PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Bail has been denied for Nicodemo Scarfo, who awaits trial in solitary confinement Tuesday in a multimillion-dollar fraud case, officials in Philadelphia said.
Judge Robert Kugler accepted prosecution arguments that Scarfo should remain behind bars while he awaits trial on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, fraud and money laundering, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Scarfo, a reputed member of the Lucchese crime family, requested to be held in the general prison population, however prosecutors fear for his safety because several inmates at the detention unit were allegedly involved in an attempt on his life in 1989.
Twenty-two years ago, Scarfo was shot and almost killed as he ate at Dante's & Luigi's Restaurant in South Philadelphia on Halloween. Although no one has ever been charged with the attempt, authorities believe a rival faction of the mob targeted Scarfo in a dispute with his jailed father, mob boss Nicodemo D. "Little Nicky" Scarfo.
"I don't feel my life is in danger," Scarfo said during Monday's hearing.
