Philadelphia Crime Family Leadership Timeline

The Philadelphia Crime Family — also known as the Philadelphia Mob, the Philly Mob, or the South Philly Mob — is one of America’s most storied and most self-destructive organised crime organisations. Founded in the early twentieth century by Sicilian immigrants, it spent decades as a quiet, profitable outfit under the diplomatic leadership of Angelo Bruno before imploding spectacularly following his murder in 1980.

What followed Bruno’s assassination was one of the most violent periods in American Mafia history. In the space of a decade the family killed more of its own members than any comparable organisation, as boss after boss was murdered or imprisoned and the Commission’s authority was flouted repeatedly. Nicky Scarfo, who ordered the deaths of at least 28 people including numerous made members and associates, left the family shattered and riddled with informants by the time federal prosecutors were finished with him.

The family has never fully recovered. Joey Merlino injected energy and notoriety in the 1990s and 2000s, but the organisation he led was a fraction of what Bruno had built. Below is the complete leadership timeline from the family’s origins to the present day.

Salvatore Sabella — 1911 to 1927

Salvatore Sabella was born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily — the same town that produced many of the most significant figures in American organised crime — and emigrated to Philadelphia in the early 1900s. He established the first formal Mafia organisation in the city, building operations around traditional Sicilian criminal activities including Black Hand extortion, loansharking, and illegal gambling among the Italian immigrant communities of South Philadelphia.

Sabella ran the family through the early Prohibition years, profiting from bootlegging alongside the established rackets. His reign ended when he was arrested and convicted in 1927 on murder charges, after which John Avena took control. Sabella was eventually released and lived out his days quietly, dying in 1962.

John Avena — 1927 to 1936

John Avena took over the Philadelphia family following Sabella’s imprisonment and led it through the height of Prohibition and into the post-repeal era. Under Avena the family established firmer control over South Philadelphia’s numbers rackets and loansharking operations, building the revenue base that would support the organisation for decades. His reign ended violently — he was assassinated in August 1936, shot dead in a dispute with a rival faction. Joseph Bruno stepped up to replace him.

Joseph Bruno — 1936 to 1946

Joseph Bruno led the family for a decade following Avena’s murder, consolidating operations through World War II and the difficult post-Prohibition adjustment period. His reign was relatively stable and low-profile, establishing the pattern of quiet management that would reach its apex under Angelo Bruno — no relation — two decades later. Joseph Bruno died of natural causes in 1946 and was succeeded by Joseph Ida.

Joseph Ida — 1946 to 1959

Joseph Ida served as boss through the post-war era, overseeing the family’s expansion into the numbers trade, labour union rackets, and illegal gambling that characterised mid-century organised crime. His tenure ended abruptly following the disastrous 1957 Apalachin meeting — the national Mafia summit in upstate New York that was raided by state police, exposing dozens of bosses to federal scrutiny. Ida, listed among those present at Apalachin, fled to Italy to avoid prosecution in 1959 and never returned. Angelo Bruno was installed as his replacement.

Angelo Bruno — 1959 to 1980

Angelo Bruno, known as The Gentle Don, was the greatest boss in the Philadelphia family’s history and one of the most respected organised crime figures in America. Over 21 years he built the family into a disciplined, profitable operation through patience, diplomacy, and a near-total avoidance of unnecessary violence. He cultivated relationships with the New York Commission, maintained peaceful arrangements with rival organisations, and ran his rackets — numbers, loansharking, labour unions — with quiet efficiency.

Bruno’s defining quality was restraint. He refused to enter the narcotics trade, foreseeing the legal consequences it would bring. When Atlantic City legalised gambling in the late 1970s and enormous profits beckoned, Bruno moved cautiously, preferring to negotiate access rather than seize it violently. This caution infuriated younger members who felt the family was leaving money on the table.

On March 21, 1980, Bruno was sitting in a car outside his South Philadelphia home when a shotgun was pressed to the back of his head and fired. He was 69 years old. The murder was orchestrated by his underboss Antonio Caponigro, who had not sought Commission approval — a fatal error. The New York families ordered Caponigro killed within weeks. His body was found stuffed with cash, a symbolic message about greed. Bruno’s assassination triggered a decade of bloodshed from which the Philadelphia family never fully recovered.

Philip Testa — 1980 to 1981

Philip “Chicken Man” Testa took over following Bruno’s murder but his reign lasted barely a year. On March 15, 1981 — almost exactly a year after Bruno’s assassination — Testa was killed by a nail bomb planted under the porch of his South Philadelphia home. The bomb was detonated remotely as he returned home in the early hours. The killing was orchestrated by capo Pete Casella and his allies, who resented Testa’s authoritarian style. Nicky Scarfo, Testa’s close ally, took control and immediately set about taking revenge.

Nicodemo “Little Nicky” Scarfo — 1981 to 1991

Nicky Scarfo’s decade as boss of the Philadelphia family was one of the most violent periods in American Mafia history. Physically small and personally insecure, Scarfo governed through terror, ordering the murder of anyone he suspected of disloyalty — rivals, associates, and made members alike. By conservative estimates he authorised at least 28 murders during his tenure. The paranoia was so extreme that long-serving, loyal members were killed on suspicion alone.

The violence produced its own destruction. Terrified members cooperated with the FBI in record numbers, providing the evidence needed to build an overwhelming RICO case. Scarfo was convicted of murder and racketeering in 1988 and sentenced to life in prison. He died at the federal medical centre in Butner, North Carolina in January 2017, aged 87, having spent nearly three decades behind bars.

John Stanfa — 1991 to 1994

After Scarfo’s imprisonment the Commission installed John Stanfa — a Sicilian-born associate who had driven Angelo Bruno on the night of his murder — as boss. Stanfa’s attempt to restore order was immediately challenged by a younger faction led by Joey Merlino and his associates, who viewed the Sicilian-born Stanfa as an outsider imposed from New York. A bloody internal war erupted. Stanfa was convicted of racketeering and multiple murders in 1995 and sentenced to five life terms. He remains in federal prison.

Ralph Natale — 1994 to 1999

Ralph Natale became boss in 1994 following Stanfa’s arrest, becoming the first Philadelphia boss released from a prior prison sentence to immediately take the top position. He ran the family alongside Joey Merlino, who served as underboss and was the dominant street presence. Natale’s tenure ended when he was re-arrested on drug charges in 1998 and made the extraordinary decision to become the first sitting American Mafia boss to turn government witness — testifying against Merlino and other family members in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Joey Merlino — 1999 to Present

Acting during prison terms: Steven Mazzone, Michael Lancelotti and others

Joey “Skinny Joey” Merlino is the last of the old-school Philadelphia bosses and one of the most recognisable organised crime figures in modern America. Flamboyant, media-savvy, and genuinely dangerous, Merlino took formal control following Natale’s defection and ran the family through a period of renewed activity despite constant FBI surveillance and multiple criminal cases.

He was convicted in 2001 on racketeering charges and sentenced to 14 years, serving until 2011. After his release he relocated to Boca Raton, Florida, where federal authorities continued to monitor him. In 2018 he was arrested again on racketeering charges in New York alongside numerous other defendants in a wide-ranging East Coast mob case. He was acquitted at trial in 2018, a verdict that surprised federal prosecutors.

As of 2024, Merlino remains free and is considered by federal authorities to be the most influential figure in what remains of the Philadelphia Crime Family. The organisation continues to operate at a modest level in South Philadelphia and maintains historical interests in Atlantic City, though its membership and revenue are a fraction of what Angelo Bruno commanded in his prime.

Frequently Asked Questions — Philadelphia Crime Family

Who is the current boss of the Philadelphia Crime Family?

Joey Merlino is widely considered the most powerful figure in the Philadelphia Crime Family. Released from prison in 2011 and acquitted on racketeering charges in 2018, he remains free and active. The family’s day-to-day operations involve figures including Steven Mazzone, but Merlino is identified by federal authorities as the senior figure.

Who was Angelo Bruno?

Angelo Bruno was boss from 1959 to 1980 and is considered the greatest leader in the family’s history. Known as The Gentle Don for his diplomatic, non-violent approach, he built the family into a disciplined and profitable organisation before being assassinated outside his South Philadelphia home in March 1980. His murder triggered a decade of internal warfare that the family never fully recovered from.

Who was Nicky Scarfo?

Nicodemo Scarfo was boss from 1981 to 1991 and presided over the most violent era in the family’s history, ordering at least 28 murders. His paranoia and brutality drove members to cooperate with the FBI en masse, producing the evidence that convicted him. He died in federal prison in January 2017, aged 87.

How did Angelo Bruno die?

Bruno was shot dead on March 21, 1980, outside his South Philadelphia home. A shotgun blast to the back of the head killed him instantly. The murder was orchestrated by his underboss Antonio Caponigro without Commission approval — a fatal mistake. Caponigro was killed by the New York families within weeks, his body stuffed with cash as a message about greed.

What is the Philadelphia Crime Family known for?

The family is known for its extreme internal violence during the Scarfo era, its control of South Philadelphia gambling and loansharking rackets, historic influence over Atlantic City casino operations, and producing Joey Merlino — one of the last high-profile mob bosses in modern America.