When boss Ralph Natale was serving a 16-year sentence for arson and drug convictions, he had Skinny Joey Merlino as his cell mate.

Over time, they talked about how to take over the organization when they got back on the street, deciding that Natale, the older of the two, although not made into the Mafia, would be the boss. But in 1994, after he was paroled, Natale was made into the mob during a ceremony held in a hotel suite near Philadelphia’s Veteran Stadium.

When Boss Stanfa was sent to the can, Natale and Merlino decided to make the move they had discussed in prison and take over the mob. By then, things had changed, Merlino no longer cared for Natale and found him boring and too careful. But doubt still plagued Merlino since he figured the older members of the mob wouldn’t follow him by would follow the older Natale. What worked in Merlino favor were the harsh and strict terms of Natale’s parole. As an example his parole stipulated that he could not enter the city without prior approval from his parole officer and was there for forced to run his operation from his home in Pennsauken, New Jersey, across the Delaware River from the city of Philadelphia.

Enter Ruthann Seccio, a slender blonde from the wrong side of the tracks who was close to Natale’s daughter Vanessa. Ruthann, a former drug addict and gang member, spent time around Natale’s home while she changed her life, gave up the streets and took a job as a waitress.

Natale found her irresistible despite their differences (he was almost 35 years young than him and over shadowed him by several inches.) The married Natale provided her with a fancy condominium in Voorhees, New Jersey. Finally, Ruthann gave in, and the romance began. Then she started pushing Natale to leave his bride of 42 years, but, Natale said he couldn’t. That it wouldn’t be decent because the poor woman was suffering from  advanced stages of Parkinsons and Alzheimer’s, had lost most of her hearing and was forced to wear a heart monitor.

Not of that was true but Ruthann bought it as gospel for the longest time.

In 1998 when Natale’s parole officer caught him meeting with mobsters, convicted felons at a restaurant. Natale said he wasn’t meeting the hood there; he was there because he was selling the restaurant owned some fish.

That parole violation sent Natale back to prison. It was all a setup. Once he was jailed, the Justice Department unveiled a case of an array of charges of methamphetamine financing against him, which meant that even if he was convicted on only one of the charges, he’d be in prison for life.

In August of 2000, Natale took a deal, he agreed to testify against Merlino and the rest of the mob in Philadelphia for a release from prison and a place in Witness Protection Program. In April of 2001, Natale took the stand for two straight weeks and spilled his guys. One of his primary complaint’s once he was in the can was that Merlino reneged on a promise he had made to Natale to provide his wife with monthly payments of about $3,500 (plus another $1,000 to Ruthann)

Ruthann was wooed by the press, and she loved it and started to do more and more interviews, talking about her love life with Natale.