Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Member and Associate Plead Guilty to Making and Collecting Extortionate Loans

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Philip Narducci, 56, of Philadelphia, and James Gallo, 44, of Philadelphia, entered pleas of guilty today before Judge Timothy Savage on several counts relating to making and collecting upon extortionate loans.  Narducci is a member of the Philadelphia organized crime family La Cosa Nostra (LCN), and Gallo is his associate.

At the hearing, the defendants both admitted that Narducci made usurious and extortionate loans involving tens of thousands of dollars to an unnamed borrower.  When the borrower failed to make weekly interest payments – sometimes with an interest rate above 80 percent - Narducci used threats of violence and actual physical assault to force the borrower to repay the loans.  One such incident occurred at Chick’s Philly, a bar and restaurant operated by Narducci, on Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia.  In one particularly disturbing exchange, Gallo told the borrower he should be scared of Narducci, saying, “He’s a killer you f***ing idiot.  He’s killed f***ing eight people.”

“Philadelphians deserve to be safe and live without the fear or threat of violence, especially from unscrupulous defendants like these,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “My Office takes organized crime in this District very seriously, and will investigate and prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This organized crime network threatened the safety of our neighborhoods by extorting and assaulting Philadelphians,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “Thanks to strong collaboration between our law enforcement partners, we were able to put an end to this criminal behavior and keep the people of Philadelphia safe. We will continue working together to investigate and prosecute organized crime wherever we find it.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan B. Ortiz.