Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that the 1990s were a really dark time for the City of Brotherly Love, owing to the bloody power struggle within the local crime family. After all, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia,’ the issues between then-mob boss John Stanfa and aspiring leader Joey Merlino had essentially plunged the city into chaos. Amongst those to allegedly have a key role to play in the same were some of the latter’s known loyal associates, including Daniel “Danny” D’Ambrosia, Steven Mazzone, and George Borgesi.
Daniel “Danny” D’Ambrosia is Likely Still Based in His Hometown
While Daniel “Danny” D’Ambrosia reportedly never became a “made” member of the Philadelphia mob, he was always considered an associate of the organized crime family by the FBI. In fact, they connected him to not only Joey “Skinny Joe” Merlino but also Nicodemo “Nicky” Scarfo Jr., Ralph Samuel Natale, and many other significant mobsters in the 1990s as well as the early 2000s. He even pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy for running a major sports bookmaking operation around November 2001, for which he was later handed down 30 months in federal prison.
There have been several other more severe accusations against Danny too, ranging from him allegedly being a loansharking and gambling associate to reportedly engineering “hits”. However, he has never been indicted, arrested, or convicted for these allegations, allowing him to seemingly step away from his past and establish new businesses to provide for his family. Things changed in 2020, though, when he was charged in his home state with five counts of wire fraud, two counts of bankruptcy fraud, and two counts of attempting to evade federal taxes.
According to records, Danny had exaggerated revenues from his ventures, Danco Painting LLC and Jardel Construction & Consulting LLC, to utilize the difference for personal expenses. He reportedly spent $3,000 on a cosmetic procedure, invested $100,000 in a personal account, paid his mortgage, car installment, insurance premiums, and a hotel bill in Kissimmee, Florida. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, but he was later convicted and sentenced to federal prison – he was released on December 6, 2022. Since then, it appears as if the now 61-year-old entrepreneur has chosen to keep a low profile while continuing to reside in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Steven Mazzone is Currently Serving a Federal Sentence
Since Steven Mazzone and Joey Merlino were childhood friends after having grown up together in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he became the latter’s underboss in the late 1990s. It was during this period that he really became a key figure in organized crime, only to soon be arrested due to former mob boss Ralph Natale deciding to turn into an informant for the FBI. According to Ralph’s testimony, the then-underboss was responsible for fatally shooting mobster Felix Bocchino in 1992, was a shooter in the attempted murder of John Stanfa’s underboss Joseph Ciangalini Jr. in 1993, and was behind several illegal bookmaking, extortion, and loansharking operations.
Steven was acquitted of all murder as well as attempted murder charges following an extensive trial in 2001, allegedly owing to the jury’s doubt over the prosecutor’s star witness’ credibility. However, he was found guilty on several counts related to extortion, illegal bookmaking, and racketeering, for which he was later handed down a sentence of nine years in federal prison. According to records, he was released from federal custody early, on February 2, 2008, by which point he had already been transferred to a halfway house for gradual transition into society.
As per reports, Steven was under supervision for three years following his release, during which period he reportedly had little to no contact with known mobsters or any other associates. Nevertheless, he has since fully returned to the world of organized crime and is believed to still hold a high position (likely still underboss) because he was arrested again in 2020. He was found to be running an extensive sports gambling operation involving extortion, loansharking, and racketeering schemes with interests going as high as 264%. He ended up pleading guilty to five related charges in June 2022, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison on December 15, 2022. Thus, at the age of 61, he is again detained at a halfway house in Philadelphia, aka the Residential Reentry Management (RRM) Center of Philadelphia, because his scheduled release date from federal custody is March 17, 2026.
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George Borgesi is Still Believed to be Heavily Involved in the Philadelphia Mob
It was in the 1990s when George Borgesi rose to significance under the alleged leadership of associate and friend Joey Merlino, only to continue climbing up the ladder for years to come. He reportedly handled a lot of business for the then-boss, which is why he was named as one of the defendants in the early 2000s RICO case against the then-active organized crime family. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced, just to be released from federal custody on January 24, 2014, after being acquitted in another racketeering case he took on while incarcerated. As per reports, he was accused of still being involved in the mob’s gambling /loansharking ring. However, it’s imperative to note that his initial sentence concluded in 2011; he just wasn’t released due to the new charge.
Since then, officials have come to believe that George “Georgie Boy” Borgesi currently either proudly holds the position of a captain “capo” or has gradually evolved into the local mob “boss.” After all, in the late 2010s, he reportedly managed to revive an entire crew of the Philadelphia crime family in New England before allegedly continuing their illegal operations across the nation. From what we can tell, he was most recently named in a case against mob associate Stephen Sharke, for which the latter was convicted of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering.
According to records, among other things, Stephen was writing false checks to George’s Philadelphia-based company, ARMM Investments LLC, without the latter knowing anything about it. The two men have a long history since they were both convicted in the early 2000s RICO case together, so there is a long, illicit connection between them. So, from what we can tell, it appears as if George is still based in his hometown, where he serves as an entrepreneur as well as an alleged high-ranking mobster. At the age of 61, he is either a capo in the Philadelphia crime family or its new boss.
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