Casino examiner: Let jailed mob boss’ kin work in A.C.

Relatives of jailed mob kingpin "Skinny Joey" Merlino should be licensed to work on casino building projects, a hearing examiner with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission has ruled.

Rejecting Division of Gaming Enforcement arguments alleging that Joseph N. Merlino, his mother and their construction company had ties to organized crime, hearing examiner William T. Sommeling said he found them qualified for licensure.

Sommeling, a member of the Casino Control Commission, criticized the division for offering circumstantial evidence against the Merlinos that was "unreliable, uncorroborated and, in some instances, demonstrably false" during the lengthy hearing process.

John Donnelly, lawyer for Joseph N. Merlino and his mother Phyllis Merlino, said his clients were "gratified" with a decision that "lifts a cloud" that has hovered over them for years.

Twice in the past, in 1989 and 1997, they and their company, Bayshore Rebar of Pleasantville, were denied licenses needed to work on casino projects. Their company installs the steel reinforcement rods needed before cement can be poured.

Joseph N. Merlino is the son of the late mob leader Lawrence "Yogi" Merlino and the cousin of jailed Philadelphia mob boss Joseph S. "Skinny Joey" Merlino. Phyllis Merlino is the former wife of Lawrence Merlino.

Those family ties and allegations that Bayshore was a mob front resulted in the earlier license denials. But Sommeling found that while the family ties exist, there was no credible evidence linking Joseph N. Merlino, Phyllis Merlino or Bayshore to organized crime.

His 67-page report and findings will be present to the full five-member Casino Control Commission which is expected to approve his recommendation.

Contact staff writer George Anastasia at 856-669-3846 or ganastasia@phillynews.com.