Joseph Salvatore "Skinny Joey" Merlino (born March 13, 1962) is an American former mobster who was the reputed boss of the Philadelphia crime family from the 1990s until 2024.

[3] In comparison to other traditional mob bosses who shunned the limelight, Merlino has interacted regularly with the media and the public, often openly providing charity and hosting events to benefit indigent people in Philadelphia, drawing comparisons to the similarly outgoing, conspicuous, and ostensibly charitable late New York crime boss John Gotti.

With the help of boss-turned-informant Ralph Natale, Merlino was convicted of several RICO charges including racketeering, illegal gambling and extortion, in 2001, and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

[11] He is also the nephew of deceased Philadelphia crime family mobster-turned government witness Lawrence "Yogi" Merlino.

Merlino's father owned and operated the 9M Bar in Southwark that Nicky Scarfo used as his criminal headquarters during his attempt to become the new boss of the Philadelphia crime family.

Joseph Merlino has been described as a particularly vicious person, obsessed with his own public image, and another version of New York's John Gotti.

"Joey was a party guy," said mob associate Ron Previte, a police officer-turned gangster-turned government witness.

He invited TV crews to his annual Christmas party for the homeless, and was a fixture at the city's nightclubs, restaurants, and sporting events.

Natale named Michael Ciancaglini, Steven Mazzone, George Borgesi, Gaetano "Tommy Horsehead" Scafidi and Martin Angelina as Merlino's key associates and co-conspirators in the plan.

When John Stanfa emerged as the new leader of the Philadelphia family in 1991, the young group of mobsters openly rebelled against him.

[21] The "Young Turks" as the press would eventually dub Merlino's tight-knit crew, struck first with the killing of Felix Bocchino on January 29, 1992.

In an attempt to quell further violence, Stanfa officially inducted Merlino and his best friend Michael Ciancaglini into the crime family.

[22] On August 5, 1993, Merlino survived a drive-by shooting assassination attempt by two Stanfa gunmen, taking four bullets in the leg and buttocks, while Ciancaglini was shot in the chest and died.

Stanfa was arrested for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act violations in March 1994,[26] was convicted in 1995,[27] and sentenced to life in 1996.

[28] With most of Stanfa's supporters also arrested and convicted, Merlino, released from prison in November 1994, won the war and named Ralph Natale as the new boss while positioning himself as his underboss.

[17] The arrogance and aggressiveness of Merlino's young faction turned off a lot of criminals from working with the crime family.

During this time, Merlino and Natale oversaw the crime family's gambling, loan sharking, extortion and stolen goods rackets.

In March 1998, Anthony Turra, on trial on charges of plotting to kill Merlino, was shot dead outside his home by a gunman in a black ski mask.

[40] Gaetano "Tommy Horsehead" Scafidi agreed to cooperate in 2000 while finishing a prison sentence due to fears that he would be murdered by Merlino's crew.

Peter "the Crumb" Caprio agreed to cooperate with the government in 2000 after being charged with two murders[40] and Ron Previte testified after becoming an undercover informant several years prior.

[50][51] On January 4, 2015, just before his parole restrictions expired, Judge Richard Barclay Surrick gave Merlino a four-month prison sentence for violating his supervised release by meeting with organized crime figures in Florida.

[56] In a 2013 interview with George Anastasia, Merlino denied any current involvement in the Philadelphia Mafia and has stated that his life as a criminal is over.

Merlino was accused of entering into illegal business arrangements with New York criminals in the Genovese crime family.

[citation needed] In January 2023, Merlino reappeared in the news when he posed for a photograph with former U.S. president Donald Trump at a Trump-owned golf club, with both men making a "thumbs up" gesture.

[73][74][independent source needed] As a result of his status as a social media personality, Merlino was reportedly demoted and excommunicated, or "put on a shelf", by the Philadelphia family in 2024, and replaced as boss by George Borgesi.

Merlino's expulsion and designation as persona non grata among Cosa Nostra marked the first time a Mafia boss on the East Coast had been banished without breaking the oath of omertà.