'Made' member of Philly mob pleads guilty

BY MICHAEL HINKELMAN, Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: October 07, 2012

LOUIS "BIG LOU" FAZZINI admitted in federal district court Friday he was a "made" member of the Philadelphia Mafia and pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy.

Fazzini, 45, of Caldwell, N.J., is the fifth of 14 members and associates of the mob charged by the feds with racketeering and related offenses to plead guilty.

Federal prosecutors said Fazzini, who became a "made" member of the Philadelphia mob in 2007, had been a loyal associate of the mob since the 1990s and had previously served a lengthy prison sentence for racketeering.

The feds said Fazzini operated as a member of the North Jersey crew of the Philadelphia mob family, headed by co-defendant and capo Joseph "Scoops" Licata. Licata has pleaded not guilty in the case.

Fazzini ran a sports-bookmaking business and devised a fraudulent scheme to obtain health benefits through a "no show" job controlled by the mob, the government's plea memo said.

As a "no show" employee, Fazzini performed no work or productive services, while still receiving health benefits, court papers said.

Fazzini, who has been in federal custody since his arrest in April, is to be sentenced on Jan. 17.

Contact Michael Hinkelman at hinkelm@phillynews.com or 215-854-2656. Follow him on Twitter @MHinkelman.

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