Our sister city here in Bucks County has a colorful history of alleged organized crime. The papers have written about the "decline" of organized mafia crime over the years with colorful figures reaching an elderly age or being incarcerated. Yet, the fixation continues.
Yesterday, George Borgesi, the Philadelphia mob's former consigliere, was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy. This is the second time prosecutors failed to reach a conviction.
There is still the federal trial of Nicodemo Scarfo and associates. My look at the case is that it is not only flimsy, but the prosecution is trying to rest upon reputed mafia ties of the defendants to obtain a conviction. By all accounts, the case has nothing to do with "organized crime" or a "mafia". It has a big name in the mix, but that does not mean this is a "mob case". So far, as the case just starts, the most interesting part was that George Anastasia, the famous reporter and radio host who covers crime in Philadelphia, was put on the witness list and is potentially barred from the courtroom (for sequestration purposes):
An interesting legal question arose before the trial started when Pelullo's attorney asked that George Anastasia, present to cover the case for the website BigTrial.net, be barred from openings and testimony because he is on the witness list.
But, as a Bucks County criminal defense lawyer, taxpayer, and neighbor watching from afar, you wonder about the prosecution's fixation with trying to get convictions on what appears to be a defunct group of individuals. You have National Geographic talking about how Philadelphia is a "Fallen City" due to drugs in Kensington (watch the show if you want to be shocked about what is right next door. You have a serious gun problem in Philadelphia. Yet, you have prosecutors going after one or two counts of essentially non-violent crimes. It just doesn't make sense with limited resources.Anastasia, who covered the mob extensively for The Inquirer and has also written about the FirstPlus case, said he had no idea what testimony he would be asked to provide.
Anastasia said he was considering filing a complaint should the motion be granted, because prohibiting him from the courtroom would also prevent him from doing his job writing about the case.