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- Of the alleged mafia bosses named in a sweeping indictment last week, seven were from South Florida
- ”The mafia has never gone away,” says retired FBI agent. “Italian organized crime families have always had their tentacles in South Florida”
- ”Every type of scam goes on here – there’s a lot of money to be made,” retired agent Joe Cicini added
- The so-called “Boss of the Philadelphia Crime Family” owns Italian restaurant in South Florida and is out on bail after posting $3 million bond Friday
The Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County Sunday morning features a piece on the strong presence of organized crime in South Florida.
Though some say the glory days of La Cosa Nostra are over, experts say this month's indictment of 46 alleged mafia bosses, members and associates — including seven men from Palm Beach and Broward counties — shows there's still plenty of life left in the mob.
"The mafia has never gone away. It's just the American public's attention was refocused on terrorism after 9/11," said Joe Cicini, a retired FBI agent who spent half his 23-year career investigating domestic and international mafia cases.
"Italian organized crime families have always had their tentacles in South Florida. It's kind of a playground for them. It's still lucrative territory. The great weather, the tourism, every kind of scam goes on here — there's a lot of money to be made," said Cicini, the former supervisor in charge of South Florida's organized crime task force.
The Sentinel piece goes on to paint South Florida as a primary haven for Mob activity, focusing heavily on the most colorful figure taken down as part of the investigation, one Joey “Skinny Joe” Merlino, who just happens to own a restaurant in the region.
Merlino, for whom investigators claim to be "the Boss of the Philadelphia Crime Family," was ordered released from jail on $5 million bond Friday on the recommendation of federal prosecutors.
"Skinny Joey always looked at himself as the John Gotti of Philadelphia," Cicini said. "He gave away a lot of stuff — he'd call it charity — to make himself popular."
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
