Richard “Richie Nerves” Fusco the reputed consigliere of the Colombo crime family has passed away at the age of 77. Fusco had just completed serving a four month stint in prison after copping a plea to extortion charges that could of netted him up to two years but got a lighter sentence due mostly to medical reasons. Suffering from many ailments including kidney disease Fusco collapsed and died at his brother-in-laws post funeral luncheon last Friday. Fusco took over as consigliere for the Colombo family as a favor to long time pal and imprisoned Colombo boss Carmine “Junior” Persico back in 2008 after then acting boss Thomas “Tommy Shots” Gioeli and under boss John “Sonny” Franzese were charged with racketeering.
“Richard Fusco”
Fusco was a staunch ally of Persico during the bloody Colombo war in 1991-93 and served 14 years in prison for his efforts in the intra-family violence. According to mob sources he jumped into the role of consigliere with a vengeance and immediately began conducting mob meetings in Brooklyn at his social club. He had these meetings every Tuesday and Thursday as those were the days he traveled there for dialysis treatments. This dedication to the Colombo family and the Mafia led him to what would be his last ever prison term earlier this year as he tried to shake down the Gambino crime family for medical expenses of $150,000 for a Colombo family associate that was stabbed by a mob rival in a dispute. Fusco was one of the last remaining members of the old guard with in the Colombo family and a dying breed of old school mobster.
