by Kitty Caparella
Philadelphia Daily News Staff Writer

Reputed mob underboss Steve Mazzone was identified this week as one of the shooters who severely wounded rival underboss Joseph Ciancaglini during the 1993 mob war.

Early on March 2, 1993, Ciancaglini was shot several times in the head and chest inside the Warfield Breakfast and Lunch Express in the Grays Ferry section of the city.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Gross identified Mazzone, 36, as "one of the men who went there and who put the gun at his head and shot him several times."

Ciancaglini, then underboss for crime boss John Stanfa, was shot "point blank in the head and now walks with a walker and has significant hearing loss," Gross said.

The FBI, which had a hidden camera outside, videotaped the shadows of the gunmen getting out of their car, going into the restaurant and leaving in predawn darkness.

Gross alleged Mazzone's role in the Ciancaglini shooting for the first time Wednesday during a federal bail hearing for Mazonne. U.S. District Judge Herbert Hutton said he would rule on bail later.

Charged with six crimes of violence in a racketeering conspiracy, Mazzone could face the death penalty in the March 18, 1998, murder of rival gangster Anthony Turra.

The March 31 indictment charged Mazzone and his co-defendants, reputed acting mob boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, consigliere George Borgesi and soldier Martin "Marty" Angelina, in the mob hit, but it did not say what role any of them played.

Cooperating witnesses Ralph Natale and Gaeton Scafidi were also named and are expected to testify against the others. Ciancaglini's brother, Michael, also was a participant but was killed five months later in the mob war.

Mazzone's attorney, Joseph Santaguida, said Ciancaglini would testify that "none of these [11] defendants shot him," including Merlino.

"This happened seven years ago," said Gross, when Ciancaglini would not cooperate with investigators. "All of a sudden, he would now testify?" the prosecutor asked incredulously.

Gross also cited Mazzone's role in the May 19, 1996, wounding of Anthony Milicia, 70, a vending machine operator who would not pay the mob's street tax.

Santaguida said Milicia "had no contact with Mazzone."

Santaguida said relatives and friends were willing to post real estate valued at more than $1 million for Mazzone to be released on bail. One property was his father-in-law's business, Malone's bar, at 18th and Ritner Streets.

Gross told the judge that Mazzone listed Malone's bar as his place of employment, but "he didn't know how many days he worked there or what kind of work he did."

Yesterday, reputed mob associate Angelo Lutz, 36, told the judge that he was so broke he could not afford to pay $20,000 in debts or hire private attorney Edward Crisonino for the upcoming racketeering trial.

"I own nothing," said Lutz, who once earned $350 a week at Pasta, Cheese and Things, which he owned with reputed mob consigliere George Borgesi. His 1993 Cadillac was repossessed.

Five days after he was released from detention in April, his father died.

As an only child who never married, he now was taking care of his mother, who was in bad health, Lutz said.

He applied for welfare to be covered by health benefits.

"I'm currently not working due to the fact that the government has put out a list of 81 people I cannot associate with," he added. "The business is in ruins."

Lutz said he planned to file for bankruptcy for himself and his now closed pasta business on 8th Street near Tasker.

Gross questioned Lutz's veracity and called his story "preposterous."

"If his business is with criminals and associates of La Cosa Nostra, it's not much of a business," Gross said.

"We didn't give him a list of legitimate people. I'm sure he had customers who were legitimate and not LCN members."

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