Early in his criminal career, DiNorscio was an associate of the
Philadelphia crime family. The longtime
boss of the Philadelphia Mafia,
Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno, was killed on March 21, 1980, resulting in a power vacuum in the crime family. The
Lucchese crime family mobsters
Anthony Accetturo and
Michael Taccetta used the situation to establish a new foothold in Philadelphia as a part of the Lucchese family's
Jersey Crew, with illegal gambling and loansharking operations. Because of the feuding between the two rival factions of Philadelphia's crime family, as well as both Taccetta and Accetturo taking advantage of the situation, the relationship between Philadelphia and the
New York families, especially the Luccheses, worsened and cooperation between the families eventually ended. It was around this time that prominent Philadelphia family associate, DiNorscio, along with many others, defected to the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese family to earn greater profits and to avoid being killed in Philadelphia's mob war. In June 1986, DiNorscio was arrested on drug charges related to operating a cocaine distribution network based in the
Fort Lauderdale area. He was convicted of drug trafficking in October 1986 and sentenced to 30 years in federal prison the following month.
Federal RICO trial During the early 1980s, U.S. law enforcement started an operation to discover and prosecute all
organized crime activities in the North Jersey area. After a four-year-long investigation indictments were brought against 20 members of the Jersey Crew in August 1985. Accetturo was brought from Florida, the Taccetta brothers were arrested in Newark, and 17 other known members were put on trial for 77
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
predicates. These charges of criminal activity included running a criminal enterprise in Florida that included the sale and distribution of cocaine, as well as credit-card fraud, gambling and loansharking from 1976 to 1985, when they were indicted. The trial began in November 1986. During the trial, DiNorscio went on to fire his lawyer and represent himself during the entire trial. DiNorscio is reported to have charmed the jury; as the trial ended in August 1988, all 20 defendants were acquitted, with a great deal of "pull" attributed to the congenial personality demonstrated by DiNorscio while he represented himself against the charges. == In media ==