Philadelphia — Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino has lived a charmed life.
The reputed mob boss has survived at least a half-dozen assassination attempts. He's lived in a fancy house and driven expensive cars. And during what prosecutors say has been a career in organized crime, he has served only three years in jail.
But now prosecutors hope to deal a fatal blow to the Philadelphia-South Jersey mob among the most violent in the nation over the last two decades when Merlino, 39, and six others go on trial on murder and racketeering charges.
The Philadelphia branch of La Cosa Nostra has been on a long downward spiral and experts say this trial, which begins Tuesday with jury selection and is expected to last three or four months, could spell its demise.
"If these guys go down, it's almost the death knell of the Philadelphia mob. I don't think anybody's left who would be a viable candidate for a top position," said Fred Martens, former executive director of the now-defunct Pennsylvania Crime Commission.
More than 30 people have been killed in gangland violence since the March 21, 1980, assassination of local crime boss Angelo Bruno, the "Docile Don," who was killed by a shotgun blast outside his home.
Merlino and three co-defendants face life imprisonment if convicted of killing three men. Other charges in the 36-count racketeering indictment include attempted murder, extortion, illegal gambling and drug trafficking. Prosecutors announced Tuesday that they would not seek the death penalty.
Merlino also allegedly orchestrated a theft ring that preyed on city rail yards and is believed to have grabbed loot that included 3,618 cases of baby formula, 1,000 ceiling fans and 570 bicycles.
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