Witness describes collecting debts for the mob

PHILADELPHIA As a government witness in Joseph Ligambi's first trial in 2012, Francis "Frankie the Fixer" DiGiacomo underwhelmed, declaring the reputed Philadelphia mob boss and his associates "great people" and characterizing a star government cooperator as a "sneaky" liar.

But as he returned to the witness stand Thursday - this time as a witness for the defense - DiGiacomo didn't do his former mob colleagues many favors either.

"That was my boss, right there," he said, pointing to Ligambi across the courtroom.

DiGiacomo's testimony Thursday came on the final day of evidence in the racketeering retrial of Ligambi and his nephew George Borgesi.

Prosecutors will have one last shot Monday to convince jurors that the two oversaw a loan-sharking and illegal gambling racket before the panel is expected to begin deliberations next week.

While DiGiacomo's testimony may have sown confusion for the previous jury, which deadlocked on the most serious charges against the two mob leaders last year, he left little doubt Thursday about whom he believed he was working for.

"We were doing it for George, and had to take all orders from Joe," he said.

DiGiacomo, a 49-year-old plumber by trade and a mob debt collector by talent, said he worked as a part of Borgesi's crew for years, collecting payments with promises of violence.

That is until his own debts threatened his position within the mob.

Fearing for his life, he turned to federal agents in 2007 and began recording his dealings with Borgesi's No. 2, Louis "Bent Finger Lou" Monacello.

In dozens of tapes played for jurors during the past two months, DiGiacomo and Monacello hashed out the day-to-day frustrations of managing the sports bookmaking and loan-sharking operations Monacello said he took over for Borgesi after Borgesi was sentenced on a 2000 federal racketeering charge.

Borgesi contends that he had no involvement in or knowledge of the crimes Monacello committed in his name.

Amid repeated questioning about whether Monacello might simply have been throwing their former boss' name around, DiGiacomo stuck to his story.

He submitted payments to Monacello, who passed them to Borgesi's wife in cash-stuffed envelopes, he said.

Whom did that money ultimately benefit, Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Han asked. "Georgie," DiGiacomo replied.

Under cross-examination, DiGiacomo also said he had spoken directly with Ligambi about the loan-sharking business.

Still, the plumber conceded he had no direct communication with the imprisoned Borgesi and dealt primarily with Monacello.

But in more than a year since the last trial, Monacello did not appear to have risen much in DiGiacomo's estimation.

Again, the plumber described his former associate as "greedy" and "very sneaky."

As for everyone else, they may be the "great people" DiGiacomo described last time around, but, as his testimony came to a close Thursday, he reiterated that he always knew the pecking order.

"I knew Joe was the boss," he said. "And I knew what Georgie was."