 | Philly mob boss Joseph (Skinny Joey) Merlino and Genovese capo Eugene (Rooster) Onofrio are among some 46 wise-guys charged last year in a massive racketeering scheme. 39 have already pleaded guilty.
But Merlino, 55, and Onofrio, 75, have not admitted wrongdoing, and their trial is set to start Jan. 16, 2018. Word is that Merlino might beat the apparently flawed federal racketeering charge pending against him in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. |  |
 | The case, with Merlino and two Genovese crime family capos listed as the lead defendants, has fizzled as more details about the investigation surfaced. Two FBI agents were targets of an internal investigation into the way a key cooperating witness was supervised and one was punished. Material gathered by the government included hundreds of secretly recorded conversations by controversial cooperating witness John “JR” Rubeo. Rubeo is a former Genovese crime family associate who began cooperating after being arrested on drug dealing charges about five years ago. |  |
