Leland Beloff

Leland "Lee" Beloff
Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 1st District
In office May 3, 1984 – August 4, 1987[1]
Preceded by	James Tayoun
Succeeded by	James Tayoun
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 184th district
In office January 4, 1977 – May 3, 1984[2]
Preceded by	Michael Ozzie Myers
Succeeded by	Joseph Howlett
In office January 7, 1969 – November 30, 1970
Preceded by	District Created
Succeeded by	Michael Ozzie Myers
Personal details
Born	(1942-04-17) April 17, 1942 (age 82) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Political party	Republican (when a state representative); Democrat (when a city councilman)
Residence	Old City, Philadelphia
Occupation	Boxer, Philadelphia City Council

Leland M. Beloff (born April 17, 1942)^[3] is a former American politician and convicted criminal. Mob boss Nicky Scarfo, who himself had been an amateur boxer followed the careers of young fighters from South Philadelphia, including Beloff. He was a Jewish Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Philadelphia City Council, who resigned from office after being convicted in Federal court on extortion charges.^{[4] [5]} His district was Olde City, Philadelphia. The City Council would not approve any property development without consent of the district councilman. This gave Beloff power over the developers that would be given permits to build. In 1985 Beloff backed a construction project for an apartment building in return for a luxury apartment in Old City and then moved his mistress into the apartment that was rent-free. It was the failed extortion attempt by Lee Beloff, Nick Caramandi and Thomas DelGiorno that led to Caramandi deciding to turn as a cooperating witness against Scarfo after hearing that Scarfo put a murder contract on him.

Beloff was sentenced to 10 years in prison, along with Philadelphia Mob boss Nicodemo Scarfo, for extorting money from Center City developer Willard Rouse. In 1998, he and his wife were convicted on voter fraud charges. He received a three-year sentence served concurrently with his earlier sentence.^[6] He was paroled in 1993 and went on to become Democratic ward chairperson. He was arrested in 2011 on disorderly conduct but the charges were later dropped.^[7]

Beloff has been a resident of Longport, New Jersey, and Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.^[8][9]

References

1. "Beloff Quits His Seat On City Council". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 5, 1987. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
2. Cox, Harold (November 3, 2004). "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - 1983–1984" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
3. Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania. Dept. of Property and Supplies; Pennsylvania. Bureau of Publications (1969). The Pennsylvania Manual. Vol. 99. Department of Property and Supplies for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
4. Ex-councilman Asks Federal Judge For Freedom Leland M. Beloff Was Jailed For Extortion. Prosecutors Said He Should Serve His Full Term, The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 23, 1993.
5. Cox, Harold. "House Members B". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
6. "Beloff's Wife Makes Guilty Plea Gets Probation For Two Years". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 26, 1988. Archived from the original on April 30, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
7. "Disgraced Ex-City Councilman and Wife Sue "Luxury" Drug Rehab". Philadelphia Magazine. January 14, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
8. "Ex-con still plays politics in S. Phila". November 5, 2003. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
9. Schneider, Howard. "Beloff Planning To Keep Seat", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 30, 1986. Accessed November 19, 2013. "During a 20-minute interview in the den of his Longport home, Beloff, a former actor and prize-fighter - unshaven from his court appearance the day before and clad in a brightly colored striped bathrobe - offered no explanation or theories for the arrests."