Philly Prime Podcast

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Philly mob stories with reporterly memory.

The gist

Philly Prime Podcast blends Mob Talk Sit Down case analysis with Philly-rooted news judgment. Episodes revisit indictments, cold cases, mafia power shifts, art-heist theories, and the occasional Eagles pressure point.

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About Philly Prime Podcast

Philly Prime Podcast is a Philadelphia-centered organized-crime and local-news conversation built around cases, personalities, and unanswered questions. Its regular Mob Talk Sit Down episodes focus on the modern remnants and long memory of mafia activity in Philadelphia and nearby states. The show is not slick true-crime theater. It sounds closer to beat reporters talking through what they know, what they have heard, and what still does not add up. That gives the episodes a useful tension. A Lucchese gambling indictment becomes a discussion of the Perna wing, bookmaking records, port investigators, parallel cases, and the practical reasons many defendants may plead out. A cold-case arrest in the Gino Marconi murder turns into a step-by-step look at old neighborhood violence, drug investigations, home invasions, and the pressure a new charge can create. The Gardner Art Museum robbery episode widens the map to Boston and Philadelphia while staying careful about evidence. It considers how stolen art can be easy to take and nearly impossible to monetize. The Philadelphia mob episodes return often to status, reputation, and the strange value of being seen as a boss when history shows how punishing that role can be. Joey Merlino, George Borghese, Mike Lancelotti, John Stamfa, and older names surface as reference points rather than decorative lore. The show also tracks mob-adjacent gambling stories, including sports-betting and poker scandals where the integrity of games becomes the central concern. It occasionally steps outside crime, as in Eagles playoff talk, but the core identity remains mob history, court developments, and Philadelphia street memory. The pacing is conversational. The appeal is in the accumulation of detail. Listeners get context from people who remember earlier cases and still care about what the paperwork, sources, and silence may mean.

Made for: For listeners who follow organized crime, Philadelphia history, court cases, and mob-era fallout without needing sensational packaging. It also suits true-crime fans who prefer evidence, local context, and careful speculation over scripted drama.

What sets it apart: The show’s strength is its mix of current case tracking and deep Philadelphia mob memory. It keeps separating rumor, street talk, public image, and provable evidence while still making room for the old neighborhood context behind each story.

In their own words

Mob Podcast

Why you'd press play

A Philly theory about a half-billion-dollar art heist gets the question you want: where's the evidence?

Press play if you want

  • to hear Dave and George Anastasia test mob leadership rumors against what they can establish
  • to follow the Gardner theft into the awkward problem of selling a famous painting
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Philadelphia mob historyLucchese crime family casesbookmaking and sports bettingcold case gangland murdersJoey Merlino public imageGardner Art Museum robbery theoriesmob leadership rumorsPhiladelphia Eagles talk

Talks about

Best episodes of Philly Prime Podcast

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

13 Perfect Fugitives. Inside the Gardner Art Museum Robbery and the Philly ConnectionFeb 25, 2026

A retired FBI agent maps the Gardner heist, its security breakdown, and a cautious Philadelphia thread.

The Philly Prime Podcast treats the Gardner Art Museum heist less like a caper than a slow collapse of safeguards. With George Anastasia alongside him, the host talks with Jeffrey Kelly, a retired former FBI agent from Boston and author of 13 Perfect Fugitives, about the 1:24…

Mob Talk Sitdown/Philly Prime: Lucchese Crime Family TroublesNov 25, 2025

A measured look at the Perna wing's charges, bookmaking allegations, and the investigation behind them.

Philly Prime follows the pressure building around the Lucchese crime family's Perna wing in New Jersey, moving from the 40 people picked up in April to later charges against 14 more, including Little Joe Perna.

Mob War: Philadelphia vs The MafiaOct 24, 2025

A Philadelphia mob discussion connects Mob War with the darker logic behind an NBA gambling and video-poker scam.

Mob Talk Sit Down and the Philly Prime Podcast pair an NBA gambling and video-poker scam with Mob War, using the two stories to look at gambling, mob economics, and the trust people place in games.

Feds/Philly Crack Cold Case Gangland MurderSep 2, 2025

A decades-later murder arrest opens a measured look at secrecy, motive, and Philadelphia's underworld.

Philly Prime Podcast follows the arrest of Richard Leidy in the April 1999 murder of Gino Marconi, a case that has resurfaced 26 years later with its motive still unsettled.

The Philly Mob: Who’s The Boss. Who’s Out, Who’s InMay 23, 2025

A grounded summer look at Philly mob power, where branding, street talk, and law enforcement reporting do not quite line up.

The Philly Prime Podcast frames the Philly mob's top job as more than a simple succession question. It is about identity, public image, and risk.

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Episodes

  1. 1

    13 Perfect Fugitives. Inside the Gardner Art Museum Robbery and the Philly Connection

    Hidden gem

    Jeffrey Kelly, a retired FBI agent out of Boston and author of 13 Perfect Fugitives, lays out the 1990 Gardner Art Museum heist, when two men dressed as Boston police entered at 1:24 a.m.

    Feb 25, 2026·44m·2 clips
  2. 2

    Mob Talk Sitdown/Philly Prime: Lucchese Crime Family Troubles

    Hidden gem

    Philly Prime Podcast and George Anastasia focus on the Lucchese crime family’s New Jersey troubles, with Little Joe Perna facing a new bookmaking case tied to a reported $2 million operation.

    Nov 25, 2025·26m·1 clip
  3. 3

    Mob War: Philadelphia vs The Mafia

    Hidden gem

    Philly Prime Podcast opens with two linked stories: an NBA gambling scandal involving Terry Rozier’s reported $24 million salary and a Netflix documentary, Mob War: Philadelphia vs The Mafia, that reached number one.

    Oct 24, 2025·53m·3 clips
  4. 4

    Feds/Philly Crack Cold Case Gangland Murder

    Hidden gem

    Philly Prime Podcast and Mob Talk Sit Down focuses on the FBI and Philadelphia homicide arrest of Richard Leidy in the April 1999 murder of Gino Marconi, a case that surfaced 26 years later.

    Sep 2, 2025·34m·2 clips
  5. 5

    The Philly Mob: Who’s The Boss. Who’s Out, Who’s In

    Hidden gem

    Philly Prime Podcast centers on Joey Merlino’s Philly Magazine Q&A, where he says he is “no longer involved” in crime, was “never involved in violence,” and wants to franchise a cheesesteak business into “a thousand restaurants.” George Anastasia frames that rebrand against a long Philadelphia mob history, then turns to the question of who is actually leading now, naming Michael Lancelotti and George Borghese as the most discussed candidates.

    May 23, 2025·34m·2 clips
  6. 6

    Philly Prime Podcast/ Mobtalk Sitdown: Lucchese gambling operations

    Hidden gem

    A New Jersey investigation reportedly involving $3 million over two years puts alleged Lucchese gambling operations and a Prospect Park councilman under scrutiny.

    Apr 14, 2025·36m·2 clips
  7. 7

    Philly Prime Podcast/Mobtalk Sitdown

    Steve Mazzone left prison for a Philadelphia halfway house after serving two years and three months of a five-year sentence.

    Mar 21, 2025·27m·2 clips
  8. 8

    Philly Prime Podcast/Mob Talk Sitdown Year End Review for 2024

    George Anastasia describes the Philadelphia mob in 2024 as a diminished organization with few major indictments or headlines.

    Dec 30, 2024·35m·2 clips
  9. 9

    Philly Prime Podcast. Trump’s Sweeping Victory

    Host Dave Schratweiser and analyst Bruce Gordon review Donald Trump's win over Kamala Harris, with all seven swing states going to Trump.

    Nov 7, 2024·1h·2 clips
  10. 10

    Philly Prime Podcast. The Presidential and Senate Races in Red Hot Swing State Pennsylvania

    Fox News analyst Bruce Gordon says Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes make it the biggest of about seven swing states, and that state law means mail-in ballots will be counted after in-person votes.

    Oct 17, 2024·55m·2 clips
  11. 11

    Philly Prime Podcast: The Stunning indictment of one of the region’s top Political Power Brokers.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin announced a 111-page, 13-count racketeering indictment of South Jersey power broker George Norcross and five others, and Norcross attended the Monday news conference in Trenton.

    Jun 20, 2024·38m·2 clips
  12. 12

    MobtalkSitdown/PhillyPrimePodcast: Lucchese Wiseguy Martin Taccetta making his case in court!

    May 9, 2024·36m
  13. 13

    Philly Prime Podcast: Ghost Guns & Homemade "Switches" Fuel Gun Violence / Update on the Pagans MC

    Apr 26, 2024·31m
  14. 14

    Philly Prime Podcast. The Martin Taccetta Court Saga Takes A Turn

    Apr 4, 2024·28m
  15. 15

    Philly Prime Ep 113: Feds bring RICO case on LaForte Brothers. Plus Anthony Persiano Update.

    Feb 29, 2024·36m
  16. 16

    Philly Prime Ep 112 - Gov. Shapiro: A rising star in the Democratic Party

    Feb 22, 2024·44m
  17. 17

    Philly Prime Ep 111 - A Mob Case You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

    Jan 25, 2024·33m
  18. 18

    Philly Prime Ep 110 - E-A-G-L-E-S Dave Talks Birds with Bill Colarulo Jr

    Dave Schratweiser and Bill Colarulo Jr discuss the Philadelphia Eagles' recent struggles and upcoming playoff game against the Buccaneers.

    Jan 11, 2024·45m
  19. 19

    Philly Prime Ep 109 - New Mayor & New Police Commissioner

    Dec 26, 2023·31m
  20. 20

    Philly Prime Ep 108 - Fairmount Park Rapist Suspect in Custody. 20 year old Cold Case Cracked

    Dec 21, 2023·29m
  21. 21

    Philly Prime Ep 107 - Bloods Bombshell, Big Drug Bust Involving Bloods 5-Star General

    Dec 7, 2023·32m
  22. 22

    Philly Prime Ep 106 Philly’s New Mayor….Johnny Doc goes on trial

    Nov 9, 2023·43m
  23. 23

    Philly Prime Ep 105: Merlino/Stanfa Mob War. Expressway Mob Hit

    Nov 2, 2023·35m
  24. 24

    Philly Prime Ep 104 Gino Marconi Murder

    Oct 12, 2023·23m
  25. 25

    Philly Prime Ep 103 Johnny “Gongs” Cassasanto Murder

    Oct 9, 2023·29m
  26. 26

    Philly Prime Ep 102

    Oct 2, 2023·30m
  27. 27

    Philly Prime Ep 101

    Sep 29, 2023·29m
  28. 28

    Philly Prime Ep 100

    Sep 14, 2023·46m
  29. 29

    Philly Prime Ep 99

    Sep 1, 2023·20m
  30. 30

    Philly Prime Ep 96

    Jul 17, 2023·28m
  31. 31

    Philly Prime EP 97

    Jul 13, 2023·28m
  32. 32

    Philly Prime Ep 95

    Jun 15, 2023·39m
  33. 33

    Philly Prime Ep 94

    Jun 1, 2023·43m
  34. 34

    Philly Prime Podcast 93

    May 18, 2023·49m
  35. 35

    Philly Prime Podcast 92

    May 4, 2023·50m
  36. 36

    Philly Prime Podcast 91

    Apr 13, 2023·28m
  37. 37

    Philly Prime Podcast 90

    Mar 31, 2023·35m
  38. 38

    Philly Prime Podcast 89

    Mar 30, 2023·35m
  39. 39

    Philly Prime Podcast 88

    Mar 16, 2023·35m
  40. 40

    Philly Prime Podcast 87

    Mar 2, 2023·41m
  41. 41

    Philly Prime Podcast 86

    Feb 16, 2023·42m
  42. 42

    Philly Prime Podcast 85

    Feb 2, 2023·49m
  43. 43

    Philly Prime Podcast 84

    Jan 19, 2023·35m
  44. 44

    Philly Prime Podcast 83

    Jan 12, 2023·34m
  45. 45

    Philly Prime Podcast 82

    Dec 8, 2022·52m
  46. 46

    Philly Prime Podcast 81

    Dec 2, 2022·56m
  47. 47

    Philly Prime Podcast 80

    Nov 10, 2022·56m
  48. 48

    Philly Prime Podcast 79

    Oct 27, 2022·1h
  49. 49

    Philly Prime Podcast 78

    Former police deputy commissioner Kevin Bethel discusses a shooting outside Roxborough High School that killed a 14-year-old and wounded four others.

    Oct 5, 2022·48m
  50. 50

    Philly Prime Podcast 77

    Dave Schratweiser interviews crime reporter Kelly Rule about the surge in murders and shootings in Philadelphia, focusing on youth involvement and a special project called Save Our Streets.

    Sep 21, 2022·29m