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Merlino disputes this, saying he has retired from a life of crime. Since his release from prison in 2011, the FBI and organized crime reporters believe he continues to run the Philadelphia–South Jersey Mafia. 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. He is the son of deceased Philadelphia crime family underboss Chuckie Merlino. 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.

He has led the crime family in gambling, loan sharking, drug trafficking, and extortion. He rose to power in the mid-nineties after he allegedly fought a war for control of the criminal organization. Joseph Salvatore 'Skinny Joey' Merlino (born March 13, 1962) is an American mobster and reputed boss of the Philadelphia crime family.

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