Reputed Philadelphia Mob Soldier Joseph “Joey Electric” Servidio was sentenced by a federal judge in Camden Thursday to 15 years in federal prison after Servidio plead guilty back in July to conspiracy to commit drug trafficking.
Federal Judge Robert Kugler hit the 59 year old North Jersey wiseguy, who claimed he “made his bones” when he was just 19, with added time citing his role as a leader of the drug conspiracy and threats of violence captured on tapes during the FBI investigation.
Servidio’s lawyer, Marco A. Laracca, had argued for a 10 year sentence citing his clients medical difficulties and his early decision to plead guilty and not go to trial. Federal prosecutors had asked the judge to impose a 12.5 year sentence, but Judge Kugler added the extra prison time.
Servidio has already served over 2.5 years on the sentence after he was held on bail.
Servidio was picked up back in March 2018 on cocaine and methamphetamine charges. He was arrested along with three others in a case that looked like it might have ties to higher ups in the Philly Mob, but that never panned out. No additional defendants were ever charged.
Servidio is alleged to be part of a North Jersey crew headed by longtime Mob Capo Joseph “Scoops” Licata, who was acquitted in 2012 in a case involving retired Philly Mob Boss Joe Ligambi and his nephew, Philly Mob Captain George Borgesi.
Servidio was charged along with mob associates Michael Gallicchio, Salvatore “Sam” Piccolo and Carl Chianese, all of whom also plead guilty. The case was put together with the help of former mob soldier turned cooperator Anthony Persiano who made tapes of the conspirators along with an FBI undercover agent.
Chianese, 80, just got 10 years in prison after he plead guilty to charges he helped distribute crystal meth and pills containing heroin or fentanyl. He and Servidio allegedly sold pills to undercover FBI agents at several locations in South Jersey.
Piccolo, 68, was sentenced in November 2019 to 12.5 years in prison
Persiano captured Servidio on tape saying “We need something legitimate. I’m a criminal. Everything I do is criminal….I got to get out of it.”
Servidio was also heard talking about prosecutors using tapes versus eyewitnesses in criminal cases.
“The things you can’t beat are the tapes with you saying it,” Servidio said, according to FBI documents filed in court.
He was also heard bragging to Persiano and the undercover agent, saying “there’s nothing better than making money. I make money everyday, illegally.”
Persiano also plead guilty to charges back in February 2019. He has yet to testify in any courtroom. He has not be sentenced on those charges .
The case put together by Persiano and the FBI reportedly had ties to a popular mob captain in South Philadelphia, but no charges have been filed against anyone else at this point.
