Giovanni "John" Stanfa (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni ˈstaɱfa]; born December 7, 1940) is an Italian-born American mobster and former boss of the Philadelphia crime family from 1990 to 1995.

[3] On March 21, 1980, Bruno was killed by a shotgun blast in the back of the head as he sat in his car in front of his home at the intersection of 10th Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia, while Stanfa, his driver, was wounded.

In December 1980, Stanfa was arrested in Baltimore, where he was working as a baker in a pizza shop, and taken back to Philadelphia on charges that he had lied to the grand jury about meetings with mobsters after Bruno's death.

While Joey Merlino was in prison in 1990, he met Ralph Natale, and the two allegedly conspired to take over the Philadelphia crime family from Stanfa.

[10] 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.

Merlino was mainly supported by a group of young mobsters he knew since childhood while Stanfa, in an unusual tactic recruited for his side several men who were not of Italian heritage, including the Veasey brothers.

According to the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, Frederick T. Martens, "Stanfa brought in people, like the Veasey brothers, who had no background in the mob but who were willing to break legs and pull a trigger".