Alphonse Persico

Alphonse T. Persico (8 February 1954 in New York City, New York) is an American mobster and former acting boss of the Colombo crime family.

Early years

Persico's father is former Colombo crime family boss Carmine Persico, who is currently serving life imprisonment. Persico's uncle, also named, Alphonse, was a reputed member of organized crime along with Theodore. Carmine and Alphonse's father, Carmine, Sr., was a soldier in the Genovese crime family. In 1974, "Little Allie Boy" was inducted into the Colombo family by his father. FBI Agents Joseph O'Briend and Andris Kurins later said, :"... he was one of those wayward types who make parents wonder where they went wrong. Alphonse was always testing the boundaries. He refused to stay within the range of appropriate activities for his age and standing, like they weren't good enough for him. Loan sharking, extortion, skimming the tradees - he could have made a damn good living, and also safe-guarded his future. But no, he had to go his own way. The only problem was that he went into bigger things than he could handle, and did so with flaky associates. He tried to muscle in on hotels and casinos where he was clearly outmuscled. His pals were coke freaks and junkies... and there was a presumption, never proved, that Persico himself was a heroin addict. Being his father's son, he was well insulated and given a good deal of slack by senior hoods whose toes he stepped on. But his colleagues were bad news. They had no character, no moxie".

Prison time

In 1986, Allie was a caporegime in the Colombo family when he, Carmine, underboss Gennaro Langella, and other family members were convicted of racketeering. [http://ganglandnews.com/column115.htm] Allie received a lighter sentence when Carmine pleaded with the judge to grant his son leniency. From 1986 to 1988, Carmine named a ruling panel to run the family until Allie was released from prison. The panel consisted of family leader Benedetto "Benny" Aloi and Persico cousins Victor "Little Vic" Orena and Joseph "JoJo" Russo. In 1988, Carmine decided to name Orena as acting boss; the understanding was that Orena would relinquish family control to Allie on his release from prison in May 1993.

Violent brutality

In 1992, while in prison, Allie ordered the murder of Staten Island nightclub owner Michael Devine, a man who had been dating his wife. Police found Devine's body in his Nissan Pathfinder inside the garage of his New Springville apartment building with multiple gunshot wounds to his head. Police were tipped that Devine and Teresa Persico had developed a relationship, and that Teresa told Devine that she and Allie were getting divorced.

Family rebellion

By 1990, Orena had decided that he should be the permanent boss of the Colombo family. With the support of over 100 family members and Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, Orena decided to go before the Mafia Commission, which regulated all the crime families, and ask to become the Colombo family boss. Before attempting this coup, Orena first notified family consigliere Carmine Sessa. However, Sessa immediately notified Carmine, who told Sessa to take out Orena.

On June 20, 1991, a hit team led by Sessa and captain John Pate went to Orena's Long Island, New York home to murder him, but Orena spotted their parked car and managed to escape. This abortive hit triggered open warfare in the Colombo family; dozens of shootings occurred across Brooklyn. The Orena faction was led by William "Wild Bill" Cutolo. The much smaller Persico faction included Gregory Scarpa Sr.. Both Cutolo and Scarpa were personally involved in several shootings and murders. The war ended after Joseph Scopo was shot to death outside his Queens home by a team of Brooklyn wannabes. In 1992, Orena was convicted of racketeering charges stemming from the gang war, opening the family leadership to Allie.

Release from prison

Although he had won the power struggle with Orena, Allie wasn't able to leave prison in 1993. While still incarcerated, he was indicted on racketeering charges stemming from the gang war. Testifying against Allie were former allies Sessa and Pate and a host of other low ranking gangsters. In August 1994, Allie was acquitted of racketeering and released from prison. [http://ganglandnews.com/column115.htm] However, his parole restrictions prohibited him from meeting with Colombo family members or associates. As a result, his cousin Andrew "Andy Mush" Russo was named acting boss.

In 1999, Allie finally took over as the family's acting boss and appointed former enemy Cutolo as family underboss. Shortly thereafter, Cutolo was summoned to a meeting and was never seen again. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905E1DA173AF936A25753C1A9629C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/O/Organized%20Crime] Allie and Jackie DeRoss then ordered the slaying of Cutolo crew member Joseph "Joe Campy" Campanella. Campanella was ambushed outside a Coney Island amusement park in Brooklyn by a carload of shooters. Campanella survived the shooting and became a government witness who would testify against Allie.

Return to prison

Allie's reign as Colombo family boss was soon cut short by a string of new convictions. In 2000, Allie was sentenced to 18 months in prison on gun charges. The U.S. Coast Guard had searched his boat in Florida and found a loaded .38 caliber handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun.

On January 24, 2001, the day of his release for the gun charges, Allie was indicted again in New York on loan sharking charges and held without bail as a suspect in Cutolo's disappearance. On December 20, 2001, Allie pled guilty to the loansharking charges, accepted a 13 year prison sentence, and agreed to forfeit $1 million.

On October 14, 2004, Allie and Colombo Underboss John "Jackie" DeRoss were indicted on federal racketeering charges, including conspiring to murder Cutolo and Joe Campanella. The two defendants' first trial ended in a mistrial.

On December 28, 2007, Alphonse Persico was found guilty of the 1999 murder of William "Wild Bill" Cutolo. Allie Boy and co-defendant Jackie DeRoss are expected to receive a life sentence in prison for this crime. As of October 2008, Persico is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Fairton in New Jersey. His projected release date is May 24, 2012.

ee also

*Carmine Persico
* [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator Website]