders. 55 00:03:01,598 --> 00:03:03,933 And it was down to me and my team 56 00:03:04,017 --> 00:03:06,394 to make arrests and get them off the streets. 57 00:03:09,939 --> 00:03:13,776 We had assets that were following Joey continuously. 58 00:03:13,860 --> 00:03:15,904 -[camera clicking] -[stealthy music playing] 59 00:03:17,488 --> 00:03:18,406 [camera clicks] 60 00:03:19,699 --> 00:03:23,620 Trying to get information about where Joey was going, 61 00:03:23,703 --> 00:03:26,581 who he was hanging out with, and if they could, 62 00:03:26,664 --> 00:03:27,790 what he was doing. 63 00:03:27,874 --> 00:03:29,375 [camera clicking] 64 00:03:31,419 --> 00:03:35,882 The issue was that Joey Merlino doesn't wanna go back to jail. 65 00:03:35,965 --> 00:03:37,508 Nobody does. 66 00:03:37,592 --> 00:03:39,385 So he's very difficult to surveil. 67 00:03:40,803 --> 00:03:41,888 [woman over radio] 9-5-7. 68 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:45,183 They live with the mirrors. 69 00:03:45,266 --> 00:03:46,935 Always in a back mirror, 70 00:03:47,018 --> 00:03:48,394 always in a side mirror. 71 00:03:48,478 --> 00:03:50,480 [woman speaking indistinctly over radio] 72 00:03:51,522 --> 00:03:54,275 [Stephen] He's driving his car, making a radical turn. 73 00:03:54,359 --> 00:03:55,443 [tires screech] 74 00:03:55,526 --> 00:03:58,529 And if you make that turn, he knows that you're on him. 75 00:03:59,322 --> 00:04:00,281 [horn honks] 76 00:04:02,283 --> 00:04:06,079 Joey became very hard to catch, hard to outsmart. 77 00:04:06,162 --> 00:04:08,706 Joey's always ten steps ahead of all these guys. 78 00:04:10,333 --> 00:04:13,211 A lot of it's intelligence, a lot of it's luck. 79 00:04:13,294 --> 00:04:15,755 But a mixture of both makes you very dangerous. 80 00:04:19,634 --> 00:04:22,345 [John Terry] My team, we are putting together a RICO case. 81 00:04:23,054 --> 00:04:25,348 We believe Merlino is involved 82 00:04:25,431 --> 00:04:28,935 in a racketeering-influenced corrupt organization. 83 00:04:30,353 --> 00:04:33,022 First, we have to show there's an organization. 84 00:04:34,315 --> 00:04:37,068 We then prove it's corrupt because of criminal activity. 85 00:04:42,073 --> 00:04:46,077 There wasn't much headway in terms of getting inside information. 86 00:04:47,412 --> 00:04:50,707 The decision was made to capture on video 87 00:04:51,207 --> 00:04:53,710 who was coming and going from Avenue Café. 88 00:04:57,463 --> 00:05:00,383 The Avenue Café was Joey's place, his little hangout, 89 00:05:00,466 --> 00:05:02,760 where he sold cigars and stuff like that. 90 00:05:04,053 --> 00:05:06,764 We used to play cards or dice in the back room. 91 00:05:07,432 --> 00:05:10,977 It's a place where guys break balls, tease each other. 92 00:05:11,060 --> 00:05:12,437 That's what it's about. 93 00:05:13,313 --> 00:05:16,983 Just because it's a hangout doesn't mean there's nefarious activity going on there. 94 00:05:18,651 --> 00:05:21,821 [John Terry] Joey and his associates were in and out of there every day. 95 00:05:21,904 --> 00:05:24,699 Angelo Lutz, Danny D'Ambrosia, 96 00:05:24,782 --> 00:05:26,909 Stevie Mazzone, George Borgesi. 97 00:05:26,993 --> 00:05:28,411 The list goes on and on. 98 00:05:30,246 --> 00:05:35,376 The camera at the Avenue Café helped us understand 99 00:05:35,460 --> 00:05:38,796 who Joey was associating with and how frequently. 100 00:05:40,173 --> 00:05:42,091 For a RICO prosecution, 101 00:05:42,175 --> 00:05:44,427 we have to establish there's an organization. 102 00:05:44,510 --> 00:05:46,346 And showing that he's the boss 103 00:05:46,429 --> 00:05:49,140 and enough people recognize and respect that 104 00:05:49,223 --> 00:05:52,810 was the singular most important piece of evidence. 105 00:05:55,897 --> 00:05:58,024 But we weren't getting evidence of crimes. 106 00:05:58,691 --> 00:06:00,318 It was very challenging. 107 00:06:02,153 --> 00:06:04,280 [Angelo] You got a bunch of guys that grew up together, 108 00:06:04,364 --> 00:06:05,281 got punished together, 109 00:06:05,365 --> 00:06:07,450 went to school together, went to dances together. 110 00:06:07,533 --> 00:06:10,745 Their families had deaths in the families, and they went through all that together. 111 00:06:10,828 --> 00:06:13,539 That bond was like this. The government could never break that. 112 00:06:13,623 --> 00:06:15,583 [pensive music playing] 113 00:06:15,666 --> 00:06:17,960 [John Terry] Joey Merlino and his crew… 114 00:06:19,962 --> 00:06:24,342 they knew what had led to other members and family members before them 115 00:06:24,425 --> 00:06:25,635 going to jail. 116 00:06:25,718 --> 00:06:28,096 And they learned from that. 117 00:06:28,888 --> 00:06:32,392 They were very safe in how they discussed their business 118 00:06:32,475 --> 00:06:33,976 and who they would talk to. 119 00:06:34,060 --> 00:06:38,106 The FBI became enamored with the idea of a cooperating witness, 120 00:06:38,189 --> 00:06:39,941 a mobster they were able to flip. 121 00:06:41,484 --> 00:06:43,277 And I think at that point, 122 00:06:44,028 --> 00:06:46,697 the FBI tries to approach Ron Previte. 123 00:06:46,781 --> 00:06:47,615 [dramatic sting] 124 00:06:47,698 --> 00:06:49,033 [pensive music continues] 125 00:06:49,117 --> 00:06:51,994 [John Terry] Previte had worked at the casinos in Atlantic City 126 00:06:52,078 --> 00:06:53,746 as a security officer. 127 00:06:53,830 --> 00:06:57,375 -[camera clicks] -Eventually, he got fired for stealing. 128 00:06:59,168 --> 00:07:02,463 He ultimately was arrested for shaking someone down 129 00:07:02,547 --> 00:07:04,465 by the New Jersey State Police. 130 00:07:04,966 --> 00:07:08,594 [man] You've described yourself as a general practitioner of crime. 131 00:07:08,678 --> 00:07:10,304 Uh, what did you mean by that? 132 00:07:10,930 --> 00:07:15,726 Well, I never specialize in anything, but there wasn't much that I haven't done. 133 00:07:17,812 --> 00:07:21,065 [John Terry] We decided to try and make him a cooperating witness. 134 00:07:23,234 --> 00:07:29,574 Working for the US Attorney's Office, I had no illusions about Ron Previte. 135 00:07:30,199 --> 00:07:32,326 He was a flat-out criminal. 136 00:07:33,703 --> 00:07:38,916 But we could use him to help get evidence against Joey Merlino. 137 00:07:44,213 --> 00:07:49,385 [John Terry] I went to meet with Previte just outside Hammonton in South Jersey. 138 00:07:50,261 --> 00:07:51,596 And I just remember thinking, 139 00:07:51,679 --> 00:07:54,265 when he walked in, that he was a very large man. 140 00:07:54,348 --> 00:07:56,058 [stealthy music playing] 141 00:07:56,142 --> 00:07:58,769 Previte was rough around the edges. 142 00:07:58,853 --> 00:08:00,897 He was a little tough. He was a street guy. 143 00:08:01,397 --> 00:08:03,191 He was what a wise guy should be. 144 00:08:05,568 --> 00:08:09,489 We decided to offer him a contract that we thought was fair, 145 00:08:09,572 --> 00:08:13,576 $2,000 every week in exchange for him wearing a wire, 146 00:08:13,659 --> 00:08:15,870 gathering evidence at our direction 147 00:08:15,953 --> 00:08:18,998 of the different activities of the Philadelphia Mob. 148 00:08:21,709 --> 00:08:23,294 His life would be in danger. 149 00:08:24,045 --> 00:08:26,255 He knew that. We knew that. 150 00:08:26,339 --> 00:08:28,132 [suspenseful music plays] 151 00:08:28,216 --> 00:08:30,301 [music swells] 152 00:08:30,384 --> 00:08:31,552 [music subsides] 153 00:08:31,636 --> 00:08:33,513 But ultimately, he agreed to do it. 154 00:08:33,596 --> 00:08:34,889 [stealthy music playing] 155 00:08:34,972 --> 00:08:35,806 Why? 156 00:08:36,516 --> 00:08:40,144 Because he didn't wanna go to jail, and he was all about the cash. 157 00:08:43,773 --> 00:08:47,944 But the problem was that Previte and Merlino, 158 00:08:48,027 --> 00:08:49,779 they just weren't that close. 159 00:08:49,862 --> 00:08:50,696 [camera clicks] 160 00:08:51,322 --> 00:08:54,325 Merlino was a little cautious about Previte. 161 00:08:56,369 --> 00:08:58,829 There were obstacles that we had to overcome. 162 00:08:59,997 --> 00:09:03,709 Joey never trusted Ron Previte. No one trusted Ron Previte. 163 00:09:04,293 --> 00:09:07,296 If you ever saw a guy that you just don't trust, that's him. 164 00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:08,631 [funky music playing] 165 00:09:08,714 --> 00:09:12,134 But people did business with Ron Previte because they saw a way to earn. 166 00:09:14,136 --> 00:09:17,932 [Johnny] Ron Previte, he's a hustler, he's a maneuverer. 167 00:09:18,015 --> 00:09:21,561 And for Joey Merlino, everything's about the dollar bill. 168 00:09:22,353 --> 00:09:26,107 [John Terry] The goal was to get Previte to have access to Merlino, 169 00:09:26,607 --> 00:09:30,695 to win Merlino's trust through tribute and respect. 170 00:09:31,862 --> 00:09:33,781 That's all that was important to Joey, 171 00:09:33,864 --> 00:09:36,826 was money and "They think I'm somebody." 172 00:09:38,578 --> 00:09:43,291 We gave Ron a Rolex Submariner watch 173 00:09:43,374 --> 00:09:46,669 with diamonds encrusted around the face 174 00:09:46,752 --> 00:09:49,880 to give to Merlino as a gift, as a show of respect. 175 00:09:51,757 --> 00:09:54,218 Joey fell for the bait hook, line, and sinker. 176 00:09:54,885 --> 00:09:57,513 [funky music continues] 177 00:09:57,597 --> 00:10:01,309 Merlino invited Previte to talk about doing business. 178 00:10:02,226 --> 00:10:04,937 It felt like, finally, we were on the right track. 179 00:10:09,025 --> 00:10:10,443 [music ends] 180 00:10:10,526 --> 00:10:14,822 And that prompted the FBI to expand the team. 181 00:10:14,905 --> 00:10:17,450 [pensive music playing] 182 00:10:17,533 --> 00:10:18,951 [Jim] I showed up in Philadelphia, 183 00:10:19,035 --> 00:10:21,412 and they assigned me to the Organized Crime Squad. 184 00:10:22,079 --> 00:10:24,624 I was 27 years old, my first day in the FBI, 185 00:10:24,707 --> 00:10:26,751 and it felt like I'd walked into a movie. 186 00:10:30,421 --> 00:10:33,090 One of the agents says to me, "We're gonna go meet Previte." 187 00:10:33,174 --> 00:10:38,512 "He's meeting Joe Merlino. Let's get Ron wired up." 188 00:10:39,472 --> 00:10:40,890 [John Terry] Titcombe was brand new. 189 00:10:40,973 --> 00:10:43,517 I thought wiring Ron Previte was a great opportunity 190 00:10:43,601 --> 00:10:47,521 for Titcombe to see that this isn't book learning down at the Academy. 191 00:10:47,605 --> 00:10:49,273 This is what we do every day. 192 00:10:50,941 --> 00:10:54,070 So I walk into his bedroom, and he's wearing a bathrobe and boxer shorts. 193 00:10:55,696 --> 00:10:57,365 And he's got a jockstrap on. 194 00:10:58,282 --> 00:11:03,704 Ron was about six foot, he was about 320 pounds, bald head. 195 00:11:04,205 --> 00:11:05,665 He's standing there like this, 196 00:11:05,748 --> 00:11:07,958 his bathrobe open, and he said, "Who's this kid?" 197 00:11:08,709 --> 00:11:11,379 I put tape from his navel to his chest, 198 00:11:12,380 --> 00:11:15,174 put the recorder in the jockstrap, 199 00:11:15,257 --> 00:11:17,218 and I'm looking around like, "Is this for real? 200 00:11:17,301 --> 00:11:19,762 "Is this how this works? Am I being punked?" [chuckles] 201 00:11:19,845 --> 00:11:21,347 I guess this is the FBI. 202 00:11:21,430 --> 00:11:22,932 [suspicious music playing] 203 00:11:23,015 --> 00:11:24,350 [beeping] 204 00:11:32,316 --> 00:11:36,320 [John Terry] Ron goes to meet with Merlino at the Avenue Café. 205 00:11:37,488 --> 00:11:39,699 And they start talking business. 206 00:11:40,866 --> 00:11:45,663 And whatever distrust Merlino may have had of Previte was coming down. 207 00:11:47,498 --> 00:11:51,544 Previte's sitting in the meeting. He's got his feet up on a desk. 208 00:11:52,211 --> 00:11:53,462 He looks down. 209 00:11:55,256 --> 00:11:57,967 And he sees a piece from the recording device 210 00:11:58,050 --> 00:12:00,678 dangling out of the bottom of his jeans, 211 00:12:01,637 --> 00:12:04,598 where anyone who wanted to could see it. 212 00:12:06,976 --> 00:12:09,228 [Jim] This is incredibly risky 213 00:12:09,311 --> 00:12:11,689 because if they find out that he's cooperating, 214 00:12:11,772 --> 00:12:13,607 certainly they would try to kill him. 215 00:12:14,108 --> 00:12:16,110 [tense music playing] 216 00:12:22,074 --> 00:12:23,492 [John Terry] Without missing a beat, 217 00:12:23,993 --> 00:12:27,621 he just crossed his legs, put his feet down on the floor, 218 00:12:28,289 --> 00:12:30,291 -concealing it completely. -[music fades] 219 00:12:34,795 --> 00:12:37,465 It takes nerves of steel to do something like that. 220 00:12:41,051 --> 00:12:44,472 At the end of the meeting, Merlino tells him that 221 00:12:44,555 --> 00:12:49,518 they've come into a load of stolen bicycles and baby formula 222 00:12:49,602 --> 00:12:52,021 and asks Previte if he thinks he can move them. 223 00:12:54,148 --> 00:12:56,734 [Jim] They had people who were breaking into the rail yard 224 00:12:56,817 --> 00:12:59,528 down in South Philadelphia and stealing conex boxes. 225 00:12:59,612 --> 00:13:00,696 [pensive music playing] 226 00:13:00,780 --> 00:13:02,865 They didn't know what was in the conex boxes. 227 00:13:03,365 --> 00:13:05,034 They'd just hook a trailer up, drive it out. 228 00:13:08,579 --> 00:13:09,663 The deal happened. 229 00:13:10,164 --> 00:13:12,041 Previte goes back to Merlino with an envelope 230 00:13:12,124 --> 00:13:13,584 and says, "This is your cut." 231 00:13:15,878 --> 00:13:18,964 Now you've established we can do business together. 232 00:13:22,802 --> 00:13:26,931 It's now Merlino directing Previte to buy stolen goods. 233 00:13:27,681 --> 00:13:31,685 It's a checkmark that goes towards convicting Merlino and others 234 00:13:31,769 --> 00:13:33,312 of being involved 235 00:13:33,395 --> 00:13:35,731 in a racketeer-influenced corrupt organization. 236 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:37,358 [dramatic sting] 237 00:13:37,441 --> 00:13:39,109 [pensive music continues] 238 00:13:39,193 --> 00:13:40,820 It was a great result. 239 00:13:41,403 --> 00:13:44,323 Previte was becoming more trusted by Merlino. 240 00:13:46,116 --> 00:13:48,619 We thought it was only a matter of time until Merlino 241 00:13:48,702 --> 00:13:51,413 brought something more serious to Previte. 242 00:13:58,712 --> 00:14:00,548 Ron meets with Joey Merlino one day. 243 00:14:00,631 --> 00:14:02,091 He comes back after the meeting, 244 00:14:02,174 --> 00:14:06,971 and he tells us that Joey introduced him to "his guy" in Boston. 245 00:14:07,054 --> 00:14:08,681 -[camera clicks] -Bobby Luisi. 246 00:14:10,307 --> 00:14:13,602 Bobby's one of the major players in the Mob. 247 00:14:16,647 --> 00:14:20,317 Bobby's got a history of narcotics. 248 00:14:21,944 --> 00:14:24,697 [John Terry] Bobby Luisi was well-known for selling drugs. 249 00:14:25,698 --> 00:14:27,741 And we believed he was still selling drugs. 250 00:14:29,034 --> 00:14:32,204 Why does Merlino want Previte to deal with Luisi? 251 00:14:32,288 --> 00:14:34,248 'Cause he knows Luisi can move cocaine. 252 00:14:34,331 --> 00:14:37,418 Why is that important? Because Merlino's gonna profit from it. 253 00:14:39,295 --> 00:14:42,506 When Joey makes that introduction, 254 00:14:42,590 --> 00:14:46,594 Previte, in a strategic stroke of genius, 255 00:14:46,677 --> 00:14:48,679 responds to Joey, 256 00:14:48,762 --> 00:14:51,265 "Well, that's great. I've got a guy in Boston too." 257 00:14:51,348 --> 00:14:55,394 Thinking that that was an opportunity for us to introduce an undercover agent. 258 00:14:55,477 --> 00:14:57,396 [stealthy music playing] 259 00:15:01,984 --> 00:15:03,402 [Mike] John Terry called me. 260 00:15:04,695 --> 00:15:06,614 He said, "We have this golden opportunity." 261 00:15:08,782 --> 00:15:11,994 "We got a chance to make a case against Luisi in Boston 262 00:15:12,077 --> 00:15:13,621 and Merlino in Philadelphia." 263 00:15:15,706 --> 00:15:19,043 Right away, those are two magic names to the FBI. 264 00:15:19,126 --> 00:15:22,963 That adrenaline kicked in, and I was like, "Yeah." 265 00:15:23,547 --> 00:15:25,007 "Where do I sign up?" 266 00:15:27,426 --> 00:15:31,263 The idea is Luisi sells cocaine to Mike McGowan, 267 00:15:31,847 --> 00:15:35,601 and Luisi would give the portion of the proceeds to Merlino. 268 00:15:36,393 --> 00:15:40,189 So it links Merlino to the drug sale to McGowan. 269 00:15:40,272 --> 00:15:44,109 [distant siren wailing] 270 00:15:44,193 --> 00:15:48,447 The cover story was that Mike's an import-export guy, 271 00:15:48,530 --> 00:15:53,953 which is code for, "I can do drugs. I can do stolen stuff." 272 00:15:54,036 --> 00:15:56,747 It's tailor-made for anything you want it to be. 273 00:15:58,415 --> 00:16:00,417 [tense music playing] 274 00:16:03,170 --> 00:16:06,256 [Mike] I have a business out at Logan Airport. 275 00:16:06,882 --> 00:16:08,592 The Irish International Office. 276 00:16:09,969 --> 00:16:14,848 And because I'm supposed to be involved in Irish goods, 277 00:16:14,932 --> 00:16:18,894 it was packed with Irish flags, dolls, leprechauns. 278 00:16:18,978 --> 00:16:21,480 I got so sick of Irish stuff. 279 00:16:21,563 --> 00:16:23,816 [clock ticking] 280 00:16:26,193 --> 00:16:28,320 When we were preparing for the first meeting, 281 00:16:28,404 --> 00:16:31,448 the technical squad had come into my office 282 00:16:31,532 --> 00:16:34,076 and wired it for audio and video, 283 00:16:34,576 --> 00:16:40,165 and the camera had been placed behind the desk inside a clock. 284 00:16:40,249 --> 00:16:43,085 -[clock ticking] -[tense music swells] 285 00:16:43,168 --> 00:16:44,920 [tense music continues] 286 00:16:48,424 --> 00:16:52,386 We can capture video looking directly at the wise guys. 287 00:16:52,928 --> 00:16:55,931 Very clear and easy to identify who they are. 288 00:16:56,015 --> 00:16:59,852 And the audio, you just don't get opportunities like this very often. 289 00:17:06,900 --> 00:17:09,236 [Mike] The first meeting, that was a big day 290 00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:12,906 because I was basically auditioning in front of them. 291 00:17:20,330 --> 00:17:22,583 And if I had flunked the audition, 292 00:17:23,292 --> 00:17:25,085 we were done in Boston in one day. 293 00:17:28,714 --> 00:17:31,425 [John Terry] If the initial meeting is not successful, 294 00:17:31,508 --> 00:17:33,594 not only is the undercover operation dead, 295 00:17:33,677 --> 00:17:36,930 but there's a significant risk to Previte and Mike McGowan 296 00:17:37,014 --> 00:17:38,599 of being hurt or killed. 297 00:17:40,601 --> 00:17:42,144 [Ron laughs] 298 00:17:44,354 --> 00:17:45,564 [Ron] Yeah. 299 00:17:48,317 --> 00:17:50,444 You're on a tightrope, and there's no safety net. 300 00:17:50,527 --> 00:17:52,529 [menacing music playing] 301 00:17:54,448 --> 00:17:56,283 One slip, you can get killed. 302 00:18:01,997 --> 00:18:03,999 [menacing music continues] 303 00:18:09,171 --> 00:18:12,841 [clock continues ticking] 304 00:18:25,604 --> 00:18:29,399 [Mike] I'm trying to convince them that I worked well with Previte, 305 00:18:29,483 --> 00:18:33,112 made him a lot of money in Philadelphia. I can do the same in Boston. 306 00:18:41,745 --> 00:18:45,666 [Mike] At that point, Luisi and Previte had asked me 307 00:18:45,749 --> 00:18:48,669 to leave the room so they could talk privately. 308 00:18:50,170 --> 00:18:51,046 Yeah. 309 00:18:54,550 --> 00:18:55,884 [Mike] I was very nervous. 310 00:18:57,386 --> 00:19:00,681 There are thousands of thoughts going through your mind. 311 00:19:02,099 --> 00:19:04,268 [ominous music swells] 312 00:19:04,351 --> 00:19:06,645 [clock continues ticking] 313 00:19:18,448 --> 00:19:20,617 -[unsettling music playing] -[clock continues ticking] 314 00:19:20,701 --> 00:19:24,413 They talked for about five minutes, and then I came back in. 315 00:19:25,289 --> 00:19:27,791 [unsettling music continues] 316 00:19:38,218 --> 00:19:40,053 And then he says… 317 00:19:42,764 --> 00:19:44,016 [Mike] …"You're with us." 318 00:19:44,099 --> 00:19:45,392 [tense music playing] 319 00:19:47,686 --> 00:19:52,774 In the Mafia, "You're with us" is a very important statement. 320 00:19:52,858 --> 00:19:56,612 He's saying, "You will work for me under my protection." 321 00:19:56,695 --> 00:19:57,946 [clock continues ticking] 322 00:20:00,741 --> 00:20:02,284 Inside, I was like, "Boom." 323 00:20:02,784 --> 00:20:04,661 We couldn't have had a better result. 324 00:20:06,955 --> 00:20:11,460 Now it's time to turn it on and set up some deals. 325 00:20:13,128 --> 00:20:15,005 [music swells] 326 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:19,426 -[music fades] -[clock continues ticking] 327 00:20:19,509 --> 00:20:24,014 Mike was now on the inside, and we were making significant headway. 328 00:20:26,308 --> 00:20:27,267 [Bobby] Eh… 329 00:20:32,397 --> 00:20:34,524 We can now move to the next phase, 330 00:20:35,567 --> 00:20:39,196 which is to introduce the cocaine deal. 331 00:20:39,279 --> 00:20:40,739 [pensive music playing] 332 00:20:53,543 --> 00:20:57,464 I told Luisi the person who had given me the diamonds 333 00:20:58,173 --> 00:21:01,176 wanted to exchange it not in cash but in cocaine. 334 00:21:02,844 --> 00:21:06,640 [Mike speaking] 335 00:21:12,521 --> 00:21:15,023 -[Mike] He wants to swap. -[Bobby] He wants to swap. 336 00:21:16,775 --> 00:21:20,320 He wants three bricks for the diamonds. 337 00:21:20,404 --> 00:21:25,033 Three bricks are street slang for three kilograms of cocaine. 338 00:21:25,117 --> 00:21:27,369 [tense droning] 339 00:21:34,001 --> 00:21:36,003 [tense music playing] 340 00:21:44,970 --> 00:21:46,096 We were in trouble. 341 00:21:47,347 --> 00:21:49,266 [tense music continues] 342 00:21:51,101 --> 00:21:53,895 I followed him outside down into a stairwell. 343 00:22:11,413 --> 00:22:13,332 That meeting is critical, 344 00:22:13,415 --> 00:22:16,626 and if it doesn't work, there's a lot at stake. 345 00:22:20,213 --> 00:22:21,048 [Bobby] Yeah. 346 00:22:38,565 --> 00:22:41,651 [brooding music playing] 347 00:22:41,735 --> 00:22:42,944 [Mike] That was a bad day. 348 00:22:44,571 --> 00:22:46,365 The deal didn't come together. 349 00:22:47,783 --> 00:22:50,660 We're working hard to make this happen, 350 00:22:50,744 --> 00:22:54,915 but if I can't do my job, we're done. 351 00:22:59,628 --> 00:23:02,464 [Jim] The cocaine deal, it's not happening. 352 00:23:03,673 --> 00:23:07,511 It's a big black hole in the operation. 353 00:23:09,679 --> 00:23:12,933 [Mike] That's when Previte set up a three-way call 354 00:23:13,016 --> 00:23:16,812 between Luisi in Boston and Merlino in Philadelphia 355 00:23:17,771 --> 00:23:21,066 to try to get the deal back on track. 356 00:23:21,858 --> 00:23:24,069 [tense music playing] 357 00:23:24,152 --> 00:23:28,073 All the chips were pushed into the center of the table on that one meeting. 358 00:23:33,662 --> 00:23:35,038 [man clears throat on recording] 359 00:24:04,901 --> 00:24:07,195 [rewinding] 360 00:24:12,534 --> 00:24:14,453 "That guy, do what you got to do for him." 361 00:24:14,536 --> 00:24:17,247 "That guy" is our undercover agent, Mike McGowan. 362 00:24:17,330 --> 00:24:18,915 Joey Merlino, by asking that question, 363 00:24:18,999 --> 00:24:21,460 just gave approval for the drug deal to happen. 364 00:24:21,543 --> 00:24:24,671 [dramatic string music playing] 365 00:24:24,754 --> 00:24:26,465 [Mike] In very coded language, 366 00:24:26,548 --> 00:24:30,010 but very clear language to FBI agents and mobsters, 367 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,555 Merlino gave the green light for the drug deal. 368 00:24:34,639 --> 00:24:38,935 Joey, in his own words, is now involved. 369 00:24:39,019 --> 00:24:41,021 [dramatic music continues] 370 00:24:49,321 --> 00:24:51,448 [Mike] We have that phone call on the 28th. 371 00:24:51,531 --> 00:24:53,408 And on April 30th, 372 00:24:53,992 --> 00:24:55,911 I'm literally sitting in my office, 373 00:24:56,620 --> 00:24:58,121 and there's a knock on the door. 374 00:24:58,205 --> 00:24:59,289 [tense music playing] 375 00:24:59,372 --> 00:25:00,832 And there's a stranger there. 376 00:25:02,042 --> 00:25:03,960 And he says he was sent by Luisi. 377 00:25:05,337 --> 00:25:07,964 [man] Hey, traffic was brutal. 378 00:25:08,048 --> 00:25:09,299 I'll tell ya. Oof. 379 00:25:10,175 --> 00:25:13,887 [Mike] When he introduced himself, he introduced himself as Bobby Carrozza. 380 00:25:14,429 --> 00:25:18,850 And I immediately recognized the name because of his father, 381 00:25:19,726 --> 00:25:20,852 who was also in the Mob. 382 00:25:23,730 --> 00:25:24,898 -[woman] Okay. -[Mike] Okay? 383 00:25:24,981 --> 00:25:26,608 -[woman] Bye. -[Bobby] Okay, bye. 384 00:25:28,693 --> 00:25:29,528 All right. 385 00:25:30,445 --> 00:25:31,321 [door closes] 386 00:25:35,659 --> 00:25:37,786 [Mike] He makes a comment about the window. 387 00:25:38,286 --> 00:25:39,996 He's being careful. 388 00:25:40,622 --> 00:25:43,250 And he puts the briefcase on my desk 389 00:25:44,626 --> 00:25:45,544 and opens it up. 390 00:25:53,218 --> 00:25:57,180 There's two packages in there, two kilos of cocaine. 391 00:26:04,020 --> 00:26:06,982 [Mike] They both have 215 written on them. 392 00:26:07,065 --> 00:26:09,693 215 is the area code for Philadelphia. 393 00:26:10,443 --> 00:26:12,362 As far as I'm concerned, as an FBI agent, 394 00:26:12,445 --> 00:26:16,783 that's just like putting Joey Merlino's signature on those kilos. 395 00:26:22,664 --> 00:26:23,832 [Mike] Worked out well. 396 00:26:27,043 --> 00:26:30,422 -[dramatic ticking] -[intense music playing] 397 00:26:31,631 --> 00:26:33,091 [Jim] It's all on video. 398 00:26:33,174 --> 00:26:37,721 Cocaine exchanged, deal done, deal consummated. 399 00:26:37,804 --> 00:26:39,639 [music fades] 400 00:26:40,849 --> 00:26:43,810 But, on its own, it wasn't gonna be sufficient. 401 00:26:43,893 --> 00:26:46,146 [pensive music playing] 402 00:26:46,229 --> 00:26:48,023 [Barry] That surveillance video 403 00:26:48,106 --> 00:26:51,109 had the potential to be very damning evidence. 404 00:26:52,319 --> 00:26:55,947 But Luisi did not handle the drugs or the money. 405 00:26:56,948 --> 00:27:00,368 So there was still not enough to connect the dots. 406 00:27:09,878 --> 00:27:11,338 [John Terry] In Philadelphia, 407 00:27:12,047 --> 00:27:15,800 there were unsolved serious crimes 408 00:27:15,884 --> 00:27:18,386 that we were trying to get information about… 409 00:27:18,470 --> 00:27:20,347 [tense music playing] 410 00:27:21,556 --> 00:27:24,476 …to see if Joey Merlino had any connection to them. 411 00:27:31,316 --> 00:27:36,529 We were receiving information about his longtime Mob associate Ralph Natale… 412 00:27:36,613 --> 00:27:37,530 [camera clicks] 413 00:27:38,531 --> 00:27:43,662 …who was out of jail after serving 15 years on a drug conviction. 414 00:27:44,537 --> 00:27:47,666 Natale and Merlino were housed together in jail. 415 00:27:48,458 --> 00:27:50,043 They hatched a plan 416 00:27:50,126 --> 00:27:53,380 that they were gonna ultimately take over the Philadelphia Mafia. 417 00:27:53,463 --> 00:27:55,298 [tense music swells] 418 00:27:55,382 --> 00:27:59,344 [Stephen] Joey Merlino was actually under Ralph Natale. 419 00:28:00,512 --> 00:28:03,807 Ralph Natale got the kiss from the five families 420 00:28:03,890 --> 00:28:05,809 to take over after Stanfa. 421 00:28:06,559 --> 00:28:08,103 But Joey Merlino 422 00:28:08,770 --> 00:28:09,979 was the real power. 423 00:28:10,939 --> 00:28:12,732 [Dave] How about Joe? Can I ask you about him? 424 00:28:12,816 --> 00:28:17,112 Joe is a good, solid young man. That's all I can say. 425 00:28:17,195 --> 00:28:19,447 I know if I was in trouble, or in a foxhole, 426 00:28:19,531 --> 00:28:21,157 I'd like to be with Joe Merlino. 427 00:28:22,409 --> 00:28:25,954 Ralph Natale is the boss, and Joey Merlino is the underboss. 428 00:28:26,705 --> 00:28:28,498 But like any other puppet, 429 00:28:28,581 --> 00:28:31,167 you know, Joey's pulling the strings behind Ralph's back. 430 00:28:31,251 --> 00:28:33,962 -[music fades] -And he had no loyalty to Joey. 431 00:28:36,464 --> 00:28:38,466 While we're still keeping track of Merlino, 432 00:28:38,550 --> 00:28:43,221 I authored 18 consecutive wiretap affidavits 433 00:28:43,304 --> 00:28:44,889 to bug Ralph Natale. 434 00:28:44,973 --> 00:28:47,559 [tense music playing] 435 00:28:47,642 --> 00:28:49,519 [crackling] 436 00:28:49,602 --> 00:28:50,812 [Gerry] As a tech agent, 437 00:28:52,814 --> 00:28:55,525 you're a legalized burglar. 438 00:28:56,234 --> 00:28:59,487 So if someone happens to walk in, 439 00:29:00,405 --> 00:29:05,368 you never know what can happen. 440 00:29:05,452 --> 00:29:06,911 [tense music continues] 441 00:29:06,995 --> 00:29:08,705 The Ralph Natale apartment, 442 00:29:10,248 --> 00:29:12,500 it was a high-rise building. 443 00:29:12,584 --> 00:29:15,295 He was on the top floor. They called it the penthouse. 444 00:29:16,337 --> 00:29:18,298 Ralph was down in Atlantic City, 445 00:29:18,381 --> 00:29:20,508 and they expected him to be there all night. 446 00:29:21,676 --> 00:29:24,179 Our job was to do a surreptitious entry 447 00:29:24,262 --> 00:29:26,431 to put microphones into his living room area. 448 00:29:26,514 --> 00:29:28,475 [dramatic music playing] 449 00:29:31,311 --> 00:29:34,481 The lock guys, they were able to open the door. 450 00:29:39,903 --> 00:29:42,322 And a cat made a beeline for the door. 451 00:29:42,405 --> 00:29:43,490 [paws patting] 452 00:29:43,573 --> 00:29:44,949 [suspenseful music playing] 453 00:29:45,033 --> 00:29:46,534 At the last second, 454 00:29:46,618 --> 00:29:48,787 one of the lock guys was able to block the cat. 455 00:29:48,870 --> 00:29:50,997 -[cat meows] -[dramatic music plays] 456 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:53,583 Or we would've been chasing him all over the building. 457 00:29:53,666 --> 00:29:55,043 That wouldn't have been good. 458 00:29:55,126 --> 00:29:57,420 [suspenseful music playing] 459 00:29:57,504 --> 00:30:00,048 We're in there placing the microphones. 460 00:30:01,549 --> 00:30:06,137 And the surveillance agent lets us know… 461 00:30:06,221 --> 00:30:07,889 [faint chattering in earphone] 462 00:30:07,972 --> 00:30:09,349 …"Gotta get outta here. 463 00:30:10,099 --> 00:30:11,726 "Natale's heading back." 464 00:30:11,810 --> 00:30:13,812 [frantic music playing] 465 00:30:15,688 --> 00:30:17,023 We don't have much time. 466 00:30:18,566 --> 00:30:20,485 [suspenseful music builds] 467 00:30:27,408 --> 00:30:30,370 Everybody stopped and started tidying up. 468 00:30:30,453 --> 00:30:33,081 [music swells] 469 00:30:33,164 --> 00:30:34,040 [music subsides] 470 00:30:34,123 --> 00:30:36,292 Getting out of there before he made it home. 471 00:30:36,918 --> 00:30:39,337 [footsteps depart] 472 00:30:40,296 --> 00:30:44,676 [John Terry] We picked up some snippets of conversation on the wiretaps. 473 00:30:47,011 --> 00:30:49,764 We found out that Natale and his son-in-law 474 00:30:49,848 --> 00:30:52,517 were making and selling methamphetamine. 475 00:30:54,227 --> 00:30:56,354 The audio didn't implicate Merlino, 476 00:30:56,437 --> 00:30:59,649 but it was a significant development. 477 00:30:59,732 --> 00:31:00,567 [pensive music] 478 00:31:00,650 --> 00:31:04,487 We made a decision to arrest Natale at that point in time. 479 00:31:05,321 --> 00:31:08,283 [reporter] Today, the FBI announced the arrest of Philadelphia, South Jersey, 480 00:31:08,366 --> 00:31:10,535 La Cosa Nostra boss, Ralph Natale, 481 00:31:10,618 --> 00:31:13,204 this time for a methamphetamine sales conspiracy 482 00:31:13,288 --> 00:31:16,291 involving five other reputed local gangsters. 483 00:31:16,374 --> 00:31:19,586 Ralph's involvement in the methamphetamine 484 00:31:19,669 --> 00:31:21,588 is a death sentence for him. 485 00:31:22,171 --> 00:31:24,507 He's a convicted drug dealer. 486 00:31:24,591 --> 00:31:27,135 He's going to jail longer than he'll live. 487 00:31:28,219 --> 00:31:31,264 So it was a strategic decision on our part 488 00:31:31,347 --> 00:31:33,308 to make sure that we plant the seeds, 489 00:31:33,391 --> 00:31:38,605 that he knew if he decided he wanted to talk about any possible cooperation, 490 00:31:38,688 --> 00:31:40,064 we were receptive to that. 491 00:31:42,066 --> 00:31:45,695 But he had given his life to the Mafia, 492 00:31:45,778 --> 00:31:47,697 and he wasn't gonna talk. 493 00:31:49,991 --> 00:31:55,413 So the pressure to get to Merlino just got ratcheted up. 494 00:31:57,123 --> 00:31:59,375 We felt like we wanted more, and we needed more. 495 00:32:01,753 --> 00:32:04,547 -So now it was all up to Mike McGowan. -[music fades] 496 00:32:06,883 --> 00:32:08,885 [pensive music playing] 497 00:32:11,346 --> 00:32:14,223 The US Attorney's Office weren't satisfied 498 00:32:14,307 --> 00:32:18,394 that we had tied Luisi to the cocaine deal, 499 00:32:19,395 --> 00:32:22,815 even though he set it up, even though we had the phone call two days earlier. 500 00:32:23,816 --> 00:32:25,360 But I also had to tell them 501 00:32:25,443 --> 00:32:30,907 there was no way that Luisi was gonna physically touch the cocaine. 502 00:32:31,991 --> 00:32:34,327 That's how these bosses think, 503 00:32:34,410 --> 00:32:36,913 that if they don't touch it, they're okay. 504 00:32:37,664 --> 00:32:40,708 And the plan at that point was if we were able to get more cocaine, 505 00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:44,087 that I would try to pay Luisi directly. 506 00:32:49,300 --> 00:32:53,805 -[pensive music continues] -[clock ticking] 507 00:33:04,649 --> 00:33:05,692 [sighs] 508 00:33:07,944 --> 00:33:08,945 [sighs] 509 00:33:09,821 --> 00:33:10,989 [sneezes] 510 00:33:11,072 --> 00:33:15,034 That day I was in my office, and just like Carrozza in April, 511 00:33:15,118 --> 00:33:16,494 there's a knock on my door. 512 00:33:17,370 --> 00:33:19,831 It's Tommy Wilson, a member of Luisi's crew. 513 00:33:20,915 --> 00:33:22,208 [chuckles] 514 00:33:23,209 --> 00:33:24,127 [Mike] Yeah? 515 00:33:29,507 --> 00:33:31,884 -[tense music playing] -[dramatic ticking] 516 00:33:31,968 --> 00:33:34,721 [Mike] Wilson had a paper bag with him, 517 00:33:36,097 --> 00:33:39,726 and inside, there was another kilo of cocaine. 518 00:33:40,768 --> 00:33:42,103 [indistinct chatter] 519 00:33:51,529 --> 00:33:53,698 -[tense music continues] -[dramatic ticking] 520 00:33:53,781 --> 00:33:57,952 [Jim] He comes into the office, takes a kilo of cocaine out of his bag, 521 00:33:58,619 --> 00:34:00,913 and then he puts it in the bag that Mike gave him. 522 00:34:00,997 --> 00:34:03,374 That is beyond a reasonable doubt. 523 00:34:09,964 --> 00:34:15,011 We wanted to make sure that Luisi was directly tied to that delivery. 524 00:34:16,471 --> 00:34:18,639 So when Luisi calls, 525 00:34:18,723 --> 00:34:22,477 I told him I didn't trust Wilson with the cash. 526 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,605 He would have to come meet me outside of my office. 527 00:34:26,606 --> 00:34:29,067 [Robert] Special Agent Robert Callen. 528 00:34:29,776 --> 00:34:34,739 We are in the vicinity of 171 Milk Street, 529 00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:37,784 approximately 2:05 p.m., 530 00:34:39,035 --> 00:34:41,996 videotaping an undercover agent 531 00:34:42,663 --> 00:34:44,499 at the intersection of Milk and India Street, 532 00:34:44,582 --> 00:34:45,958 Boston, Massachusetts. 533 00:34:46,042 --> 00:34:48,377 [stealthy music playing] 534 00:34:48,461 --> 00:34:51,089 [John Terry] Mike would get there early as the undercover agent. 535 00:34:51,172 --> 00:34:53,591 He wants to make sure that he's comfortable. 536 00:34:54,258 --> 00:34:57,637 This is an ideal location. There's people walking around. 537 00:34:58,346 --> 00:34:59,764 Where no one's gonna see us. 538 00:35:03,142 --> 00:35:07,271 [Mike] Within the hour, Luisi came strutting down the street. 539 00:35:10,399 --> 00:35:11,609 This is our one shot 540 00:35:12,401 --> 00:35:16,030 to get Luisi taking drug money. 541 00:35:16,114 --> 00:35:18,116 [tense music playing] 542 00:35:21,994 --> 00:35:24,956 Just as I went to hand him the 24,000, 543 00:35:26,749 --> 00:35:29,252 a van blocked the surveillance post. 544 00:35:29,877 --> 00:35:31,337 So I pull the money back. 545 00:35:32,964 --> 00:35:34,423 Once the van cleared, 546 00:35:35,133 --> 00:35:36,134 I paid him. 547 00:35:38,761 --> 00:35:41,264 And it's crystal clear. 548 00:35:41,347 --> 00:35:42,557 [dramatic music playing] 549 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:45,184 [Robert] Approximately 2:10 p.m., 550 00:35:45,268 --> 00:35:48,688 Bobby Luisi departs after making pickup 551 00:35:48,771 --> 00:35:52,567 from undercover agent in a Dodge pickup truck. 552 00:35:56,696 --> 00:35:58,948 Doesn't get any better than that. That's a home run. 553 00:35:59,031 --> 00:36:00,032 We had him. 554 00:36:07,415 --> 00:36:08,624 [distant siren wails] 555 00:36:08,708 --> 00:36:12,837 [Barry] We now had Luisi on tape taking cocaine money. 556 00:36:16,799 --> 00:36:18,885 [Barry] The US Attorney's Office decided 557 00:36:18,968 --> 00:36:20,970 that there was enough evidence to go forward. 558 00:36:21,053 --> 00:36:23,598 [tense music playing] 559 00:36:23,681 --> 00:36:26,142 [John Terry] We had evidence of serious crimes, 560 00:36:26,642 --> 00:36:28,978 racketeering, drug trafficking, 561 00:36:29,061 --> 00:36:33,149 and now, finally, it's time to arrest Joey Merlino. 562 00:36:33,232 --> 00:36:36,402 -[siren wailing] -[tense music continues] 563 00:36:36,485 --> 00:36:38,070 [reporter] At seven o'clock this morning, 564 00:36:38,154 --> 00:36:40,114 FBI agents went to a second-floor apartment 565 00:36:40,198 --> 00:36:42,742 and arrested 37-year-old Joey Merlino. 566 00:36:42,825 --> 00:36:46,370 Why don't you put in your newspaper they gave me a warrant with nothing on it? 567 00:36:46,454 --> 00:36:48,456 -[reporter] Are you related? -I'm the mother. 568 00:36:48,539 --> 00:36:50,041 -[reporter] You're the mother? -Get out. 569 00:36:50,124 --> 00:36:51,542 [prosecutor speaking indistinctly] 570 00:36:51,626 --> 00:36:53,085 [John Terry] He was off the street, 571 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:56,964 as were several of his associates and members 572 00:36:57,548 --> 00:37:00,635 that made up the hierarchy of the Philadelphia Mob. 573 00:37:02,511 --> 00:37:05,598 [man] We're here today to announce the arrest of 11 individuals, 574 00:37:05,681 --> 00:37:07,475 including Joseph Merlino, 575 00:37:07,558 --> 00:37:10,394 following long-term intensive investigations 576 00:37:10,478 --> 00:37:12,146 of La Cosa Nostra activity. 577 00:37:12,772 --> 00:37:15,316 It is alleged that Merlino and three others conspired 578 00:37:15,399 --> 00:37:16,609 to distribute cocaine, 579 00:37:17,193 --> 00:37:18,778 and the cocaine was distributed 580 00:37:19,362 --> 00:37:22,990 to an individual who was, in fact, an FBI undercover agent. 581 00:37:23,074 --> 00:37:24,075 [dramatic sting] 582 00:37:24,158 --> 00:37:28,746 The shadow of the Mob had been hanging over Philadelphia for a long, long time. 583 00:37:29,789 --> 00:37:31,874 Maybe it was time to see the light. 584 00:37:32,959 --> 00:37:34,168 It was a big deal. 585 00:37:34,752 --> 00:37:37,255 Merlino was finally going to face justice. 586 00:37:37,338 --> 00:37:39,590 [dramatic music playing] 587 00:37:41,634 --> 00:37:43,844 After Merlino's arrest, 588 00:37:45,554 --> 00:37:49,809 I was told to be over to the Camden County courthouse. 589 00:37:49,892 --> 00:37:52,395 [suspenseful music playing] 590 00:37:52,478 --> 00:37:57,817 Ralph Natale was brought up into one of the witness rooms. 591 00:38:00,987 --> 00:38:03,698 He said to me that he wanted to cooperate. 592 00:38:05,574 --> 00:38:07,410 It was just an incredible moment. 593 00:38:08,869 --> 00:38:11,539 Ralph Natale was the first sitting Mob boss 594 00:38:11,622 --> 00:38:14,417 in the history of the American Mafia 595 00:38:15,001 --> 00:38:17,044 to come in to cooperate. 596 00:38:17,128 --> 00:38:19,505 And we accepted his cooperation. 597 00:38:19,588 --> 00:38:20,423 [camera clicks] 598 00:38:20,506 --> 00:38:21,799 Ralph Natale realized 599 00:38:21,882 --> 00:38:24,468 that if he was convicted on this drug case, 600 00:38:24,552 --> 00:38:26,095 that he would get a sentence 601 00:38:26,178 --> 00:38:29,640 which would make it very difficult for him to ever get out of jail. 602 00:38:29,724 --> 00:38:34,103 [Dave] The fact that Natale is cooperating may be the worst-kept secret in the world. 603 00:38:34,186 --> 00:38:37,732 Law-enforcement sources indicate that Natale is saying plenty. 604 00:38:37,815 --> 00:38:41,485 He's talking about Mob murders and about other Mob activity. 605 00:38:42,278 --> 00:38:44,322 [Angelo] Ralph, the rat, traitor. 606 00:38:44,989 --> 00:38:46,032 It was sickening. 607 00:38:47,450 --> 00:38:49,994 Thank God he wasn't involved over there with Vietnam. 608 00:38:50,077 --> 00:38:52,413 He'd have gave up the whole United States, this guy. 609 00:38:52,496 --> 00:38:54,040 It's beyond me. 610 00:38:54,123 --> 00:38:58,044 I mean, I did 32-plus years. It never entered my mind to be a rat. 611 00:38:58,127 --> 00:39:00,921 Uh, and I can't stand 'em. I can't stand 'em. 612 00:39:01,005 --> 00:39:03,466 So many rats now, they all have podcasts. 613 00:39:03,549 --> 00:39:04,383 [laughs] 614 00:39:04,467 --> 00:39:06,802 [dramatic music playing] 615 00:39:06,886 --> 00:39:10,139 [John Terry] Flipping Ralph helped us to add murder and attempted murder 616 00:39:10,222 --> 00:39:12,516 to the charges against Merlino and his crew. 617 00:39:14,852 --> 00:39:19,065 Now we have to prove what we allege they did 618 00:39:19,148 --> 00:39:22,943 in front of a jury of 12 people who have no idea about any of this. 619 00:39:25,321 --> 00:39:27,323 [tense music playing] 620 00:39:30,493 --> 00:39:31,952 [reporters clamoring] 621 00:39:32,036 --> 00:39:33,996 -[man] Don't trip. -[Dave] Joey, how you doing? 622 00:39:34,538 --> 00:39:37,792 As big as the Stanfa trial was, this was even bigger. 623 00:39:37,875 --> 00:39:39,126 Lots of media. 624 00:39:39,210 --> 00:39:40,628 How are you doing today? 625 00:39:41,796 --> 00:39:43,798 -[reporter] Do you have anything to say? -[Joey] No. 626 00:39:44,632 --> 00:39:46,342 [Dave] It was tough to get a seat. 627 00:39:48,761 --> 00:39:53,641 Because Mob boss Ralph Natale was gonna testify 628 00:39:53,724 --> 00:39:56,560 against Joey Merlino and his crew. 629 00:39:56,644 --> 00:39:58,646 [tense music continues] 630 00:40:00,815 --> 00:40:03,609 [John Terry] Ralph was brought up on the witness stand. 631 00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:10,491 [Barry] Now the challenge was to tape his testimony 632 00:40:10,574 --> 00:40:12,368 so the jury would believe him. 633 00:40:16,372 --> 00:40:18,958 [Barry] Were you a member of a criminal organization? 634 00:40:19,041 --> 00:40:20,126 [Ralph] Yes, I was. 635 00:40:21,001 --> 00:40:23,587 -[Barry] What was the name? -[Ralph] La Cosa Nostra. 636 00:40:25,256 --> 00:40:27,258 [Barry] And what is La Cosa Nostra? 637 00:40:28,592 --> 00:40:31,220 [Ralph] La Cosa Nostra is a descent into hell. 638 00:40:31,303 --> 00:40:32,263 [woman screams] 639 00:40:32,346 --> 00:40:33,889 -[gunshots] -[indistinct yelling] 640 00:40:33,973 --> 00:40:35,975 [Ralph] And whether it was an extortion, 641 00:40:36,684 --> 00:40:37,893 whether it was a beating 642 00:40:38,686 --> 00:40:39,728 or a murder, 643 00:40:40,980 --> 00:40:45,776 when you rise to the position of the boss, 644 00:40:46,569 --> 00:40:48,696 you rule over everybody and everything. 645 00:40:48,779 --> 00:40:50,990 [dramatic music playing] 646 00:40:53,576 --> 00:40:55,327 That would be Joey Merlino. 647 00:40:55,411 --> 00:40:57,413 [dramatic sting] 648 00:40:57,496 --> 00:41:00,958 [Dave] The 65-year-old Natale admitted shooting two men to death. 649 00:41:01,041 --> 00:41:05,212 He says he conspired with fellow mobsters to kill six others. 650 00:41:05,796 --> 00:41:09,508 Natale even detailed his own Mob initiation ceremony. 651 00:41:09,592 --> 00:41:12,052 He says it was none other than Joey Merlino 652 00:41:12,136 --> 00:41:14,472 who administered the Mafia's secret oath. 653 00:41:14,555 --> 00:41:15,806 [dramatic sting] 654 00:41:16,474 --> 00:41:19,059 [John Terry] Ralph Natale was one piece of a puzzle. 655 00:41:19,685 --> 00:41:23,564 But you need the entire picture to convict. 656 00:41:23,647 --> 00:41:24,899 [dramatic sting] 657 00:41:24,982 --> 00:41:26,484 With Mike's videotape 658 00:41:27,526 --> 00:41:29,153 and Previte's wire, 659 00:41:29,236 --> 00:41:30,696 we felt we had enough. 660 00:41:31,322 --> 00:41:34,450 Now we have to wait until the jury comes back with a verdict. 661 00:41:34,950 --> 00:41:36,827 [pensive music playing] 662 00:41:46,212 --> 00:41:47,505 [dramatic sting] 663 00:41:51,008 --> 00:41:52,426 [Dave] It was a four-month trial, 664 00:41:52,510 --> 00:41:55,554 and when the jury came back with the verdict, 665 00:41:56,388 --> 00:41:58,307 I would call it surprising. 666 00:41:58,390 --> 00:41:59,266 [pensive music] 667 00:41:59,350 --> 00:42:02,102 Joey Merlino, the hard-charging young Mob boss, 668 00:42:02,186 --> 00:42:05,064 is headed to prison tonight but not for life. 669 00:42:05,147 --> 00:42:06,482 In a stunning decision, 670 00:42:06,565 --> 00:42:09,652 the jury rejected murder and drug-dealing charges 671 00:42:09,735 --> 00:42:12,947 and convicted Merlino and his colleagues of racketeering. 672 00:42:13,948 --> 00:42:17,785 Joey got convicted of the extortion, the loan-sharking, the gambling, 673 00:42:17,868 --> 00:42:21,539 but not of the murders, attempted murders, or drugs. 674 00:42:22,122 --> 00:42:28,045 The drug dealing they lost because Joey was, on tape, very vague. 675 00:42:28,546 --> 00:42:30,297 [Joey] Do what you gotta do for him? 676 00:42:30,381 --> 00:42:32,424 You didn't know what Joey was talking about. 677 00:42:32,508 --> 00:42:35,177 Where on the tape was he talking about cocaine? 678 00:42:35,261 --> 00:42:37,972 Joey was able to walk away from the drug case 679 00:42:38,472 --> 00:42:40,766 even though his guys in Boston were convicted. 680 00:42:41,433 --> 00:42:46,230 [Dave] Jurors rejected the testimony of Mob boss-turned-informant Ralph Natale 681 00:42:46,313 --> 00:42:49,233 when they acquitted Merlino and his six codefendants 682 00:42:49,316 --> 00:42:51,986 of 11 Mob hits or attempted murders. 683 00:42:52,820 --> 00:42:54,989 [George] Ralph was tainted by his criminal past. 684 00:42:55,489 --> 00:42:56,991 He was looking at life in prison, 685 00:42:57,074 --> 00:43:00,244 and I think the jury felt he would say anything to avoid that. 686 00:43:01,161 --> 00:43:02,746 The verdict was indicative of that. 687 00:43:04,873 --> 00:43:08,252 [John Terry] We were disappointed not to get the murder and drug charges. 688 00:43:08,836 --> 00:43:12,256 But Joey Merlino and others received jail sentences 689 00:43:12,339 --> 00:43:14,800 up to 14 years in federal prison. 690 00:43:15,509 --> 00:43:19,013 And the city was definitely safer with Merlino behind bars. 691 00:43:19,763 --> 00:43:21,473 Every boss is dead or in jail. 692 00:43:21,557 --> 00:43:24,393 It's as simple as that, and I'm sure that will continue. 693 00:43:24,476 --> 00:43:27,271 We will continue to investigate organized crime, 694 00:43:27,354 --> 00:43:29,398 and we will continue to successfully prosecute. 695 00:43:31,108 --> 00:43:33,902 [George] What the feds accomplished through that period of time, 696 00:43:33,986 --> 00:43:35,988 it's one after the other, 697 00:43:36,071 --> 00:43:39,366 a victory for law enforcement against organized crime. 698 00:43:39,450 --> 00:43:43,203 And each conviction diminishes the crime family. 699 00:43:43,287 --> 00:43:45,497 [hopeful music playing] 700 00:43:45,581 --> 00:43:48,667 [Dave] Does the Mob still exist to this day? Yes, it does. 701 00:43:48,751 --> 00:43:51,587 Does it have the same clout? Does it make the same money? 702 00:43:51,670 --> 00:43:54,423 Do they commit the same violence and murders that they used to? 703 00:43:54,506 --> 00:43:55,591 No, they do not. 704 00:43:56,175 --> 00:43:57,843 [John Terry] In the 1990s, 705 00:43:57,926 --> 00:44:02,014 the FBI took out the leadership of the Philadelphia Mob 706 00:44:02,097 --> 00:44:04,975 as well as several made members and associates. 707 00:44:06,894 --> 00:44:10,981 The Philadelphia Mafia was decimated and has never been the same. 708 00:44:11,065 --> 00:44:12,858 [music swells] 709 00:44:13,442 --> 00:44:14,485 [music fades] 710 00:44:15,611 --> 00:44:17,613 [pensive music playing] 711 00:44:38,967 --> 00:44:40,969 [tense music playing]