John “Johnny Chang” Ciancaglini is a convicted member of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra family, a longtime associate of former mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino, and the son and brother of men whose names run through the bloodiest chapters of the city’s organized crime history. He was convicted of federal racketeering in 2001, acquitted the same year of a string of mob murder charges, and returned to the news in August 2024 after his arrest in a brawl at a South Philadelphia restaurant.
A Family at the Center of the Philadelphia Mob
The Ciancaglini name has been attached to Philadelphia’s Mafia for decades. John’s father, Joseph “Chickie” Ciancaglini Sr., was identified in federal charges as a captain in the Philadelphia crime family during the Bruno-Scarfo era. The elder Ciancaglini was convicted on June 25, 1982, of racketeering conspiracy, illegal gambling, and other federal counts alongside nine co-defendants, and was indicted again in January 1988 while still serving that sentence. He served nearly 30 years in federal prison before his release in May 2015 and died in March 2023 at age 88.1Mob Talk Sitdown. South Philly Mob Legend Joseph Chickie Ciancaglini Passes
John’s brothers were in the life too, and on opposite sides of it. Joseph “Joey Chang” Ciancaglini Jr. served as underboss for mob boss John Stanfa.2The Trentonian. Tears Testimony Younger brother Michael “Mikey Chang” Ciancaglini ran with the rival Merlino faction and was killed in a 1993 mob hit.
The Stanfa-Merlino War and His Brother’s Murder
The early 1990s power struggle between Stanfa and the younger Merlino crew split the Ciancaglini brothers between the two camps. On March 2, 1993, three masked men walked into a diner run by Joseph Ciancaglini Jr. in Southwest Philadelphia and shot him three times in the head, once in the foot, and once in the shoulder. He survived but was permanently disabled.3Tampa Bay Times. Mob Ambush Kills One in Philadelphia2The Trentonian. Tears Testimony That attack is widely considered the event that set off the full-scale war.
Retaliation came on August 5, 1993. Stanfa gunmen John Veasey and Philip Colletti carried out a drive-by shooting near Sixth and Catharine streets in South Philadelphia, targeting Joey Merlino as he walked with Michael Ciancaglini near Merlino’s clubhouse. Colletti, firing a .45-caliber semi-automatic, killed Michael with a shot to the chest. Veasey, with a 9mm pistol, wounded Merlino in the buttocks.4Philadelphia Magazine. John John Veasey’s Life After the Philly Mob The shooters used a car leased in Colletti’s own name, and after they burned it, police traced it back to a New Jersey dealership.5Philadelphia Magazine. It Was So Fascinating Prosecutors later said Michael Ciancaglini’s killing dramatically escalated the mob war.6Herald-Times Online. Reputed Mob Boss Skinny Joey Cleared
Stanfa was eventually convicted of 33 of 35 charges, including murder and conspiracy, and sentenced to five consecutive life terms, with John Veasey turning government witness after learning Stanfa had put a contract on his life.7CBS News. Hit Man Has a Mobster Found Redemption
The 2001 Federal Racketeering Trial
John Ciancaglini’s own prosecution came in a superseding indictment filed on January 24, 2001, naming him alongside Joey Merlino and others. The indictment identified him as a “made” member of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra family and charged him with RICO conspiracy and a substantive RICO count. The racketeering acts attached to him included conspiracy to murder John Stanfa, the attempted murder of his own brother Joseph Ciancaglini Jr., and the murder or conspiracy to murder William “Billy” Veasey, Joseph Sodano, and Anthony Turra.8vLex. U.S. v. Merlino
The Billy Veasey count carried unusual weight. Billy was the brother of hitman-turned-informant John Veasey, and the government argued Ciancaglini killed him in revenge for Michael Ciancaglini’s murder. The case rested heavily on Ralph Natale, a former mob boss turned cooperator, who testified that Ciancaglini had asked him for permission to kill William Veasey.9Morning Journal. Philly Mob Boss Cleared of Murder Charges During Trial
The defense called Natale a liar motivated to avoid dying in prison. Three defense witnesses testified Ciancaglini was at his mother-in-law’s house at the time of the Veasey killing. After a nearly four-month trial, the jury acquitted Ciancaglini and his co-defendants of every murder, conspiracy-to-murder, and violent crimes charge.9Morning Journal. Philly Mob Boss Cleared of Murder Charges During Trial8vLex. U.S. v. Merlino
On July 20, 2001, the jury convicted him on the RICO and RICO conspiracy counts. He was sentenced in December 2001 as part of a group of seven defendants who received terms ranging from 71 to 168 months in federal prison; multiple sources report his sentence as nine years.8vLex. U.S. v. Merlino10FOX 29. Convicted Mobster 1 of 5 Arrested in Chickie’s and Pete’s Brawl
The Long Feud With John Veasey
The acquittal did not settle things between Ciancaglini and John Veasey. Veasey served nearly 11 years in prison, was released in 2005, and entered the Federal Witness Protection Program, but has continued to maintain publicly that Ciancaglini killed his brother.11CBS News. Ex-Mob Killer Finds God
Kathy Ciancaglini, John’s wife, has said Veasey targeted the couple for years through menacing Facebook posts and threatening voicemails. One saved message, reported by CBS News, had Veasey saying: “I don’t give a &*%# if I get caught…I will get you John. How’s your wife feel about that?” As of a 2013 report, Veasey’s name had appeared in at least four police reports over five years, including a 2008 incident in which he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery after a bar fight.11CBS News. Ex-Mob Killer Finds God
The 2024 Chickie’s and Pete’s Arrest
On August 2, 2024, at around 6:00 p.m., a large brawl broke out at the Chickie’s and Pete’s restaurant on the 1500 block of Packer Avenue in South Philadelphia. Police said the incident grew out of a family gathering.12NBC Philadelphia. 5 Arrested in Connection to Large Brawl at South Philly Chickie’s and Pete’s
Five people were arrested. John Ciancaglini, 68, was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal conspiracy, and related offenses, as was Kathy Ciancaglini, 62. Joseph Baldino, 39, was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, and related offenses; police said he resisted arrest and struck a sergeant in the face multiple times, and he was hospitalized for facial injuries from the fight. Richard DiBella, 45, and Michael DiBella, 37, later turned themselves in.
The arrest drew heavy press attention mainly because of Ciancaglini’s decades-long mob ties and his prior federal racketeering conviction.13Philadelphia Inquirer. John Ciancaglini Chickie’s and Pete’s Fight Crime History As of reporting in August 2024, all five faced charges and no final judicial outcome had been reported.146abc. 5 Arrested After Altercation Outside Chickie’s and Pete’s