Kellyanne Conway's South Jersey Roots Includes Mob Family Associate, Report Says

President Donald Trump’s counselor Kellyanne Conway is famous for her South Jersey roots. Born in Atco, the graduate of St. Joe’s Prep in Hammonton and won the New Jersey Blueberry Princess Pageant in 1982.

She has been especially proud of her connection to Hammonton, dubbed the “Blueberry Capital of the World,” and even uses “Blueberry” as her Secret Service codename.

In December, she was invited to be the Grand Marshal of the town’s Christmas Parade.

But the one thing she never mentions is her grandfather. That’s because he was James DiNatale, AKA, Jimmy “The Brute,” a "significant criminal associate" of Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, the heir-apparent to the Philadelphia-based Bruno crime family, according to an online memorial.

The memorial lists Conway as his granddaughter under the name Kellyanne Elizabeth Fitzpatrick Conway, and references her connection to the president.

Scarfo’s son, Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., lived in Galloway Township when he was arrested on racketeering charges in 2011. Two years ago, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted on those charges.

“Jimmy the Brute" DiNatale a reputed associate of Angelo Bruno who, without a criminal record, nevertheless acquired a reputation as Hammonton's Don Corleone,” the memorial reads. It also notes that he allegedly ran a gambling operation out of the town.

According to the memorial:
"In the very late 1970s and early 1980s, Scarfo was planning on purchasing many of the businesses and properties that DiNatale owned. Scarfo wanted to invest the money that he and Leonetti were making from their illegal activities into legitimate areas. At the same time, DiNatale was getting old and wanted to sell off his assets. Scarfo handled almost all of the money that Leonetti made from their illegal activities. They were going to purchase DiNatale’s businesses and properties in the name of their concrete company, Scarf, Inc. Scarfo and Leonetti liked dealing with DiNatale because he knew their background and was willing to accept cash without asking any questions. Among the things that Scarfo and Leonetti planned to buy from DiNatale were his bars, a fuel oil company, a vending business, apartment buildings, a construction supply company and various other properties. He also owned a car dealership, but they weren’t interested in that. Leonetti knew from his conversations with DiNatale and Scarfo that DiNatale used the money he had made from bootlegging during his younger years to invest in legitimate businesses and real estate in the Atlantic County area."

The memorial also includes a photo of DiNatale's headstone in a Hammonton cemetery.

A story posted on the Philly Voice website on Wednesday notes that DiNatale was one of two people who provided false alibis for Scarfo, his nephew Philip “Crazy Phil” Leonetti and Lawrence “Yogi” Merlino during a murder investigation in 1979. These alibis resulted in acquittals for the three men.

Jimmy "The Brute" was born in Trenton in 1914, and died in Atco in 1983. More about his legal case can be found here.

Conway’s uncle, Jimmy DiNatale is an Atlantic County businessman who paid for billboards promoting Trump’s candidacy during the election, and later congratulating him, according to rtforty.com. DiNatale redeveloped the former Lennox China building in Galloway, and is currently locked in a dispute with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA).

Before being named Trump’s Counselor, Conway played a pivotal role in helping the former casino magnate ascend to the presidency as his campaign manager.
Since he was elected, she’s made plenty of news in her own right, most famously coining the term “alternative facts.”

Patch file photo of YouTube Screenshot from ABC News.