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Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia, the three-part docuseries, streamed on Netflix on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. The docuseries explores the open war between gangs in Philadelphia. Former mob boss Joey Merlino is one of the major players in this Netflix series. One surprising element about Merlino is the direction he took his career after being released from prison.
Joey Merlino, after his recent release from prison on charges of illegal gambling, pivoted in the most shocking direction, becoming a restaurateur and a podcaster. Netflix's Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia shines a light on the various scandals associated with Merlino, a man once regarded as one of Philadelphia's biggest mob bosses.
The synopsis for Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia reads:
"The docuseries traces the turbulent saga of Philly’s mob, beginning with the power vacuum left by Scarfo’s 1986 arrest. John Stanfa, backed by New York’s Five Families to restore order and return business to the shadows, soon found his old-school grip threatened by a new breed of mobsters. Led by Joey Merlino, these flashy, fearless upstarts had little respect for tradition and everything to prove. Their rebellion ignited a vicious war of shifting loyalties and deadly vendettas, tearing the City of Brotherly Love apart — and drawing the scrutiny of national media and the FBI."
Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia: Who is Joey Merlino?
Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia primarily focuses on the open war between two mob bosses, John Stanfa and Joey Merlino. In the 1990s, John Stanfa was the head of the Philadelphia mob, but his authority was challenged by the younger Joey Merlino. Stanfa initially used the “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” strategy with Merlino, inviting him into his inner circle.
This move temporarily thawed the violence between them, but things fell apart by 1993, sparking an all-out gang war between the two mob bosses. Throughout the 1990s, shootouts between their crews became common in the streets of Philadelphia. The war ended in 1994 when Stanfa was arrested and later convicted in 1996. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, which he is serving today in the Federal Medical Center in Ayer, Massachusetts.
After Stanfa’s downfall, Joey Merlino became the most powerful man in Philadelphia. He initially ruled the underworld through Ralph Natale, formally taking over in 1999. However, his hold on the underworld began waning in the 2000s, as Merlino himself was detained in 1999. In December 2001, he was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for racketeering, and a month later, he was charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Merlino was released from prison in March 2011 and moved to a halfway house in Florida. He was supposed to carry out the remainder of his sentence in the halfway house until 2015 under supervised release. However, Merlino violated his supervised release by meeting some Floridian mob figures, which led Judge Richard Barclay Surrick to extend his sentence from January 2015 to April of that year.
Merlino tried to reestablish himself in the underworld after his April 2015 release but was caught again in August 2016 on racketeering charges. The case went to court in 2018, where he pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal gambling transactions as part of a plea bargain, which sentenced him to two years in prison. In October 2019, he was sent to a halfway house, where he served his sentence.
Since then, Merlino has supposedly gone legitimate, having been demoted and excommunicated from the Philadelphia mob family.
More shockingly, Merlino has shifted to podcasting:
More shockingly, Merlino has shifted to podcasting. His pivot to becoming a social media personality supposedly resulted in his excommunication. In addition to running restaurants, Merlino is known for being one of the hosts of the podcast The Skinny with Joey Merlino & Lil Snuff. The podcast is described on its official site as:
"The life and times of Joey Merlino have been told through newspapers, tabloids, and the media for decades. Now, hear Joey’s stories in his own words as he embarks on his next endeavor, storytelling in the digital space. Alongside host and popular Philadelphia content creator, Joe “Lil Snuff” Perri, The Skinny Podcast with Joey Merlino is a long-form conversation lifestyle podcast that features exclusive never-before-told stories from Joey’s life and childhood, special guests from sports and entertainment, discussions on politics, the criminal justice system, true crime, sports picks, opinions, philanthropic efforts and more! Raw and unfiltered, The Skinny Podcast with Joey Merlino and Lil Snuff gives an exclusive authentic glimpse into a world long viewed by the public from the outside for ultimate entertainment. Available on Patreon, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts!"
However, it must be noted that Netflix’s Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia might be a more objective source of information regarding Merlino. The entirety of Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia is currently accessible through Netflix. Binge it entirely to learn more about one of Philadelphia’s darkest chapters.
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