Description
THE MISFORTUNE OF LELAND & LITTLE NICKY
by Stephen Bruce
What happens when a wayward Philadelphia city councilman conspires with that city’s boss of the Mafia to extort a prominent real estate developer over a bold development deal? If you’re Leland Beloff and Nicky Scarfo, you learn quickly that trying to shake down a mover and shaker like Willard Rouse is a big mistake. Philadelphia in the early 80s was a developer’s dream, as the old city was being reborn practically block by block. Rouse had a vision to transform the city’s historic but moribund waterfront with a massive mixed used development. Unfortunately, the land was in the district represented by Councilman Beloff and anything sponsored by him usually came with a price tag. In this instance Beloff’s friend little Nicky Scarfo envisioned a windfall for mob-run construction companies and service businesses. The two pals conspired to put a price on the approval process for Rouse, which the developer immediately reported to local authorities and the FBI. What followed was an indictment and a wild trial, with Beloff’s legendary attorney Oscar Goodman reveling in the spotlight. Both Beloff and Scarfo wound up doing serious jail time for their crimes, but how it all played out according to this riveting tale rips the cover off of a time when pay to play was how business was done in Philadelphia.
$28
Hardcover, 240 pages
ISBN 9781300452643
Coming in the Fall
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