Philip Michael Leonetti (born March 27, 1953) is an American former mobster who served as underboss of the Philadelphia crime family under his uncle and boss, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo. He became a government informant in 1989 after being sentenced to 45 years in prison for racketeering, making him at that time the highest-ranking member of the American Mafia to break his blood oath and turn informant.
Early Life
Leonetti was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Pasquale Leonetti and Annunziata Scarfo. Abandoned by his father at an early age, he was raised by his mother and later moved to Ducktown, the Little Italy neighborhood of Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was supervised by his uncle and other Scarfo family members. He attended Holy Spirit High School, where he played on the school's basketball team. He acquired the nickname "Crazy Phil" in 1978 from a local radio talk show host, though he disliked the moniker and was not referred to as such by his mob peers.
Mob Career
In 1979, Scarfo ordered Leonetti to murder Vincent Falcone, a criminal associate who had been underestimating Scarfo's power. Leonetti shot Falcone twice. A year later, he was formally initiated as a made man in the Philadelphia crime family. By the early 1980s, Leonetti had become a millionaire, controlling a lucrative trade in racketeering, illegal gambling, loan sharking, extortion, and skimming from Atlantic City casinos. Following the murder of boss Philip Testa in 1981, Scarfo secured the top position in the family and promoted Leonetti to underboss in 1986. At age 30, Leonetti became the youngest underboss in American Mafia history.
Cooperation with the Government
In 1989, Leonetti was sentenced to 45 years in prison for racketeering charges, while Scarfo received 55 years. Shortly after his sentencing, Leonetti agreed to testify against Scarfo and the Philadelphia crime family, admitting to participation in ten murders. His cooperation led to his release after serving only five years, after which he entered witness protection.
Later Life
After his release, Leonetti married the former girlfriend of Vincent Falcone, the man he had murdered in 1979. In 2013, he published a book about his criminal life titled Mafia Prince: Inside America's Most Violent Crime Family and the Bloody Fall of La Cosa Nostra, which details accounts of the Five Families, the American Mafia Commission, and other crime families across the United States.
