Salvatore Testa
Encyclopedia
Salvatore "Salvie" Testa, (1956 - September 14, 1984), nicknamed The Crowned Prince of the Philadelphia Mob, was a Philadelphia gangster who served as a hitman
for the Scarfo crime family during a period of internal gang conflict. The son of former Philadelphia boss Philip
, Testa was a rising star in the mob until he was killed on orders from Nicky Scarfo Sr..
, Testa was the son of Philip "Chicken Man" Testa
a member of the Philadelphia family that served under Angelo Bruno
and an Italian-American housewife named Alfia (1926-1980). He had one sister Maria born 1956 who managed a Center City, Philadelphia
nightclub and restaurant. In 1974 he graduated from Saint John Neumann High School (Pennsylvania)
and had been sheltered from organized crime activity as a youth. His sister Maria married Scarfo mob associate and 'front man' Robert Sheeran who was listed as the officer of ETTENAJ Corporation which held the liquor license for Phil's restaurant Virgilio's along with Frank Narducci Sr.'s sister-in-law Jeanette Hearn. In 1978, Maria became the sole corporate officer. Seven months following the murder of Phil, the liquor license was sold. Their father Philip was promoted to underboss after Ignazio Danaro, died of old age, in turn Phil promoted drug trafficker Peter Casella to fill his role as underboss. He had an office in the back of the restaurant out of which he operated his legitimate and illegitimate business enterprises. Testa's mother Alfia died of natural causes in 1980, in that same year, in March 1980, longtime family boss Angelo Bruno
was murdered and Testa's father became boss by unanimous decision from the National Crime Syndicate
and the support of the crime family itself in 1981. The death of his father's predecessor, Angelo Bruno triggered a violent civil war in the family between factions loyal to Harry Riccobene
and Nicodemo Scarfo
, who controlled the family's Atlantic City, New Jersey
operations. He was a ruggedly handsome 210-pound man who stood 6 feet tall with hazel eyes and real long lashes and dimpled cheeks. He wore his wavy hair out over his ears in typical 1970s fashion and was known to wear track suits and double breasted suits, he enjoyed wearing a 10-gallon cowboy hat and leather cowboy boots. He reportedly had dark emotionless eyes and gave off the appearance of a great white shark
with a scowl that made press photographers back away from him when looking to get his picture. Some crime writers have compared Testa to Christopher Walken
's character Frank White in King of New York
. He graduated from St. John Neumann and was said to have been sheltered from organized crime as a youth. He attended Temple University
, a university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
for a year, and then went into the real estate business. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Susan Caba said that Salvatore had a narrow, solemn face like that of his sister Maria.
. They chose to have Nicky Scarfo and his second wife 'Domencia' chosen as Salvatore's godparents. The ceremony was held at St. Paul's Catholic Church. Salvatore would become a close childhood friend of future Scarfo crime family made man
Joseph (Joe Pung) Pungitore Jr., the older brother of Michael (Mikey Pung) Pungitore who would both follow Testa into a life of organized crime and serve under his father, Salvatore, and later Nicky Scarfo. Growing up in South Philadelphia, Salvatore became friends with future crime family underboss Salvatore (Chuckie) Merlino, Scarfo's nephew and future underboss
Phil Leonetti
, brothers Joseph and Salvatore Grande, Salvatore (Torry) Scafidi, the son of John Scafidi, a capo who served under his father Phil.
. Mob informant Nicholas Caramandi said, "Salvie was all for 'this thing'. Knew it inside out. Knew it better than guys who were sixty years old and who'd been in it for forty years. Because of his father. He'd been a good teacher. Salvie had nerve and he didn't care who he killed. Sometimes we used to go [on a contract] and we'd come back and tell him, "Well, the kids were in the car, the family's in the car.' "I don't care whose in the car', he'd say. 'Everybody goes.' That's the kind of guy he was. One Thanksgiving Day he wanted use to go into Sonny [Mario] Riccobene's house where Robert Riccobene was havin' dinner with his family. 'Shoot everybody in the house'. But he and Charlie [Iannece] and Faffy [Francis Ianarella] made up some story that he didn't show up. Just to appease Salvie. 'Cause we didn't go for killing kids. It was something we drew a line with, but he (Testa) was just so full of venom that he didn't care. He was a guy made for 'this thing.' He loved it. He lived it. And he was very bitter about what happened to his father (Philip), about the way his father got killed, blown up with nails in him." Despite the close relationship with his father, Salvatore sister's Maria would later tell the Philadelphia Enquirer that it was she, and not Salvatore that made the funeral arrangements for their father after he was murdered, as she had with their mother Alfia and later, her brother in 1984.
George Anastasia wrote, "Salvatore Testa loved it all, the stalkings, the murders, even the Enrico Riccobene suicide. He was the South Philadelphia equivalent of a Main Line blue blood. He was born to be a wiseguy." During the Philadelphia Mob War, Nick Caramandi said, "He'd never ask you to do something he wouldn't do himself. He was right out there with you (on murder contracts)."
. He also developed a lucrative financial arrangement with several local drug dealers, including the Black Mafia
that supplied parts of North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia
ghetto
s. Testa maintained a residence at the shore near Atlantic City and kept a boat in Ventnor, New Jersey. His legitimate and illegitimate businesses made him a millionaire. Testa's father had left him an estate worth $800,000 that included a run-down bar in Ducktown, Atlantic City
on a site where casino developer Donald Trump
decided to build the Trump Plaza (Atlantic City)
in 1984 at 2500 Boardwalk. Trump paid Testa $1.1 million for the right to tear the bar down.
restaurant where Salvatore had some connections. Milano's real job was to stay close to Salvatore, who at the time was avenging his father's murder". Milano was later be involved in the murders of Frank (Chickie) Narducci Sr. and Frank (Frankie Flowers) D'Alfonso with Testa.
. Frank served under Phil Testa and later Nicky Scarfo. He oversaw illegal gambling operations in Atlantic City and New Jersey for the crime family. Michael Cifelli was gunned down by Testa and Salvatore (Chuckie) Merlino as he was talking on the phone in a telephone booth just inside a bar, Priori's, at 10th and Wolf Streets in Point Breeze, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Monte was later promoted to be consigliere in 1981 by Nicky Scarfo.
, with bullet wounds to the neck, chest, and head. His mouth was stuffed with three large, unexploded cherry bomb
s. It was the work of Testa.
by Salvatore Grande, Testa was attacked. He was sitting outside a restaurant at 9th Street and Christian Avenue at Lorenzo's Pizza in the Italian Market, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania finishing a dish of steamed clams
when a big Ford sedan slowed down opposite him. From the passenger side window a sawed-off shotgun poked out, and there was a thudding explosion. Testa was caught full in the side with a load of buck shot that ripped into his legs and stomach and nearly severed his left arm.
The Ford raced away down Ninth Street, swerving around cars and scattering shoppers the length of the market. A police car that had been behind it gave chase. The two cars careened through the narrow streets at seventy miles and hour, until finally the Ford hit a lamppost, skidded onto the sidewalk and flipped over. Vincent DeLuca and Joseph Pedulla, the two Riccobene soldiers who had killed Frank Monte, were pulled from the wreck and arrested.
They were released later that same day, but went into hiding. After a few days of hiding from Testa who they learned had survived, they turned themselves into the police for protective custody. After they were tried and convicted of the attempted murder on Testa, they offered to become government witnesses.
and niece of Lawrence Merlino had nursed Testa back to health after the Italian Market shooting, and they had been inseparable afterward. Nicky Scarfo drew on his contractor friends to rebuild the Testa home, vacant since the explosion that had killed Testa's father, Philip, as a wedding gift for the newlyweds. Testa didn't love Maria but saw the match as a way to gain power in the family. After being an underboss's son for twenty-five years he was used to being close to the top. One day he goes to Salvatore Merlino, who was the current underboss, and says, "I would like to go out with your daughter, take your daughter out."
Testa and Merlino were soon engaged, but they had decided to wait for Nicky Scarfo to come out of jail before they married. By that time Testa was in love with someone else who lived in an apartment at Ninth and Christian at the Italian Market, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and he didn't want to marry Merlino. He thought when Nicky was released from prison that Nicky would take the brunt of his not marrying Chuckie's daughter because of what a good job Testa had done during the Riccobene war. It is also rumoured that he had struck Maria during their courtship and spit in the face of Salvatore Merlino during an argument.
The wedding was all planned and scheduled to be held in April 1984. They had bought gowns and had the church. They even bought special tablecloths. There were going to be over seven hundred guests. There were also talks of having pop singer Michael Jackson
perform at the wedding celebration. The wedding ceremony was to be held at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
in Center City
, Philadelphia.
Merlino's father bought her a lot of jewellery and she was redoing the house with French toilets and Jacuzzis. Testa was old-fashioned and wanted to live in his father's footsteps. He didn't like these types of fancy possessions. This led to an argument between the two. Testa canceled the marriage two months before it was supposed to occur.
Salvatore Merlino, Maria's father, allegedly told Nicholas Carramandi over a dinner following their separation, "You know, I'm not mad because he didn't marry my daughter. If he would just take himself down and start all over again, he would be forgiven. You know, this thing comes first. If he didn't want to marry my daughter ... he coulda did it in a different way." Merlino had wanted Testa to relinquish his title as capo and become a mob soldier again but he did not.
Had Testa honored Salvatore Merlino's wishes to marry his daughter, he would have been the son-in-law to underboss Salvatore and Rita Merlino, and Salvatore's brother, Philadelphia crime family capo Lawrence Merlino and Phyllis Merlino, and brother-in-law to his son, Philadelphia crime family rival capo Joseph S. Merlino and Deborah Wells-Merlino.
where he played regularly, at which he was a member. He joined about eighteen months before his murder. Ray Mirra, manager of Pier 30 described Testa as personable and well liked by the tennis professionals and other members. He frequently attended staff birthday parties and contributed money for gifts. Although he sometimes joked about his organized crime connections, Testa seemed the opposite of his flashy mobster image; he wore understated tennis whites and bought a $135 racket, not an expensive model. Testa wore no jewelry and and drove to the club in a non-descript mid-size car. Testa took tennis seriously, he joined the club as a beginner and rapidly progressed to the rank of advanced intermediate. In April of that year, the club's pros awarded Testa a trophy for being the "most improved" player. He said that it was his first trophy he had ever won for anything. It was the best he had done in any sport".
, another car swerved into his path, blocking him. Four Riccobene soldiers leaped from the car and opened fire. Testa and his men returned fire, and for several minutes the intersection was a combat zone. By the time the police arrived, the Riccobene men had driven off, no one had been hit. Testa and his bodyguards were questioned and released.
and Lawrence (Yogi) Merlino walk slowly by. Testa paused, tapped on the glass and smiled at him. After the months of murders and weeks of fear, the sight of the three men were too much for Enrico. He had lost several of his uncles (Robert Riccobene) and his own father (Mario Riccobene) in the power struggle. He went into the back of the shop and shot himself in the head. Testa after hearing of the suicide said, "I don't have to kill people anymore ... I just show up, and they do the job themselves."
in an article by journalist James Bovard
that described him as the "fastest rising star" in the Scarfo organization. Scarfo was jealous and worried that Testa was becoming too powerful within the family. Additionally, Testa's breaking off of his engagement to Maria insulted Salvatore Merlino. After the end of internal conflict with Riccobene, Scarfo decided that he could afford to eliminate Testa. Thomas DelGiorno, Charles Iannece and Francis Ianarella went to Testa's ex-father-in-law, underboss Salvatore Merlino and Nicky Scarfo started to spread rumours that Testa was going to start his own gang and also that he was starting to take drugs.
During a benefit dinner for a local charity at Palumbo's Restaurant in South Philadelphia in April, around the same time the Wall Street Journal did their article on Testa's rising success. Nicky Scarfo took a table for himself and his top associates but when Testa arrived, he was told to sit elsewhere. Following the charity event, Testa was also not invited to a trip to Puerto Rico.
Nicholas Carramandi said, "Salvie was very cautious. He just felt bad vibes. Every time you shook his hand, he'd bring you in close with his right hand and just pat you down with his left hand from behind to see if you were carrying a gun… He was the type of guy who, if he knew for sure, would have sought retribution from Salvatore Merlino or Nicodermo Scarfo and try to kill them. This kid would have gone down in a blaze of glory." Nicholas Caramandi said that the only way Salvatore could have saved himself at that point was to take off and disappear. But that, apparently wasn't in the kid's makeup. Me and Charlie used to talk about it. We don't know why this fuckin' guy don't take off. We woulda loved to have told him, but we couldn't tell him... He was the type of guy who, if he knew for sure, woulda went after Chuckie (Salvatore C. Merlino) or Nicky (Nicky Scarfo Sr.) and tried to kill them. This kid woulda went down in a blaze of glory (Forced suicide
). But he wasn't sure. He was aware. He was alert. But he wasn't sure."
in the Scarfo crime family Joseph Pungitore's aunt had died. Nicholas Caramandi said, "Joe Pungitore was Salvie Testa's best friend out of all the fellas. He's also a made guy and was one of Salvie's top guys. So there's no way Salvie's not going to come to the (Cato Funeral Home at Broad Street (Philadelphia)
). But Salvie knows about funeral parlors (being used as a hit location), because it was used in one of the many botched attempts on Mario Riccobene's life. As Nicholas Caramandi explains what happened at the funeral parlor, "Nicky (Nicky Scarfo), Chucky (Salvatore Merlino) and Philip (Phil Leonetti
) are ten feet away from me. I'm looking directly at them. Chuckie's standing there and I motion to Chuckie with my head, up and down, like, let's do it right now. But he waves me off. So when he does that, I go to the lounge and sit down. We were all tense and I couldn't understand what happened. I was right behind him (Salvatore Testa), ready to shoot him, he's talking to a guy at the bar. All I hadda do is go bing, right in the back of his head. Then about ten minutes later Tommy (Andrew Thomas DelGiorno
) and Faffy (Francis Ianarella) come over and they tell me there's too much law outside. Too many cops... When we leave the funeral parlor, we all go downstairs outside and we're saying goodbye to everybody, members and nonmembers. I'm standing with Nicky, Chuckie, Philip, Tommy, Faffy and Charlie. Now when Salvie says goodbye, he shakes hands with all of us. Chuckie Merlino shakes his hand, grabs his head and kisses him on the lips... for like ten seconds. Tommy, Charlie, Faffy and me, we look at one another. We said, 'What the fuck. This guy's nuts. Salvie's gotta know now.' It was the kiss of death. 'We looked at the expression on Salvie. He was sorta stunned. He just couldn't figure out what the fuck was going on. But this is how crazy they (Salvatore Merlino and Nicky Scarfo) were. I mean, they wanted him to know."
on East Passyunk Avenue. Tommy DelGiorno and Faffy Iannarella were put in charge of supervising the Testa murder, Nick Caramandi and Charlie Iannece were going to be the shooters. But it was difficult, Testa was a professional hit man and knew all the tricks of the trade. He was extremely cautious and checked everyone who hugged him for a gun. The job seemed almost impossible and Little Nicky was getting restless. So Tommy and Faffy brought Salvatore "Wayne" Grande and Joseph "Joey Pung" Pungitore into the conspiracy. Pungitore was Testa's closest friend and would only go along with the job if he didn't have to pull the trigger. Salvatore Grande on the other hand jumped at the opportunity to put a bullet in Testa. Joseph Pungitore arranged a meeting with Testa. At that meeting in the back of a candy store Salvie greeted Wayne who was sitting on a couch in the back room. Salvie then turned to talk with Joe Pung; Wayne took out a gun from under the cushions on the couch and shot Testa in the back of his head. Wayne stood up to shoot Testa once more. Nicky the Crow, Charlie Iannece and Joe Grande helped clean up the scene and get Testa's corpse out of the store. Salvie's hogtied remains were found at the side of a dirt road in Gloucester Township, New Jersey. Nicky Scarfo had Nick Caramandi, Charlie Iannece and Joe Grande work on the murder. As soon as Testa turned around, Salvatore (Wayne) Grande shot him in the back of the head. After Testa fell to the floor he was shot again in the back of the head, killing him. Another crew later dumped his body in New Jersey along a roadside wrapped in a carpet with a rope garrotted around his neck. Scarfo had requested that Testa be strangled to death, but with his size and considerable strength his killers considered this task too difficult. Scarfo and his nephew Leonetti split up his empire, the trigger man Salvatore (Wayne) Grande received 25% of Testa's business, Thomas DelGiorno and Francis Iannarella were named acting capos for his crew and eventually would be promoted to capos themselves. Joseph Scafidi was given a $500-a-week job working as a numbers runner, and Charles White and Nicholas Caramandi were formally inducted into the Philadelphia mob.
, and Polish
-Italian capo Tommy DelGiorno
, have confided that the murder of Testa marked the downfall of the Scarfo crime family regime over Philadelphia in many ways. Much of the family's trust with the Five Families
was defeated, as Salvatore Testa, a respected member of the family and apparent successor to lead the family was killed for very little reason. Despite this, Nicholas Caramandi told in his autobiography how many associates, such as Phil Leonetti and Thomas DelGiorno, were enthusiastic about Testa's death leading up to the time of his murder because of their own increase of power in the family. In 1987, Scarfo was sent to prison for several murders, where he still is as of July, 2010.
In his funeral procession on September 20, 1984, nearly 300 mourners crowded St. Paul's Catholic Church in the city's Italian Market section, only a block from where Testa survived an assassination attempt that left him seriously wounded in 1982. He was interred with his father Philip and mother Alfia at the family plot at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania
.
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
for the Scarfo crime family during a period of internal gang conflict. The son of former Philadelphia boss Philip
Philip Testa
Philip Carlo Testa , also known as "The Chicken Man" or "The Julius Cesar of the Philadelphia Mob" or "Philly", was a Sicilian-born American Mafia figure known for his brief leadership of the Scarfo crime family...
, Testa was a rising star in the mob until he was killed on orders from Nicky Scarfo Sr..
Early life
Born in 1956 in Southwest PhiladelphiaSouthwest Philadelphia
Southwest Philadelphia is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line serving as the northern border...
, Testa was the son of Philip "Chicken Man" Testa
Philip Testa
Philip Carlo Testa , also known as "The Chicken Man" or "The Julius Cesar of the Philadelphia Mob" or "Philly", was a Sicilian-born American Mafia figure known for his brief leadership of the Scarfo crime family...
a member of the Philadelphia family that served under Angelo Bruno
Angelo Bruno
Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno was a Sicilian-American mobster who ran the Philadelphia crime family for two decades. Bruno gained his nickname and reputation due to his preference for conciliation over violence.-Early years:Born in Villalba, Sicily, Bruno emigrated to the United States in his...
and an Italian-American housewife named Alfia (1926-1980). He had one sister Maria born 1956 who managed a Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...
nightclub and restaurant. In 1974 he graduated from Saint John Neumann High School (Pennsylvania)
Saint John Neumann High School (Pennsylvania)
Saint John Neumann High School was an all-male Roman Catholic high school located in the South Philadelphia area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
and had been sheltered from organized crime activity as a youth. His sister Maria married Scarfo mob associate and 'front man' Robert Sheeran who was listed as the officer of ETTENAJ Corporation which held the liquor license for Phil's restaurant Virgilio's along with Frank Narducci Sr.'s sister-in-law Jeanette Hearn. In 1978, Maria became the sole corporate officer. Seven months following the murder of Phil, the liquor license was sold. Their father Philip was promoted to underboss after Ignazio Danaro, died of old age, in turn Phil promoted drug trafficker Peter Casella to fill his role as underboss. He had an office in the back of the restaurant out of which he operated his legitimate and illegitimate business enterprises. Testa's mother Alfia died of natural causes in 1980, in that same year, in March 1980, longtime family boss Angelo Bruno
Angelo Bruno
Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno was a Sicilian-American mobster who ran the Philadelphia crime family for two decades. Bruno gained his nickname and reputation due to his preference for conciliation over violence.-Early years:Born in Villalba, Sicily, Bruno emigrated to the United States in his...
was murdered and Testa's father became boss by unanimous decision from the National Crime Syndicate
National Crime Syndicate
The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate. Its origins are uncertain....
and the support of the crime family itself in 1981. The death of his father's predecessor, Angelo Bruno triggered a violent civil war in the family between factions loyal to Harry Riccobene
Harry Riccobene
Harry Riccobene was a high-ranking member of the Scarfo crime family who became a major figure in the short, but violent, gang war that followed the 1980 death of boss Angelo Bruno....
and Nicodemo Scarfo
Nicodemo Scarfo
Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Domenico Scarfo is a member of the American Mafia who eventually became the Boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the death of Angelo Bruno and Phil Testa...
, who controlled the family's Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
operations. He was a ruggedly handsome 210-pound man who stood 6 feet tall with hazel eyes and real long lashes and dimpled cheeks. He wore his wavy hair out over his ears in typical 1970s fashion and was known to wear track suits and double breasted suits, he enjoyed wearing a 10-gallon cowboy hat and leather cowboy boots. He reportedly had dark emotionless eyes and gave off the appearance of a great white shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
with a scowl that made press photographers back away from him when looking to get his picture. Some crime writers have compared Testa to Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
's character Frank White in King of New York
King of New York
King of New York is a 1990 American crime drama film, starring Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, Victor Argo, and Giancarlo Esposito. It was directed by independent filmmaker Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St...
. He graduated from St. John Neumann and was said to have been sheltered from organized crime as a youth. He attended Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
, a university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
for a year, and then went into the real estate business. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Susan Caba said that Salvatore had a narrow, solemn face like that of his sister Maria.
Family mob relations
His father Bruno crime family underboss Phil Testa and his mother Alfia were CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
. They chose to have Nicky Scarfo and his second wife 'Domencia' chosen as Salvatore's godparents. The ceremony was held at St. Paul's Catholic Church. Salvatore would become a close childhood friend of future Scarfo crime family made man
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
Joseph (Joe Pung) Pungitore Jr., the older brother of Michael (Mikey Pung) Pungitore who would both follow Testa into a life of organized crime and serve under his father, Salvatore, and later Nicky Scarfo. Growing up in South Philadelphia, Salvatore became friends with future crime family underboss Salvatore (Chuckie) Merlino, Scarfo's nephew and future underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
Phil Leonetti
Phil Leonetti
Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti is a Philadelphia gangster who became the underboss of the Scarfo crime family under his uncle, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo before becoming a government informant. At the time, he was the highest-ranking member of the American Mafia to break his blood oath and turn...
, brothers Joseph and Salvatore Grande, Salvatore (Torry) Scafidi, the son of John Scafidi, a capo who served under his father Phil.
Relationship with father Phil
Salvatore had a close relationship with his father and became involved with him in the rackets of drug trafficking, loansharking and extortionExtortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
. Mob informant Nicholas Caramandi said, "Salvie was all for 'this thing'. Knew it inside out. Knew it better than guys who were sixty years old and who'd been in it for forty years. Because of his father. He'd been a good teacher. Salvie had nerve and he didn't care who he killed. Sometimes we used to go [on a contract] and we'd come back and tell him, "Well, the kids were in the car, the family's in the car.' "I don't care whose in the car', he'd say. 'Everybody goes.' That's the kind of guy he was. One Thanksgiving Day he wanted use to go into Sonny [Mario] Riccobene's house where Robert Riccobene was havin' dinner with his family. 'Shoot everybody in the house'. But he and Charlie [Iannece] and Faffy [Francis Ianarella] made up some story that he didn't show up. Just to appease Salvie. 'Cause we didn't go for killing kids. It was something we drew a line with, but he (Testa) was just so full of venom that he didn't care. He was a guy made for 'this thing.' He loved it. He lived it. And he was very bitter about what happened to his father (Philip), about the way his father got killed, blown up with nails in him." Despite the close relationship with his father, Salvatore sister's Maria would later tell the Philadelphia Enquirer that it was she, and not Salvatore that made the funeral arrangements for their father after he was murdered, as she had with their mother Alfia and later, her brother in 1984.
Alcohol Control Board problems
He and Frank Narducci Jr. in 1977 were revealed to have arranged for fronts and the New Jersey Alcohol control Board found that Testa and Narducci Jr. did not have the independent resources to finance a $250,000 purchase of the license, business and property of Le Bistro at 2201 Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City and were acting as fronts for their fathers, Frank Narducci Sr. and Phil Testa, who were both precluded from having any interest in a liquor license because of their criminal history.Criminal behaviour
After Salvatore murdered Frank (Chickie) Narducci Sr., the mobster that orchestrated his father's death and headed the coup of the Scarfo crime family, Caramandi said, "Salvie used to say to me, "I wish that motherfucker was alive so I could kill him again." This is how much he hated this man. He had no mercy on anybody. Business was business, and killing to him was business".George Anastasia wrote, "Salvatore Testa loved it all, the stalkings, the murders, even the Enrico Riccobene suicide. He was the South Philadelphia equivalent of a Main Line blue blood. He was born to be a wiseguy." During the Philadelphia Mob War, Nick Caramandi said, "He'd never ask you to do something he wouldn't do himself. He was right out there with you (on murder contracts)."
Made into the crime family
On June 8, 1980 Phil Testa held a La Cosa Nostra initiation ceremony at the South Philadelphia home of mob captain John Cappello. At the ceremony, Phil inducted Scarfo's nephew Phil Leonetti, Salvatore (Chuckie) Merlino, Robert (Bobby) Lumio, Anthony (Blonde Babe) Pungitore Sr., the father of future Scarfo soldiers Michael and Anthony, Salvatore (Wayne) Grande, Frank (Little Frankie) Narducci Jr., Anthony (Tony) Casella, the brother of drug trafficker Peter Casella and Phil's only son, Salvatore. In January 1982, at the same induction ceremony of Tommy DelGiorno, Francis Ianarella, Pasquale Spirito, Felix (Little Felix) Bocchino, Joseph (Joey Pung) Pungitore, Eugene (Gino) Milano, Albert (Reds) Pontani, Michael (Micky) Ricciardi, Gerald (Jerry) Fusella, Joseph Sodano and Happy Bellina, his son Salvatore was promoted to captain by Nicky Scarfo.Inherited criminal empire
In March 1981, when Testa was twenty-five years old, his father Phil was killed by a nail bomb consisting of six sticks TNT that was remotely operated as he unlocked the front door of his house. The explosion was so powerful that it blew Testa's father through the front door of his home. After the murder of his father, Testa became a protege of Nicky Scarfo and was thought of as a son to Scarfo and a brother to Phil Leonetti. Testa "inherited" most of his father's business, including a loan-sharking operation in South PhiladelphiaSouth Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
. He also developed a lucrative financial arrangement with several local drug dealers, including the Black Mafia
Black Mafia
The Black Mafia, a Philadelphia-based organized crime syndicate whose small beginnings started from holding up crap games and dealing in the illegal drug business, was formed in September 1968 by Samuel Christian, who later adopted the name Suleiman Bey under the Nation of Islam, and was at its...
that supplied parts of North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
s. Testa maintained a residence at the shore near Atlantic City and kept a boat in Ventnor, New Jersey. His legitimate and illegitimate businesses made him a millionaire. Testa's father had left him an estate worth $800,000 that included a run-down bar in Ducktown, Atlantic City
Ducktown, Atlantic City
Ducktown is a historically Italian American district of Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States, stretching from Missouri Avenue to Texas Avenue...
on a site where casino developer Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
decided to build the Trump Plaza (Atlantic City)
Trump Plaza (Atlantic City)
Trump Plaza is a hotel and casino located on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr., it was opened in 1984 and is one of two casinos owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts...
in 1984 at 2500 Boardwalk. Trump paid Testa $1.1 million for the right to tear the bar down.
Friendship with Eugene (Gino) Milano
Eugene (Gino) Milano was introduced into the Scarfo organization by Salvatore. Gino is the older brother of Scarfo crime family associate Nicholas (Nicky the Whip) Milano who followed Gino into a life of organized crime with Testa. Reporter George Anastasia wrote, "Milano's loyalty was to Testa rather than to the organization (the Scarfo crime family). He really didn't know Scarfo, Leonetti or most of the other leaders in the family. He was Testa's friend as well as his "associate". Eugene worked as a bouncer at a Center City, PhiladelphiaCenter City, Philadelphia
Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...
restaurant where Salvatore had some connections. Milano's real job was to stay close to Salvatore, who at the time was avenging his father's murder". Milano was later be involved in the murders of Frank (Chickie) Narducci Sr. and Frank (Frankie Flowers) D'Alfonso with Testa.
Salvatore's Relationship with Frank Narducci Sr.'s sons
In January 7, 1981, 50-year-old South Philadelphia resident Francis "Chickie" Narducci Sr., a long-time capo under Angelo Bruno was murdered by his adopted son and namesake Frank Narducci Jr. who was adopted by Narducci Sr. when he was just a year old with his wife Arlin, and younger biological son Philip. Fellow mobsters Joseph Pungitore, and Joseph Grande were assigned as 'blockers', with Charles 'Charlie White' Iannucci, Salvatore Testa and Eugene 'Gino' Milano as the shooters, and Nicholas (The Crow) Caramandi as the getaway driver. Narducci Sr. was shot ten times point bank in the face, neck and chest outside their South Philadelphia home. Mobster turned informant Nicholas Caramandi would later say that Nicholas Scarfo had no problem recruiting Narducci Sr.'s sons on behalf of Testa because he didn't hold them responsible for what he called "their father's sins", helping set up Philip Testa to be murdered and Nick Caramandi said, "He (Scarfo) felt these kids were just victims of circumstances. They wasn't part of no plots. So Nicky made a speech that he would not hold any sons responsible for their father's actions. They probably knew what had happened but they'll never bring it up. They want to be gangsters too much." Frank (Frankie Jr) Narducci Jr. and Philip would later serve under Salvatore Testa as enforcers in his crew, the very person who ordered the death of their father.Murder of Coco Cifelli
In 1979 Salvatore, Salvatore (Chuckie) Merlino and Robert (Bobby) Lumio murdered 31-year-old drug dealer Michael (Coco) Cifelli. He was murdered for selling drugs to the son of Frank Monte, a capo from Cinnaminson Township, New JerseyCinnaminson Township, New Jersey
Cinnaminson includes within its boundaries the confluence point of longitude 75 degrees west and latitude 40 degrees north, one of only four such confluence points in New Jersey...
. Frank served under Phil Testa and later Nicky Scarfo. He oversaw illegal gambling operations in Atlantic City and New Jersey for the crime family. Michael Cifelli was gunned down by Testa and Salvatore (Chuckie) Merlino as he was talking on the phone in a telephone booth just inside a bar, Priori's, at 10th and Wolf Streets in Point Breeze, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Point Breeze, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Point Breeze is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is generally bound by 25th Street to the west, Washington Avenue to the north, Broad Street to the east, and Mifflin Street to the south, although the sections between 18th Street and...
. Monte was later promoted to be consigliere in 1981 by Nicky Scarfo.
Riccobene-Scarfo war
An extremely violent individual, Testa committed 15 murders of the 28 deaths attributed to the Riccobene-Scarfo war. Two murders were that of Frank (Chickie) Narducci Sr. on January 7, 1982 and that of low level mob associate and Peter (Fat Pete) Casella's chauffer and bodyguard Rocco Marinucci on March 15, 1982. Rocco was the man who detonated the nail bomb that murdered Testa's father in 1981 at their family home. Exactly one year after the bombing, Marinucci's body was found in a parking lot on Federal Street in Southwark, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSouthwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Southwark was originally the Southwark District, a colonial era municipality in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Today, it is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, with bullet wounds to the neck, chest, and head. His mouth was stuffed with three large, unexploded cherry bomb
Cherry bomb
Cherry Bombs are approximately spherical shaped exploding fireworks, ranging in size from three-quarters-inch to one-and-one-half-inch in diameter...
s. It was the work of Testa.
Italian Market shooting
In June 1982, following an attempt on the life of Harry RiccobeneHarry Riccobene
Harry Riccobene was a high-ranking member of the Scarfo crime family who became a major figure in the short, but violent, gang war that followed the 1980 death of boss Angelo Bruno....
by Salvatore Grande, Testa was attacked. He was sitting outside a restaurant at 9th Street and Christian Avenue at Lorenzo's Pizza in the Italian Market, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania finishing a dish of steamed clams
Steamed clams
Steamed clams is a seafood dish consisting of various types and preparations of clam that steamed according to local custom in various countries....
when a big Ford sedan slowed down opposite him. From the passenger side window a sawed-off shotgun poked out, and there was a thudding explosion. Testa was caught full in the side with a load of buck shot that ripped into his legs and stomach and nearly severed his left arm.
The Ford raced away down Ninth Street, swerving around cars and scattering shoppers the length of the market. A police car that had been behind it gave chase. The two cars careened through the narrow streets at seventy miles and hour, until finally the Ford hit a lamppost, skidded onto the sidewalk and flipped over. Vincent DeLuca and Joseph Pedulla, the two Riccobene soldiers who had killed Frank Monte, were pulled from the wreck and arrested.
They were released later that same day, but went into hiding. After a few days of hiding from Testa who they learned had survived, they turned themselves into the police for protective custody. After they were tried and convicted of the attempted murder on Testa, they offered to become government witnesses.
Courtship with Maria Merlino
Maria Merlino, the daughter of Salvatore Merlino, sister of Joseph MerlinoJoseph Merlino
Joseph Salvatore "Skinny Joey" Merlino was the boss of the Philadelphia crime family from 1994 to 1999, despite Ralph Natale being officially the boss, and was said to have led it primarily in extortion, bookmaking, drug trafficking, and loan sharking.-Family mob ties:Joseph Salvatore Merlino a.k.a...
and niece of Lawrence Merlino had nursed Testa back to health after the Italian Market shooting, and they had been inseparable afterward. Nicky Scarfo drew on his contractor friends to rebuild the Testa home, vacant since the explosion that had killed Testa's father, Philip, as a wedding gift for the newlyweds. Testa didn't love Maria but saw the match as a way to gain power in the family. After being an underboss's son for twenty-five years he was used to being close to the top. One day he goes to Salvatore Merlino, who was the current underboss, and says, "I would like to go out with your daughter, take your daughter out."
Testa and Merlino were soon engaged, but they had decided to wait for Nicky Scarfo to come out of jail before they married. By that time Testa was in love with someone else who lived in an apartment at Ninth and Christian at the Italian Market, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and he didn't want to marry Merlino. He thought when Nicky was released from prison that Nicky would take the brunt of his not marrying Chuckie's daughter because of what a good job Testa had done during the Riccobene war. It is also rumoured that he had struck Maria during their courtship and spit in the face of Salvatore Merlino during an argument.
The wedding was all planned and scheduled to be held in April 1984. They had bought gowns and had the church. They even bought special tablecloths. There were going to be over seven hundred guests. There were also talks of having pop singer Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
perform at the wedding celebration. The wedding ceremony was to be held at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
The Bellevue is a landmark building at Broad & Walnut Streets in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has continued as a well-known institution for more than a century. In the past 30 years the hotel has undergone minor name changes, but still is widely known by its historic name, The...
in Center City
Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...
, Philadelphia.
Merlino's father bought her a lot of jewellery and she was redoing the house with French toilets and Jacuzzis. Testa was old-fashioned and wanted to live in his father's footsteps. He didn't like these types of fancy possessions. This led to an argument between the two. Testa canceled the marriage two months before it was supposed to occur.
Salvatore Merlino, Maria's father, allegedly told Nicholas Carramandi over a dinner following their separation, "You know, I'm not mad because he didn't marry my daughter. If he would just take himself down and start all over again, he would be forgiven. You know, this thing comes first. If he didn't want to marry my daughter ... he coulda did it in a different way." Merlino had wanted Testa to relinquish his title as capo and become a mob soldier again but he did not.
Had Testa honored Salvatore Merlino's wishes to marry his daughter, he would have been the son-in-law to underboss Salvatore and Rita Merlino, and Salvatore's brother, Philadelphia crime family capo Lawrence Merlino and Phyllis Merlino, and brother-in-law to his son, Philadelphia crime family rival capo Joseph S. Merlino and Deborah Wells-Merlino.
Taking up the sport of tennis
Testa had an athletic build from playing racquet ball and tennis at the Pier 30 Tennis Club in Penn's LandingPenn's Landing
Penn's Landing is the waterfront area of the Center City along the Delaware River section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is so named because the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, docked near here in 1682, along the now paved over Dock Creek, after landing first in New...
where he played regularly, at which he was a member. He joined about eighteen months before his murder. Ray Mirra, manager of Pier 30 described Testa as personable and well liked by the tennis professionals and other members. He frequently attended staff birthday parties and contributed money for gifts. Although he sometimes joked about his organized crime connections, Testa seemed the opposite of his flashy mobster image; he wore understated tennis whites and bought a $135 racket, not an expensive model. Testa wore no jewelry and and drove to the club in a non-descript mid-size car. Testa took tennis seriously, he joined the club as a beginner and rapidly progressed to the rank of advanced intermediate. In April of that year, the club's pros awarded Testa a trophy for being the "most improved" player. He said that it was his first trophy he had ever won for anything. It was the best he had done in any sport".
Another failed hit
On December 10, 1982, four days after the murder of Harry Riccobene's brother, Robert, Testa was driving through South Philadelphia with three bodyguards. At Eleventh and Catherine streets in Washington Square West, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaWashington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Gayborhood is a neighborhood in downtown, or Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The neighborhood roughly corresponds to the area between 7th and Broad Streets and between Walnut and South Streets, bordering on the Independence Mall tourist area directly northeast, Market East to the...
, another car swerved into his path, blocking him. Four Riccobene soldiers leaped from the car and opened fire. Testa and his men returned fire, and for several minutes the intersection was a combat zone. By the time the police arrived, the Riccobene men had driven off, no one had been hit. Testa and his bodyguards were questioned and released.
Encounter with Enrico Riccobene
Enrico Riccobene, the 28-year-old son of Mario Riccobene, the brother of Harold, owned a jewelry store in Jewelers' Row, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sansom Street. Since the start of the battle between the Riccobene and Scarfo faction he never went to work without being armed and an escort of three or four bodyguards. On December 14, 1983, ten days before Christmas, Enrico opened the store accompanied by his bodyguards. A few minutes later he glanced out and saw Testa, Phil LeonettiPhil Leonetti
Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti is a Philadelphia gangster who became the underboss of the Scarfo crime family under his uncle, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo before becoming a government informant. At the time, he was the highest-ranking member of the American Mafia to break his blood oath and turn...
and Lawrence (Yogi) Merlino walk slowly by. Testa paused, tapped on the glass and smiled at him. After the months of murders and weeks of fear, the sight of the three men were too much for Enrico. He had lost several of his uncles (Robert Riccobene) and his own father (Mario Riccobene) in the power struggle. He went into the back of the shop and shot himself in the head. Testa after hearing of the suicide said, "I don't have to kill people anymore ... I just show up, and they do the job themselves."
Tension with Scarfo
In April 1984, he was featured on the front page of the The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
in an article by journalist James Bovard
James Bovard
James Bovard is a libertarian author and lecturer whose political commentary targets examples of waste, failures, corruption, cronyism and abuses of power in government. He is the author of Attention Deficit Democracy, and eight other books...
that described him as the "fastest rising star" in the Scarfo organization. Scarfo was jealous and worried that Testa was becoming too powerful within the family. Additionally, Testa's breaking off of his engagement to Maria insulted Salvatore Merlino. After the end of internal conflict with Riccobene, Scarfo decided that he could afford to eliminate Testa. Thomas DelGiorno, Charles Iannece and Francis Ianarella went to Testa's ex-father-in-law, underboss Salvatore Merlino and Nicky Scarfo started to spread rumours that Testa was going to start his own gang and also that he was starting to take drugs.
During a benefit dinner for a local charity at Palumbo's Restaurant in South Philadelphia in April, around the same time the Wall Street Journal did their article on Testa's rising success. Nicky Scarfo took a table for himself and his top associates but when Testa arrived, he was told to sit elsewhere. Following the charity event, Testa was also not invited to a trip to Puerto Rico.
Nicholas Carramandi said, "Salvie was very cautious. He just felt bad vibes. Every time you shook his hand, he'd bring you in close with his right hand and just pat you down with his left hand from behind to see if you were carrying a gun… He was the type of guy who, if he knew for sure, would have sought retribution from Salvatore Merlino or Nicodermo Scarfo and try to kill them. This kid would have gone down in a blaze of glory." Nicholas Caramandi said that the only way Salvatore could have saved himself at that point was to take off and disappear. But that, apparently wasn't in the kid's makeup. Me and Charlie used to talk about it. We don't know why this fuckin' guy don't take off. We woulda loved to have told him, but we couldn't tell him... He was the type of guy who, if he knew for sure, woulda went after Chuckie (Salvatore C. Merlino) or Nicky (Nicky Scarfo Sr.) and tried to kill them. This kid woulda went down in a blaze of glory (Forced suicide
Forced suicide
Forced suicide is a method of execution where the victim is coerced into committing suicide to avoid facing an alternative option they perceive as much worse, such as suffering torture or having friends or family members imprisoned, tortured, or killed...
). But he wasn't sure. He was aware. He was alert. But he wasn't sure."
Being given the kiss of death
Salvatore's lifelong friend and fellow made manMade man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
in the Scarfo crime family Joseph Pungitore's aunt had died. Nicholas Caramandi said, "Joe Pungitore was Salvie Testa's best friend out of all the fellas. He's also a made guy and was one of Salvie's top guys. So there's no way Salvie's not going to come to the (Cato Funeral Home at Broad Street (Philadelphia)
Broad Street (Philadelphia)
Broad Street is a major arterial street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is nearly 13 miles long.It is Pennsylvania Route 611 along its entire length with the exception of its northernmost part between Old York Road and Pennsylvania Route 309 and the southernmost part south of Interstate 95...
). But Salvie knows about funeral parlors (being used as a hit location), because it was used in one of the many botched attempts on Mario Riccobene's life. As Nicholas Caramandi explains what happened at the funeral parlor, "Nicky (Nicky Scarfo), Chucky (Salvatore Merlino) and Philip (Phil Leonetti
Phil Leonetti
Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti is a Philadelphia gangster who became the underboss of the Scarfo crime family under his uncle, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo before becoming a government informant. At the time, he was the highest-ranking member of the American Mafia to break his blood oath and turn...
) are ten feet away from me. I'm looking directly at them. Chuckie's standing there and I motion to Chuckie with my head, up and down, like, let's do it right now. But he waves me off. So when he does that, I go to the lounge and sit down. We were all tense and I couldn't understand what happened. I was right behind him (Salvatore Testa), ready to shoot him, he's talking to a guy at the bar. All I hadda do is go bing, right in the back of his head. Then about ten minutes later Tommy (Andrew Thomas DelGiorno
Andrew Thomas DelGiorno
Andrew Thomas DelGiorno, also known as "Tommy Del" , is a former American mobster, captain in the Scarfo crime family and Federal Bureau of Investigation informant. He was responsible for five murders during his association with Nicky Scarfo in the 1980s...
) and Faffy (Francis Ianarella) come over and they tell me there's too much law outside. Too many cops... When we leave the funeral parlor, we all go downstairs outside and we're saying goodbye to everybody, members and nonmembers. I'm standing with Nicky, Chuckie, Philip, Tommy, Faffy and Charlie. Now when Salvie says goodbye, he shakes hands with all of us. Chuckie Merlino shakes his hand, grabs his head and kisses him on the lips... for like ten seconds. Tommy, Charlie, Faffy and me, we look at one another. We said, 'What the fuck. This guy's nuts. Salvie's gotta know now.' It was the kiss of death. 'We looked at the expression on Salvie. He was sorta stunned. He just couldn't figure out what the fuck was going on. But this is how crazy they (Salvatore Merlino and Nicky Scarfo) were. I mean, they wanted him to know."
Death
On September 14, 1984, Scarfo commanded Testa's best friend, made man Joey Pungitore, to lure Testa into an ambush in the back room of the 'Too Sweet' candy store in Southwark, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSouthwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Southwark was originally the Southwark District, a colonial era municipality in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Today, it is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
on East Passyunk Avenue. Tommy DelGiorno and Faffy Iannarella were put in charge of supervising the Testa murder, Nick Caramandi and Charlie Iannece were going to be the shooters. But it was difficult, Testa was a professional hit man and knew all the tricks of the trade. He was extremely cautious and checked everyone who hugged him for a gun. The job seemed almost impossible and Little Nicky was getting restless. So Tommy and Faffy brought Salvatore "Wayne" Grande and Joseph "Joey Pung" Pungitore into the conspiracy. Pungitore was Testa's closest friend and would only go along with the job if he didn't have to pull the trigger. Salvatore Grande on the other hand jumped at the opportunity to put a bullet in Testa. Joseph Pungitore arranged a meeting with Testa. At that meeting in the back of a candy store Salvie greeted Wayne who was sitting on a couch in the back room. Salvie then turned to talk with Joe Pung; Wayne took out a gun from under the cushions on the couch and shot Testa in the back of his head. Wayne stood up to shoot Testa once more. Nicky the Crow, Charlie Iannece and Joe Grande helped clean up the scene and get Testa's corpse out of the store. Salvie's hogtied remains were found at the side of a dirt road in Gloucester Township, New Jersey. Nicky Scarfo had Nick Caramandi, Charlie Iannece and Joe Grande work on the murder. As soon as Testa turned around, Salvatore (Wayne) Grande shot him in the back of the head. After Testa fell to the floor he was shot again in the back of the head, killing him. Another crew later dumped his body in New Jersey along a roadside wrapped in a carpet with a rope garrotted around his neck. Scarfo had requested that Testa be strangled to death, but with his size and considerable strength his killers considered this task too difficult. Scarfo and his nephew Leonetti split up his empire, the trigger man Salvatore (Wayne) Grande received 25% of Testa's business, Thomas DelGiorno and Francis Iannarella were named acting capos for his crew and eventually would be promoted to capos themselves. Joseph Scafidi was given a $500-a-week job working as a numbers runner, and Charles White and Nicholas Caramandi were formally inducted into the Philadelphia mob.
Aftermath
Violent and insecure, Scarfo would continue murdering Philadelphia crime family members whom he feared or envied. Since the 1980s, many of the made men who later became government informants, including Nicholas 'The Crow' Caramandi, Scarfo crime family underboss Phil LeonettiPhil Leonetti
Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti is a Philadelphia gangster who became the underboss of the Scarfo crime family under his uncle, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo before becoming a government informant. At the time, he was the highest-ranking member of the American Mafia to break his blood oath and turn...
, and Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
-Italian capo Tommy DelGiorno
Andrew Thomas DelGiorno
Andrew Thomas DelGiorno, also known as "Tommy Del" , is a former American mobster, captain in the Scarfo crime family and Federal Bureau of Investigation informant. He was responsible for five murders during his association with Nicky Scarfo in the 1980s...
, have confided that the murder of Testa marked the downfall of the Scarfo crime family regime over Philadelphia in many ways. Much of the family's trust with the Five Families
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
was defeated, as Salvatore Testa, a respected member of the family and apparent successor to lead the family was killed for very little reason. Despite this, Nicholas Caramandi told in his autobiography how many associates, such as Phil Leonetti and Thomas DelGiorno, were enthusiastic about Testa's death leading up to the time of his murder because of their own increase of power in the family. In 1987, Scarfo was sent to prison for several murders, where he still is as of July, 2010.
In his funeral procession on September 20, 1984, nearly 300 mourners crowded St. Paul's Catholic Church in the city's Italian Market section, only a block from where Testa survived an assassination attempt that left him seriously wounded in 1982. He was interred with his father Philip and mother Alfia at the family plot at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania
Yeadon, Pennsylvania
Yeadon is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It borders the City of Philadelphia. The population was 11,762 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Yeadon is located at ....
.