Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Member and Associate Charged with Making and Collecting Extortionate Loans

An indictment was unsealed today against an alleged member of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (LCN) and his alleged associate.  The indictment charges various crimes involving the making of extortionate loans, conspiracy, and collections of loans by extortionate means.

The charges were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Special Agent in Charge Michael Harpster of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Division.

The defendants charged in the 15-count indictment are Philadelphia LCN Family member Philip Narducci, 56, and his associate James Gallo, 44.

All of the defendants were arrested today and will make initial court appearances in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia at 1:30 pm. EST.

According to the indictment, Narducci allegedly made usurious and extortionate loans involving large amounts of money to a borrower.  As set forth in the indictment, when the borrower failed to make weekly interest payments, Narducci allegedly used physical violence through assault and threats of violence to force the borrower to repay the loans.  The indictment also alleges that, at Narducci’s direction, Gallo collected weekly interest payments on the usurious loans from the borrower and used threats of violence to facilitate the collections.

Each charge of making extortionate extortions of credit, conspiracy to collect extensions of credit by extortionate means, and collections of extensions of credit by extortionate means making extortionate extensions of credit, carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.

An indictment is merely an accusation and each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.