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3/8/2019 Carmine Persico, storied New York mobster and longtime Colombo family boss, dead at 85 - New York Daily News
NY C C R I ME NE W Y OR K
Carmine Persico, storied New York
mobster and longtime Colombo
family boss, dead at 85
By LARRY MCSHANE and JOHN ANNESE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS | MAR 08, 2019
Carmine Persico, boss of the Colombo Crime Family, poses for a portrait September 15, 1986 at the Metropolitan
Correctional Center during the "Commission" trial. Persico was also known as "Junior" and "The Snake." (Yvonne
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3/8/2019 Carmine Persico, storied New York mobster and longtime Colombo family boss, dead at 85 - New York Daily News
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One of New York’s most storied mob bosses met his end in prison Thursday — old and
sick, and mired in a lawsuit over his medical treatment.
Carmine (The Snake) Persico, the longtime boss of the Colombo crime family, died at
age 85, the Daily News has learned.
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Persico was convicted of racketeering and murder in the famous mid-‘80s “Commission
trial,” which put three of the city’s ve crime family bosses in prison in one fell swoop.
He was the last surviving defendant in that notorious case.
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He was serving his sentence at the federal prison in Butner, N.C. when he died at Duke
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Carmine Persico, storied New York mobster and longtime Colombo family boss, dead at 85 - New York Daily News
University Medical Center, con rmed his lawyer, Benson Weintraub. Among his
reported pals at the medium-security prison was Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff.
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Persico spent the last 36 years of his life behind bars, serving a staggering 139-year
sentence. But by most accounts, he remained the titular Colombo boss.
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appearance, says nothing about bizarre beating of city cop »
In 2016, Persico’s lawyers described a litany of health problems and called his 100-year
sentence a “virtual life sentence.”
“Mr. Persico is legally blind in his right eye, and has diminished vision in his left eye.
He also has limited use of his left and right arms and a deformity of his left wrist that
has severely impacted his upper mobility,” his lawyer, Anthony DiPietro, wrote in
March 2016.
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“Mr. Persico is also predominantly wheelchair-bound as a result of his emphysema. In
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Carmine Persico, storied New York mobster and longtime Colombo family boss, dead at 85 - New York Daily News
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addition, Mr. Persico suffers from anemia and a multitude of cardiac issues that require
periodic medical attention.”
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appearance, says nothing about bizarre beating of city cop »
Persico sued the prison warden and a doctor there in December, alleging “deliberate
indifference” to his deteriorating medical condition and calling for his compassionate
release. He had serious infections in his legs, and was trying to block doctors from
amputating his leg above the knee.
Wientraub said he suspected Persico died of the leg infections, which he said “spread as
a result of deliberately indifferent treatment.”
Persico was known to his friends as “Junior” and to his enemies as “The Snake.”
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out of her Bronx apartment »
He was born on Aug. 8, 1933, and grew up in the working class Brooklyn enclaves of
Carroll Gardens and Red Hook. His dad was a law rm stenographer, while his mother
stayed home to raise Carmine and his siblings – fellow future mobsters Alphonse and
Theodore, along with their sister Dolores.
Persico was a high school dropout and ran with a local street gang. His rst arrest was
at age 17 in the fatal beating of another youth during a melee in Prospect Park.
When the charges were dropped, he was recruited to the world of organized crime –
working in bookmaking and loan-sharking operations.
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Mugshot of Carmine Persico circa 1963. (Obtained by Daily News)
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Carmine Persico, storied New York mobster and longtime Colombo family boss, dead at 85 - New York Daily News
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killed Harlem mom »
By his mid-20s, Persico was a made man in the family headed by Joe Colombo.
He became af liated with fellow Brooklyn mobsters the Gallo brothers – “Crazy” Joey,
Larry and Albert, aka Kid Blast. Their crew was widely credited with the execution of
mob boss Albert Anastasia, famously whacked inside a Manhattan barber shop.
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The hit led to an internal family war, with the Gallos taking on boss Joe Profaci over
what they felt was a slight following the Anastasia killing. The younger crew expected
bigger responsibilities and more cash, only to clash with family’s old guard.
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suspects, including a retired cop »
Persico turned on the Gallos, aligning himself with Profaci in the war that left nine
dead, three missing and 15 more wounded. He was reportedly involved in the
attempted strangling of Larry Gallo inside a Brooklyn bar, a hit interrupted by a local
police sergeant.
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He later survived an attempted murder by the Gallo faction before a truce was declared
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Carmine Persico, storied New York mobster and longtime Colombo family boss, dead at 85 - New York Daily News
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in 1963.
Persico, though in prison for hijacking, ruled over a powerful crew inside the Colombos.
After the 1971 shooting of boss Joe Colombo, he and his brothers grabbed control of the
family. Persico ran the family from the outside after he was released from prison in
1979 — but his time on the street was short.
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with judge noting DA's star witness was evasive »
Persico was indicted for racketeering in 1984 and arrested in the home of an FBI
informant. He was also charged with the heads of other four families in the
“Commission” prosecution led by then-U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani.
Persico’s reply was to put out a contract on Giuliani.
He got a 39-year term in the rst case. In the second, where he acted as his own
attorney, Persico was hit with a 100-term – ensuring his death behind bars.
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Manhattan subway trains »
One small victory: Federal Judge John F. Keenan hailed Persico as “one of the most
intelligent people I have ever seen in my life” for his performance as a lawyer.
While running the family from behind bars, the Colombos descended into another
internal bloodbath pitting Persico loyalists against supporters of new boss Victor (Little
Vic) Orena. The war destroyed the family, which was decimated by a dozen murders and
as many defectors to the government side – including the family’s consigliere and two
capos. Sixty-eight made men and associates were arrested, including Carmine’s kid
brother Theodore.
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Persico appealed his conviction in 2016. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals shot down
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his request in 2017, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take the case later that year.
Topics: Jails and Prisons, Crime, Homicide
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