PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A reputed Philadelphia mob boss won't be released on bail to await his retrial in a racketeering case, even after the first jury failed to convict him of a single charge.

A federal judge said Monday that 73-year-old Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi remains a danger to the community, especially since the jury convicted three others of the central racketeering conspiracy charge.

"The jury found that at least three others were involved in a violent organization," U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno said. "The charge is that he is the head of (it)."

Federal prosecutors believe the quiet, business-focused Ligambi has led La Cosa Nostra in Philadelphia since 1999, when flashy young boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino went to prison. Merlino is now out, but he has settled in South Florida.

Authorities said it's not clear if Merlino intends to return to the Philadelphia operation, which, according to the 10-week Ligambi trial, now involves relatively low-level sports betting and loansharking, and the operation of illegal video poker machines in bars and restaurants. State-sanctioned casino gambling in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and elsewhere has decimated mob profits, organized crime figures said on FBI wiretaps played in court.

With Merlino out of prison, and Ligambi's fate unclear, mob leadership in Philadelphia is in flux, Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Labor told the judge Monday.

"We're really in an evolutionary state. Who's going to be in charge? Who's going to be out?" Labor said. "Somebody's going to run the operation."

Ligambi's wife, adult sons and other supporters had expected Robreno's decision, which mirrored his ruling last week for Ligambi nephew and alleged consigliere George Borgesi. The jury had also deadlocked on whether Borgesi took part in La Cosa Nostra, although he's been in prison since his conviction in the Merlino case.

"Big surprise," Manny Borgesi, his mother, said dryly on Monday. She is also Ligambi's sister.

The retrial is tentatively set for mid-April, but Ligambi lawyer Edwin Jacobs Jr. may not be available until June.

Ligambi, who was nattily dressed for the trial, was brought to court Monday in a green prison jumpsuit, but he smiled and bantered with his relatives as usual. Continued...