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Philadelphia crime boss pleads guilty, avoids retrial By The Associated Press Posted Apr 27, 2018 at 4:36 PM Updated Apr 27, 2018 at 6:56 PM In this Jan. 31, 2018, file photo, Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino enters federal court in New York. Merlino, who once controlled the remnants of a Philadelphia organized crime family that was decimated by a bloody civil war in the 1980s and 1990s, pleaded guilty on Friday to an illegal gambling charge, allowing him to avoid a retrial in his New York City racketeering case. ▲ In this Jan. 31, 2018, file photo, Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino enters federal court in New York. Merlino, who once controlled the remnants of a Philadelphia organized crime family that was decimated by a bloody civil war in the 1980s and 1990s, pleaded guilty on Friday to an illegal gambling charge, allowing him to avoid a retrial in his New York City racketeering case. ▲ --> NEW YORK — A notorious Philadelphia mob boss pleaded guilty to an illegal betting charge on Friday before taking the occasion to make a bold prediction about his home town team's chances in the NBA playoffs. Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, whose lawyer has called him a degenerate gambler, told reporters outside federal court in Manhattan he was picking the Philadelphia 76ers to win the championship. He also chimed in on Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's recent release from prison, saying, "I'm glad he's at home with his family where he belongs." The comments came after Merlino agreed to plead guilty so he could avoid a retrial in a racketeering case that ended with a hung jury in February. The deal calls for a prison term of up to 16 months at sentencing on Sept. 13, though U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan said he could impose a longer sentence based on Merlino's criminal history. Merlino, 56, once controlled the remnants of a Philadelphia-south Jersey organized crime family that was decimated by a bloody civil war in the 1980s and 1990s. Federal authorities say he was frequently targeted by murder plots after rivals put a $500,000 murder contract on his head. In 2001, a jury acquitted Merlino and six co-defendants of three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder that could have put him in prison for life. He was convicted of lesser racketeering charges and served 12 years in prison before being released in 2011. Once freed, Merlino claimed that he retired from the mob for good and began running an upscale Italian restaurant called Merlino's in Boca Raton, Florida, that's since closed. But he ran afoul of the law again in 2016, when he was among four dozen defendants arrested in a crackdown on an East Coast syndicate that prosecutors say committed crimes including extortion, loan-sharking, casino-style gambling, sports gambling, credit card fraud and health care fraud. At trial, the defense sought to convince jurors that they were being misled by "compromised" turncoat mobsters who testified against Merlino, while prosecutors said tapes secretly recorded by one of the cooperators showed the defendant had full knowledge of syndicate's various misdeeds. In one conversation played for the jury about bribing doctors, he was heard saying, "We do the right thing, make 20,000." In another, he fretted about "stool pigeons." Before the mistrial, Merlino had predicted outside court that the case would end in a "deadlock win" for him. He also offered what turned out to be a winning tip on the Super Bowl: "Oh, and bet the Eagles." Most Popular Suspects sought in Shady Cove deer attacks Apr 28 at 6:12 PM Jackson County sees startling spike in opioid overdose deaths Apr 28 at 4:24 PM Spring Gold: Tips on finding morel mushrooms from people who know Apr 29 at 2:00 AM Apple Jam is toast in Jackson County Apr 26 at 7:17 AM Two arrested, toddler removed from suspected drug RV Apr 27 at 5:55 PM Ashland native Weatherby is NHL prospect after big year Apr 25 at 5:57 PM Airfare wars mean cheap tickets to Seattle, LA Apr 28 at 2:01 AM Davis tops in lawyers' poll for circuit judge Apr 27 at 5:45 PM Students show off their techno-smarts Apr 26 at 6:09 PM Asante wins Level II trauma status Apr 30 at 2:01 AM 3-alarm fire destroys one Medford home, damages another Apr 26 at 7:25 AM Medford Comic Con set to draw 20,000 in 2 days Apr 28 at 3:55 PM © Copyright 2006-2018 Rosebud Media LLC. All rights reserved. Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com ~ P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501