New Jersey ‘mobster’, 59, is caught on tape conspiring to sell laced heroin by undercover FBI agent

A New Jersey man and reputed member of the Philadelphia mob indicted himself in a conspiracy to sell heroin during a conversation captured by an FBI informant wearing a wire, authorities have revealed.

Joseph Servidio, 59, an alleged ‘soldier’ for the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra crime family, pleaded guilty on June 17 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

He was arrested last March following a two-year FBI investigation in which he’s said to have regularly discussed his life as a gangster, in recordings documented on an undercover agent’s hidden wire.

‘I’m a criminal. Everything I do is criminal,’ Servidio declared in one recording during a conversation with another member of La Cosa Nostra. ‘I need like $250,000 a year, or two, to break even. That’s what I need.

Joseph Servidio, a believed soldier for the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra crime family, pleaded guilty on June 17 to conspiring to sell heroin

 Secret FBI recordings: What did Servidio say?

– Getting caught on tape: 

‘Eighty percent of eyewitnesses got the wrong person. Eighty percent. They look like the person … so without any corroborating evidence, you can even beat that,’ Servidio explained, according to arrest documents. ‘The things you can’t beat are the tapes…with you saying it.’

– ‘I’m a criminal’:

 ‘We need something (income) legitimate. I’m a criminal. Everything I do is criminal, I got to get out of it. … I need like $250,000 a year, or two, to break even. That’s what I need. So I got to do other (criminal) things, ’cause I don’t make enough money’

 – Illegal activity: 

‘We don’t want, we’re not looking to take over the whole town, people don’t know, need to know who the f— we are (Philadelphia LCN). Only if they give us a hard time, then we tell them who we are, we push our chest out…there’s nothing better than making money. I make money every day, illegally. I don’t want to do this s**t.’ 

‘There’s nothing better than making money,’ he said in a later interaction. ‘I make money every day, illegally.’

Hours of recordings were captured between May 2016 and March 2018, and in large consisted of conversations between Servidio and two associates.

In one exchange with the federal informant, Servidio was ironically caught talking about how it’s impossible to evade arrest when authorities capture confessions in secret audio recordings.

‘Eighty percent of eyewitnesses got the wrong person. Eighty percent. They look like the person … so without any corroborating evidence, you can even beat that,’ Servidio explained, according to arrest documents. ‘The things you can’t beat are the tapes…with you saying it.’

Even more troublingly, speaking in mafia tongues in one phone call, Servidio appeared to even brag about committing his first murder to the undercover agent, where he discussed ‘making my bones’ when he was 19-years-old.

‘The phrase “making bones” signifies the committing of a murder, and that Servidio was claiming to have killed somebody when Servidio was 19 years of age,’ authorities explained.

The recorded meetings, as detailed din a 64-page indictment, occurred at Servidio’s home in Marmora, around 20 miles south of Atlantic City.

Servidio is currently being held in the Monmouth County jail and is expected to reappear in court on September 24, where prosecutors will seek a sentence of 151 months in prison

Servidio is currently being held in the Monmouth County jail and is expected to reappear in court on September 24, where prosecutors will seek a sentence of 151 months in prison

The complaint also names two other New Jersey residents, Carl Chianese of Point Pleasant and Michael Gallicchio of Garfield

As well as the scheme to sell heroin laced the fentanyl, the FBI says other recordings capture Servidio speaking about whacking mob rivals, maximizing drug profits and laundering money.

Joseph 'Uncle Joe' Ligambi was the former leader of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra crime family

Joseph ‘Uncle Joe’ Ligambi was the former leader of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra crime family

On July 6, 2017, Servidio and Chianese were allegedly recording hanging outside of a drug-dealing associate’s home for three hours, waiting for the optimum moment to gun him down without a trace.

The motive for the whacking is said to be because the target of the hit, listed only as ‘individual 3’, was suspected of ‘talking openly and disparagingly about Servidio’s criminal activity’.

The two men discussed at length as to how they would eviscerate any trace of their presence at the crime scene.

‘Me and Carl got two phones, just [exclusively] for this, you know,’ Servidio can be heard saying. ‘The thing is everything is away. I’ve been leaving my phones home. I made him [Chianese] leave his E-ZPass home. We paid cash, you know.’

As well as the scheme to sell heroin laced the fentanyl, the FBI says other recordings capture Servidio speaking about whacking mob rivals, maximizing drug profits and laundering money (pictured: Members of Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra crime family, including Joseph Servidio, near right, are observed by FBI surveillance during the 1980s)

As well as the scheme to sell heroin laced the fentanyl, the FBI says other recordings capture Servidio speaking about whacking mob rivals, maximizing drug profits and laundering money (pictured: Members of Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra crime family, including Joseph Servidio, near right, are observed by FBI surveillance during the 1980s)

Hours of recordings were captured between May 2016 and March 2018, and in large consisted of conversations between Servidio and two associates. The FBI says other recordings capture Servidio speaking about whacking mob rivals, maximizing drug profits and laundering money

Hours of recordings were captured between May 2016 and March 2018, and in large consisted of conversations between Servidio and two associates. The FBI says other recordings capture Servidio speaking about whacking mob rivals, maximizing drug profits and laundering money

Described as ‘made member’ and ‘soldier’ of the Philly-based mob outfit, Servidio also claimed to be working with caporegime – a mafia term meaning leader of a crew – of other organized crime families.

As part of his extensive criminal enterprising, in December 2016, Servidio was said to be in the market for a revolver as the handguns don’t leave behind shell casings once they’re fired – therefore leaving no evidence.

‘Does he got any revolvers … like a .32, .38 [caliber]?’ an undercover agent said. ‘Just like something you put on like a foot or something to just have?’

Servidio responded: ‘Well not, not to just to have, to use it and throw it the f*** away…Don’t want no cases to come out…A revolver, it’s better off.’

The Mafioso’s guilty plea comes after striking a deal with prosecutors at the end of March, believing a confession to be in his ‘best interests’, Servidio’s attorney explained to NJLive.com.

‘Based on the totality of the circumstances and a review of all the evidence in this case, it was in my client’s best interest to resolve it at this juncture. We intend to present mitigating information and evidence at the time of sentencing.’

Servidio is currently being held in the Monmouth County jail and is expected to reappear in court on September 24, where prosecutors will seek a sentence of 151 months in prison.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk