A brief history of Joey, after Nicky

JOSEPH MERLINO, whose father, Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino, was an underboss to Nicodemo 'Little Nicky' Scarfo, rose to prominence in 1989 after authorities alleged that he tried to kill the mob boss' son, Nicky Scarfo Jr. Scarfo Jr. was repeatedly shot on Halloween inside Dante & Luigi's, at 10th and Catharine streets, but survived. Scarfo's father, who had been running the mob from prison, eventually lost control as most members of his organization were imprisoned. With Scarfo Sr. in prison for life, various factions of the mob vied for control. In the early 1990s, Giovanni 'John' Stanfa took over the helm of the Philadelphia crime family.

Stanfa's promotion to head of the mob launched what is considered one of the bloodiest wars in organized-crime history. Merlino began plotting with fellow gangster Ralph Natale to take over. In 1993, Merlino survived a drive-by shooting, suffering a bullet to his buttocks, but fellow associate Michael 'Mike Chang' Ciancaglini was killed in a hit that was widely believed by law enforcement to have been engineered by Stanfa.

In retaliation, an attempt was made on Stanfa's son's life; he was shot in the face in a drive-by shooting. Stanfa Sr. eventually was convicted and sent to prison for life, and Natale took over the reins, with Merlino as his underboss. Natale later was jailed and turned into a government informant, just as Merlino took over in the late 1990s.

In 2001, Merlino was sentenced to 14 years on charges of extortion, racketeering and illegal gambling. But he was acquitted of more serious crimes, including murder.

"Ain't bad," he said when the sentence was pronounced.

- Julie K. Brown