Why Notorious Philly Mob Boss And Informant Ralph Natale Is Suing The United States Government

 

Tara Murtha at the Philadelphia Weekly offers an interesting piece on former Philadelphia Cosa Nostra boss and government informant Ralph Natale, who is suing the federal government.

After Ralph Natale was released from prison last year, he and his wife Lucy settled into new digs at an undisclosed location. It looks like the typical home of any other great-grandparents: A figurine of a cat in a Santa hat sits on the table alongside a mug with “Wish. Let your heart be light” emblazoned inside it. A flower portrait painted by one of the kids hangs on the walls. A dusty copy of Moonstruck sits atop the VCR next to a jumbo book of crossword puzzles.

Nothing about the place suggests Natale’s dubious distinction of being the first American mob boss to turn government witness.


... At 77, Natale has spent nearly half his life in prison. He went to prison for the first time in 1980, serving 15 years for firebombing a furniture store in an insurance scam. After he got out in 1995, he was Philly’s mob boss until 1999, when he was indicted for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine—after already having been picked up on a parole violation for associating with known criminals the year before. He was facing life when he cut a deal with the feds.


You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/Ralph-Natale-versus-the-United-States-166956006.html?page=1&comments=1&showAll=

You can also read an earlier post on Ralph Natale via the below link:

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2011/09/did-king-rat-ralph-natale-entrap.html