Cause and Neglect

The War on Terror takes a little heat off of Philadelphia mobsters.

by Brendan McGarvey

Philadelphia mobsters have an unlikely associate to thank these days: Osama bin Laden. No, the terrorist fugitive hasn't taken a blood oath to help secure stolen baby formula in South Philly, but the War on Terror has apparently drained law-enforcement resources that were once used to keep the local La Cosa Nostra in check.

Of late, the Philadelphia Police Department's organized crime and intelligence unit has faced cutbacks in overtime, a wave of retirements and new management priorities that focus more on anti-terrorism than mob concerns. In other words, right when everybody claimed the mafia was on its deathbed, local goodfellas have fewer legal entanglements to worry about and more time to rebuild their organization than ever before.

Police Department sources, on the condition of anonymity, confirm that they've seen noticeable shifts in manpower going from the mob arena to counterterrorism. (Word in the underworld is that a similar shift has taken place at the local FBI office.) They add that higher-ups want to return federal monies earmarked for organized-crime work because it's no longer a departmental priority. These philosophical shifts have affected the unit's day-to-day operations and could have an impact in the future, mobwatchers say.

"They don't think the mob is a threat anymore," says one Philadelphia Police Department investigator, "but the minute you take your eyes off them, they start to rebuild."

The department refutes such claims. Anybody who thinks organized crime is no longer a priority "is sadly mistaken," says Inspector Bill Colarulo, Police Department spokesman. "Organized crime always has been, and will continue to be, a priority."

Investigators used to spend days and nights documenting the routine of the local mob and laying the groundwork for successful federal racketeering and murder cases. The organized crime squad's legwork has historically provided accurate information and short lists of suspects to homicide detectives investigating gangster-on-gangster hits in South Philly. During the past three decades, the FBI and state police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have relied heavily on the surveillance work done by city police to figure out who was in, who was out and who was doing what illegally.

"It's not just about Philly," one cop says. "It's about Philly's relationship to the five families in New York and Chicago and Las Vegas. It's about Philly mob connections in 20 different states and with criminals in Canada and Italy. And it's also about the local mob's relationships with outlaw bikers, black organized crime figures and others."

Retirements have also taken quite a toll on the squad. Sgt. Walt Coughlin, a walking encyclopedia on the history of the Italian-American mob, retired in the spring after 30 years on the job. He was followed out the door by other longtime investigators who were well-versed in the intricacies of La Cosa Nostra. When the last two longtime investigators with any sense of history and bloodlines retire as expected during the next six months, the squad will be in a deeper hole.

For example, last week's death and funeral of an old alleged Angelo Bruno associate known as "Pretty Boy Chaz"—whose role, associates and potential successors previously would have been analyzed within days—went essentially unnoticed by the police. Why? Well, police sources say the new members of the organized crime unit had no idea who the deceased man was or how he might have fit into the Philadelphia crime family.

"We are in an era where we have to work harder and smarter," says Colarulo, referring to questions about reduced resources. "If overtime is justified and needed, it will be there. Each individual [unit] commander is tasked with the responsibility to evaluate how to get the best bang for the buck."

Benvenuto

In Naples, Italy, the mob is known as the Camorra. In the 1990s, authorities arrested and imprisoned most Camorra bosses, leaving a power vacuum among wannabe leaders. This year alone, more than 100 people have been killed in the gangland war for control.

While that may seem like a distant problem, ripples from the Naples bloodbath can be felt here in the Delaware Valley. One local mob insider says that two brothers who are members of the Di Lauro Camorra—though it's Naples' largest crime family, the group's "godfather" is currently in hiding—have recently settled in South Jersey and are looking to set up businesses, both legal and illegal, in the area.

"We're watching them," the mob associate tells City Paper. "If they're gonna' make a move here, they gotta' get permission from us. This ain't Naples. This is Philly and you play with us or youse don't play at all."