January 24–31, 2002

news|underworld

Long John Lead

Was Ray Martorano’s shooting a message?

by M. Novak

You can call me Ray: Long John Martorano talks to the press.

Last week, Raymond "Long John" Martorano was ambushed on his way to the doctor’s office. Police sources claimed this was a mob hit.

But one mob insider, who works for reputed acting mob boss Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi, has a different theory.

"It was a carjacking gone wrong," the mob insider tells City Paper. "It’s a shame when an old man can’t drive through Center City safe from carjackers," the mob insider chuckles. "At least, that’s what it seems like to me."

Police would strongly disagree. At 74 years old, Raymond "Long John" Martorano was trying to make a comeback, according to police sources in the Organized Crime Unit, who also say that Martorano was shot on the orders of the reputed mob boss. Ligambi’s attorney, Michael Pinsky of New Jersey, declined comment. Martorano’s attorney, F. Emmett Fiztpatrick Jr., did not return phone calls for this article.

Martorano had served 17 years in prison. He had a Mafia pedigree — starting out as a high-ranking associate to ’70s mob boss Angelo Bruno.

And Martorano was also the Mafia’s link to outlaw motorcycle gangs, African-American gangsters, the Roofers Union and the Northeast Philly mob.

But it wasn’t until Nicky Scarfo became boss that Martorano was initiated into the mob.

By the mid-’70s, Martorano and Bruno had a joint checking account. Later that decade, when Bruno needed guns to prepare for a potential mob war, he asked Martorano for help. Martorano then allegedly placed an order for 10 .22-caliber automatics with the South Jersey bartenders union boss, Ralph Natale. And Natale turned to mob hit man Charlie Allen to fill the order.

In 1976, Bruno denied he was a mob boss and listed his occupation as a cigarette and tobacco salesman for John’s Vending Corp. John’s Vending, which eventually became John’s Wholesale Distributors, was owned by various members of Martorano’s family.

Two medical-service-related businesses were also run from the John’s Wholesale office: a firm to provide health benefits to union and employee groups and a medical transportation company for the aged and handicapped, both run by members of the Martorano clan.

In 1979, an associate of Martorano was arrested by DEA agents in Florida for selling cocaine and Quaaludes.

In March 1980, Bruno was assassinated, and his ally, Roofers Union boss John McCullough, was ordered by the new boss, Philip "Chicken Man" Testa, to get out of Atlantic City.

McCullough ignored Testa and was gunned down by a hit man posing as a flower deliveryman.

The next year, in April 1981, then-mob boss Nicky Scarfo made Raymond "Long John" Martorano a full-fledged member of the Mafia.

A month later, one of the leaders of the local Greek mob, Chelsais "Steve" Bouras was gunned down while dining with Martorano and Philly radio personality Jerry Blavat at a South Philadelphia restaurant.

Police claim Martorano set up Bouras for the hit because Bouras refused to pay a mob street tax to Scarfo. But authorities never charged Martorano in connection with the murder.

In 1982, Martorano, John Berkery and 36 others were indicted for running a large meth ring. Berkery was not only a close friend of Martorano, he was also the head of a predominantly Irish-American, multigenerational organized-crime group based in Northeast Philadelphia and called the K&A Gang (originally based in Kensington and now known as the Northeast Philly mob). Martorano was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But Berkery fled to Ireland, where, it was alleged, he had contacts with the outlawed Irish Republican Army.

In 1983, Martorano’s son, George Martorano, and 11 others were arrested for running a $75 million-a-year drug ring. The junior Martorano’s associates included members of the Black Mafia and a black Muslim prison gang. George Martorano was convicted and sentenced to life .

In 1984, Ray Martorano and mob associate Albert Diadone were tried, convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of union boss John McCullough.

In November 1999, the conviction was overturned, and Martorano was released from prison.

When Martorano left prison, sources in the underworld say, he claimed that the mob owed him $200,000 — money he left on the street that financed gambling and loansharking rackets for two decades. According to the sources, Martorano claims that the money was used over the years by mob bosses Nicky Scarfo, John Stanfa, Ralph Natale and Joey Merlino.

Mob insiders claim that when reputed acting boss Joe Ligambi refused to give Martorano his share, Martorano began plotting to take over the mob.

"Martorano started going around telling people he was going to be the boss," one Ligambi associate told City Paper. "He was bragging to people he was going to be in charge. And we were telling him to retire to Florida while he still could."

Martorano ignored Ligambi’s warnings. Sources claim he made trips to New York City to solicit support from the five crime families to back his bid for a hostile takeover of the Philly Cosa Nostra.

And, sources allege, Martorano recruited members of the Northeast Philly mob, as shooters for the coming mob war.

But last week, before Martorano could make his move, underworld insiders claim, Ligambi’s gunmen made their move first. At 4:30 in the afternoon, an unknown person or persons fired three bullets through the windshield of Martorano’s Lincoln Town Car as he drove up Spruce Street near Eighth to his doctor’s office. Martorano, hit in the stomach, arm and chest, was rushed to Pennsylvania Hospital in critical condition.