Philip Testa

Who was Philip Testa?

Philip Carlo Testa, also known as "The Chicken Man" or "The Julius Cesar of the Philadelphia Mob" or "Philly", was a Sicilian-American Mafia figure known for his brief leadership of the Scarfo crime family. Testa became boss after popular former boss Angelo Bruno was murdered by his own consiglieri Antonio Caponigro who, in turn, was ordered killed by The Commission for acting without permission. About a year after Bruno's death, Testa was killed by the blast of a nail bomb allegedly ordered by his underboss Pete Casella. According to the Philadelphia press that event marked the beginning of the four-year Philadelphia Mafia War that led to 30 mobsters being killed.

Testa's nickname came from his involvement in a poultry business.