He had absolutely no shame in what he said.
Infamous Philadelphia mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino greeted a juror in a highly intimidating manner during his racketeering trial, outside a Manhattan courtroom, the juror revealed on Thursday.
The juror told federal Judge Richard Sullivan that she was waiting for the lift when Merlino spoke to her, according to the official transcript of their closed-door meeting in the judge’s robing room.
The juror explained that as Merlino approached her, he greeted her by saying “hi, Sylvia”, while surrounded by a group the juror described as his ‘crew’.
“There was some people. I guess his crew. I’m saying ‘crew’ because I don’t know what else to say, his crew that was all over that side, I guess waiting for somebody to come out or something,” she said.
While most people would be terrified by the thought of the mob boss whose guilt or innocence they are obliged to judge knowing their name, the juror explained that she “just turned my [her] head, like, ‘some nerve.'”
The juror was insistent that the interaction would not impede on her ability to be fair and impartial as part of the jury. When asked by the judge whether it would affect her impartiality, she said “no, not at all.” She is clearly braver than most.
