July 19–26, 2001

news

The Goodbye Gang

Mob relatives meet as their loved ones await a verdict.

by Jim Barry

Last Friday night, the jury in the federal racketeering trial of Joey Merlino and six other defendants shuffled out of the courtroom to begin deliberations.

The jurors met over the weekend, and by Monday, family and friends of the defendants were feeling the tension. The jury sent questions to the judge about one of the murders and about acts of "racketeering."

On Monday morning, Angelo Lutz, the only defendant in the case who is free on bail, went to meet with defense attorneys, while his 70-year-old mother, Helen waited at home.

"When he left," Helen told City Paper, "I didn’t know if he was coming back or not."

Monday afternoon, Mrs. Lutz went to over to Rita Merlino’s house to wait with some of the other wives and mothers of the defendants, including Stevie Mazzone’s mom and Kathy Ciancaglini.

"It was very nice that Rita opened her home so everybody could be together," Helen Lutz said. "She was even planning to get a bus for everybody to ride to court if the verdict was announced."

During the trial, Rita Merlino was often in court to show support for her son, Joey. "She is a veteran of these trials," one mob insider told City Paper. "Rita’s seen her husband sent to prison for the rest of his life. Her brother-in-law disappeared into the witness protection program years ago. And she had to live through the time when Sal Testa, the man who was once engaged to Rita’s daughter, Maria Merlino, was killed. Rita is tough. She’s feisty. She is proud to stand by her family. Of course, if Joey is convicted, it will tear her heart out."

Joey Merlino’s wife, Deborah, was also said to be staying with mother-in-law Rita since the jury began deliberations. When Joey Merlino was on the street, he loved to talk about sports and politics and on rare ocassions, about family — not his alleged "crime family," but his wife and two daughters.

Merlino was a doting father. He and his wife put their older daughter in a private preschool known for its early learning program, and the reputed crime boss often spent his mornings dropping off and picking up his daughter from preschool.

Joey Merlino spoke often of his plans to send both daughters to college. "They’re not going to marry some knucklehead and hang out in South Philly. They’re going to do something with themselves when they grow up," Merlino told friends. He said that he was already saving money for his daughters’ college tuition.

A friend of Merlino’s told City Paper, "Joey loves his wife and daughters. But thank God he had daughters. If he had had a son, his kid would’ve followed him into this life."

Friends of the Merlino family told City Paper that Deborah was devastated when Joey was first arrested and had to spend Christmas in jail. "She told the kids that Joey was off helping Santa Claus," a family friend said. "But she knows her girls are growing up fast. Sooner or later they’ll figure out the real story and it just breaks Deborah’s heart. All she wants is for Joey to come home."

Back in the Lutz household, on Monday night, Angelo Lutz was trying to calculate his odds with the jury. Lutz said that he worries about his mother, who is ill and has to travel with a portable oxygen tank. "My mother took out two mortgages on our house to pay my gambling debts. Now they want to put me in jail for gambling," Lutz said.

But Lutz claims that he and his mother made the decision to reject a government plea bargain and go to trial a while ago. "I wasn’t going to plead guilty to something I’m not guilty of," Lutz said.

His mother, Helen, said she didn’t want to think about what her life would be like if her son Angelo was convicted. "My God," Helen said, "even talking about that makes me so upset."

Angelo Lutz said he is ready for anything. "I went to war with the government. I know that. I’ve been waging a war with them. Maybe I’ll win. Maybe I’ll go to jail. Whatever happens, I know I did the right thing."

Helen Lutz said "I just want to know what the jury is going to do about Angelo. Waiting. Just waiting, waiting, waiting to find out. That’s the hardest part."