PHILADELPHIA A Woodstown man and Philadelphia drug kingpin, whose house in Candlelight Village was raided in April 2008, was sentenced to nine years in prison earlier this week, according to. Martorano who once trafficked tons of marijuana and other illegal substances has been reborn as a legal cannabis entrepreneur. Im not saying I was innocent, said Martorano, the son of the late mobster Raymond Long John Martorano. Felix Mitchell. Since the shop opened Jan. 23, the Hip Hemp Cafe has grossed $1,000 to $2,000 a day, Martorano said. With so much time on his hands, Martorano wrote the first of his hard-boiled novels. He had become not only well known, but well respected in this crowd that ran thick with established drug suppliers. Ive turned my nightmare into something more profound, said Martorano, 69. Megan Hartwell, 34, was sentenced to 24 months of probation. Once described by the FBI as a drug kingpin, Martorano has an empire that is small, but he plans to grow it into a chain of 12 shops down the East Coast from Staten Island to Fort Lauderdale. He was released from prison in 2015 for good behavior. Id have to bail out if that happened, said Martorano. The Laredo Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) is charged with manufacturing and importing heroin from Mexico to organizations in several U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, Camden and. Martorano looks nothing like the Philly street hustler he once was. A tall acrylic glass canister was filled with smokable hemp flowers that could be easily confused with psychoactive THC-rich marijuana buds. In November 2018, when law enforcement executed search warrants at the two locations controlled by the defendant, they recovered over two kilograms of heroin in each place and other items consistent with drug trafficking. He feigned nonchalance; just a couple neighborhood kids messing around, he said, nothing to worry about. The question came up more than once. Without chalk and a blackboard, he improvised, using a blue bar of soap to write on a prison wall in a room called the pit, he said. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Powered by. In 1986, he was stabbed to death in jail, where he was serving a life sentence he began only a year earlier. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In 1996, he was named in a 56-count federal indictment, along with two members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, as leaders of a conspiracy to sell 190 pounds of meth that authorities at the time said was worth over $2 million. He taught classes, said Jim Sweeney, the retired FBI agent who led the investigation that found Martorano guilty of dealing tons of marijuana and tens of thousands of Quaaludes. It has been touted as a near-magical supplement and used to reduce anxiety and treat inflammation. Thals moneyed high gloss, it turned out, stemmed from her underworld involvement, which went back at least a decade. In January 2019, the defendant was found guilty at trial of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) near a public housing facility, and several related drug charges, including unlawful use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug felony. A woman who helped her drug-kingpin brother arrange a firebombing that killed six people has been sentenced to a mandatory life sentence. His car, a lightly used Lincoln, was riddled with bullet holes. She was big enough that the nightclub she promoted, Plush, had advertised a joint birthday party on July 18 for Thal and James "Kamal" Gray, a member of famed Philly hip-hop group The Roots. U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick on Friday called her crimes "barbaric," the newspaper said. Once described by the FBI as a drug kingpin, Martorano has an empire that is small, but he plans to grow it into a chain of 12 shops down the East Coast from Staten Island to Fort Lauderdale.. Martorano is one of several business operators seeking to resurrect themselves in Pennsylvanias emerging legal cannabis marketplace. Nor was Thal the type of woman most people think of when they imagine a drug kingpin. Thals Twitter feed featured posts like, "Oh my god I am having a foodgasm, chocolate chip bread pudding!!!!!". I said no to my dealers offer to get in on the game because I understood that there is a certain amount of ruthlessness necessary to rise through the ranks of the drug world. Among the titles: Pain Grows a Platinum Rose, Lion Love Last, and The Honey Keeper. The 35-year-old drug kingpin pleaded guilty in January 2022 to an Indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin. Such, it seems, was Rian Thal. The Piazza wasnt meant for cold-blooded drug crimes. I know while he was in prison he made the best of his time. I once knew a coke dealernot a barroom nickel and dimer, but the kind of dude who could get you kilo if you needed itand there were moments of opportunity when I, too, was asked if I wanted to get in on the game. Official websites use .gov One of the two smartphones he carries chirped as he recounted his life behind bars. The jury found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, money laundering, witness intimidation, and witness retaliation. Though drug use is often all consuming, Sessini sought to show another side to the addicts' stories. But my job is to market this place.. The 66 year old Vasiliades, described as an "old hand" in Philadelphia's drug trade, had three prior convictions. Ever since the murder of Rian Thal two weeks ago in Philadelphia, everyone wants to know how this girl from a wealthy suburb ended up a high-stakes drug trafficker in the citys hip-hop scenebut its not as unusual as you might think. If anything, I want to be known as the Kingpin of Hope. An alleged North Philadelphia drug kingpin was convicted on Monday along with his wife. I do so many things now I need to relax.. And look at what Ive done.. How to take care of themselves. I can only do that in a cell, he said. Five family members of one witness against him were killed in a fire in October of last year. Her scheme unraveled when one of her drug operation members experienced a reaction to the meth and needed medical attention. The only thing he runs now is a cozy coffee shop, the Hip Hemp Cafe in South Philadelphia, where he serves CBD-infused hot drinks, lollipops, and muffins. Among the titles: Pain Grows a Platinum Rose, Lion Love Last and The Honey Keeper.. Martorano -- who has been called the longest serving nonviolent offender in U.S. history -- spent 32 years in prison. He discovered a talent for lecturing and created a life-skills class. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sixty or 70 people would gather, friends and associates of Maurice Phillips, the drug kingpin sentenced Wednesday to life in prison after an eight-year run atop the cocaine underworld. Over the decades, he evolved from a budding wise guy to self-styled wise man. Prior to sentencing, she read a prepared statement apologizing to the judge, highlighting her own addiction issues but adding she couldn't place all the blame on her drug use. Only a fool upstages the warden.. In this case, the witness intimidation charges followed taped conversations in which Savage could be heard boasting about his reputation for violence and threatening to kill government cooperators and their families. Martorano who once trafficked tons of marijuana and other illegal substances -- has been reborn as a legal cannabis entrepreneur. We are hopeful that the jurys verdict brings some measure of justice to the victims of Savages heinous crimes., Achieving justice sometimes requires us to ask the citizens on a jury to make the most difficult sentencing decision imaginable, said U.S. Attorney Memeger. After he was set free, Martorano was celebrated as a marijuana folk hero. The only thing he runs now is a cozy coffee shop, the Hip Hemp Cafe in South Philadelphia, where he serves CBD-infused hot drinks, lollipops and muffins. So when I read about Rian Thals murder, I wondered how long ago it was that someone put a similar question to her. This Philly hustler, once called a 'drug kingpin' and spent 30 years in prison, now owns a CBD cafe After more than three decades in prison, Martorano plans to grow his Hip Hemp Cafe into a chain of 12 shops down the east coast from Staten Island to Fort Lauderdale. Coleman was a federal witness at the time. Newspaper reporters scrambled to her MySpace page, and found glamorous pictures of Thal out on the town with the citys hip-hop and sports stars. Sentenced to life without parole in 1984, Martorano spent more than three decades in a series of supermax facilities after pleading guilty to running what prosecutors said was a $75 million-a-year narcotics ring. Would she mind if someone stashed a couple at her crib, along with some cash? He was the coordinator of his prisons suicide prevention program, he said, and was even elected as the first Caucasian to the board of the Coleman federal penitentiarys branch of NAACP. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Josh A. Davison and Joseph T. Labrum, III. Lock Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman for the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBIs Philadelphia Division made the announcement after the jurys decisions. A petite, blond, perpetually smiling product of an upscale Philadelphia suburb, her neighbors mainly remembered her as a cat lover whose drug of choice was nothing stronger than chocolate candy. Police say 24-year-old Shayla Hadley, of Quakertown, pleaded guilty to dealing in unlawful proceeds, contraband charges, conspiracy, and other felony counts related to distributing meth to fellow inmates at the facility. We had hours and hours of tape.. Every time there was a mob hit in Philadelphia, they threw me in the hole, he said. Co-defendant Steven Northington was convicted of two counts of murder in aid of racketeering and could face the death penalty in penalty phase deliberations next week. I was told the only way Id get out was in a body bag, said Martorano. Over the decades, Martorano evolved from a budding wise guy to self-styled wise man. Martorano insists he was only a weed guy. He claims the sentencing judge gave the unprecedented term to force him to flip on his father and other mob bosses. Martorano, who has been called the longest serving nonviolent offender in U.S. history, spent 32 years in prison. Martorano winced as he pulled the device out of his sport coat pocket and muted the ringer. BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) A self-proclaimed drug "kingpin" of the Bucks County Correctional Facility will spend up to 20 years in state prison for running a methamphetamine ring that targeted women battling drug addictions. I told them to get into sales when they got out. Philadelphia drug kingpin Kaboni Savage has been awaiting federal execution since 2014 when he was convicted of murdering 12 people, which included a family of six killed in a brutal. Savages drug enterprise operated primarily in the North Philadelphia area from at least late 1997 to 2010. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons said it could not comment on inmate activities. While the verdicts cannot restore the loss of life taken by members of the Kaboni Savage drug organization, we hope that the jury verdicts bring some sense of closure to the victims families and friends. Thats who I am now.. But that doesnt prevent him from vending dozens of products infused with a legal cannabis derivative called CBD, or cannabidiol. Eastern District of Pennsylvania Against All Odds: Oscar Goodman and the Jimmy Chagra Murder Trial, Drug trafficker Peter Shue on coke vs. heroin, doing 21 years, Suge, Alpo, Keith Sweat, Madonna & Mike Tyson, Inside Italy's biggest Mafia trial in decades. Or did they? When we walked in the door, heads turned, the shout outs came in waves, big men got up from their seats to throw enthusiastic hand slaps and shoulder bumps at my friend. Now Im sentenced to this friggin thing. A North Philadelphia drug kingpin got a life sentence Tuesday in federal court for running a large-scale trafficking organization that involved his wife and mother-in-law. He wants that to be his legacy. George Martorano was supposed to die in federal prison. Im not saying I was innocent, said Martorano, the son of the late mobster Raymond Long John Martorano. Life of Crime Begins In 1977, when she was in her early 20s, Thelma Wright met her future husband, Jackie Wright, a major player in the Philadelphia drug game and one of the top heroin. We had hours and hours of tape.. Click Image Below to Watch the Surveillance Video of Rian Thal's Alleged Killers. We never had a case with the evidence as strong as that one. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons said it could not comment on inmate activities. It has been touted as a near-magical supplement and used to reduce anxiety and treat inflammation. In this case, after convicting the defendants of crimes involving murder, the jurors chose death for Kaboni Savage and life for Stephen Northington. Have a question about Government Services? // ]]>, Report an Issue | I taught them how to talk. It suddenly dawned on me, something self-evident to anyone less drug-addled than I was: The world of high-stakes drug deals is no glamorous fantasy game. Its not as surprising as youd think that someone like Thal, a reported casual coke user, would find herself being asked if she wanted to start participating in deals. Wilson is still at large. Alexander "Reds" Rivera's gang operated in a troubled Kensington neighborhood between February 2006 and September 2010. The case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office, and the Maple Shade, New Jersey Police Department. Jeff Deeney is a freelance writer and social worker from Philadelphia. "If witnesses are silenced and intimidated, the whole system would eventually break down because no one would testify truthfully at trial," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Ehlers. I take it for relaxation. He wants that to be his legacy. / CBS Philadelphia. His attorney Williams Spade, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he was gratified by the acquittals but was struggling to understand the conviction. The building, on the 600 block of South Seventh Street, is owned by his sister and brother-in-law, records show. PHILADELPHIA An admitted drug kingpin who is now cooperating with authorities was sentenced to nine years in prison yesterday after pleading guilty to heading what authorities say was one of the biggest cocaine distribution operations in the city. Kaboni Savage ordered the firebombing of a rowhouse during a prison phone call to his sister, according to last year's trial testimony. He could face 20 years to life in prison. Savage was sentenced to death last week by U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick. So he took a course in running a dispensary where he could provide it to people who need it. He recorded a well-received TEDx presentation at the University of Pennsylvania on how he became a writer. UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS OFFICE I dont know whats worse, life without parole or this cell phone.. Some believe CBD has numerous health benefits. He wants to help people. He didnt stop until he had completed 31. Jurors convicted the Savages, Northington and another defendant, 32-year-old Robert Merritt, of racketeering conspiracy but acquitted Merritt of charges in the firebombing. An 80,000-square-foot plaza ringed by clothing boutiques, art galleries and trendy restaurants, real-estate heavy-hitter Bart Blatstein dropped $500 million to make it not just an apartment complex, but an ongoing cultural event. She involved at least 11 other inmates from a section of the prison of the known as the "bubble," an area that addresses the needs of women with drug addiction. The newspaper said Kaboni Savage's attorney, Christian Hoey, declined to comment after the verdict. May 11, 2019 / 10:46 AM Martorano was released from prison and now owns the CBD cafe at 607 S. 7th St. in South Philly, which has been open for three weeks. Remember that title: George Martorano, the Kingpin of Hope. On the stand, Savage acknowledged making threats but said he had no way of carrying them out from behind bars. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The judge also ordered Hadley to serve a concurrent sentence of one to two years for a separate possession with intent to deliver charge that stemmed from a traffic stop by Pennridge Regional Police in West Rockhill Township. They each face a mandatory life sentence at sentencing. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. He no longer writes. Credit: Bucks County District Attorney's Office. 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The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Steven Mellin of the Criminal Divisions Capital Case Unit at the U.S. Department of Justice and Assistant United States Attorneys David E. Troyer and John M. Gallagher. Hitman Admits to Killing 8 People for Philly Drug Lord, Abortion Doctor Gosnell Found Guilty of Killing 3 Babies Born Alive, Investigators Say Fight Didn't Cause Boy's Death, Mom Can Only Watch as Husband, 4 Kids Die in Fire, Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Jurors in federal court deliberated for a week before convicting 38-year-old Kaboni Savage on Monday. Among the titles: Pain Grows a Platinum Rose, Lion Love last, and the Honey Keeper Video Rian... Kids messing around, he said pocket and muted the ringer reduce anxiety and treat inflammation on the block... Jury found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, money laundering, witness intimidation, and the Keeper! Death last week by U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick only a earlier. 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