Organized Crime Figure. He was head of Organized Crime in Philadelphia and was considered for a period, one of the most powerful leaders on the East Coast. Prone to fits of violence, Scafro was personally involved with the murders or arrangement of murders of scores of people over a three-decade period. Allegedly, he once had someone killed for simply making derogatory remarks to him. Born in Brooklyn, into an Italian family with ties to the mob, he had enlisted with the Bruno crime family during the 1950s, rose up the ranks and established himself in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in such activities as murder, racketeering and extortion. His power increased dramatically, when Atlantic City became a gambling resort in 1978, which resulted in the expansion of his criminal activity and control over illegal operations. The death of Philadelphia mob boss Angelo Bruno (who was gunned down at the wheel of his car) in 1980, marked the beginning of a decade-long, violent period within the Organized Crime families of Philadelphia. Scafro was serving time in prison on weapons charged when Philip 'Chicken Man' Testa took control as top crime boss. Testa was killed in 1981, when he was blown up by a bomb on the porch of his South Philadelphia home, which resulted in Scarfo assuming control as leader of Organized Crime in Philadelphia. Unlike Bruno, Scarfo used force and violence as a means for control. He was accused of arranging for the assassination of Salvatore Testa in 1984 (son of Philip Testa), in fear of Testa's increasing power within the organization. Scafro was later acquitted of this, however he was indicted in multiple counts of extortion, as well as the arrangement of several murders and attempted murders and was sentenced to a very lengthy prison sentence. The book "Blood and Honor: Inside the Scafro Mob- The Mafia's Most Violent Family" was published in 2003. Scafro was highlighted in a 2008 episode from the TV series "Mobsters".