It has been more than four years since reputed mafia prince Michael Persico pleaded guilty to loansharking after agreeing to a plea deal.
Michael, the son of imprisoned Colombo crime family boss Carmine “The Snake” Persico is set to be sentenced on November 2. According to the feds, Michael never became a made member of the New York mafia but is considered to be a powerful Colombo family associate. Prosecutors claim that he participated in a murder conspiracy back in 1993 to kill rival mobster Joseph Scopo during a Colombo family civil war although he was never charged with the murder. The loansharking case is the first-ever felony conviction for the mob scion.
“Michael Persico”
The plea agreement agreed to by the 60-year-old mobster called for sentencing guidelines of 37 to 46 months behind bars. But Michael hopes that a letter from his 80-year-old mom can help to keep him at home and out of jail. According to a nydailynews report, Joyce Persico the 80-year-old matriarch of the Cosa Nostra clan wrote in a letter to judge Dora Irizarry “I am getting older and need my son around, He helps me with everything. I am scared that if he is sent to prison I will never see him again outside of that place.” It was part of an 88-page filing that contained letters from various family members, friends, and business associates of Persico’s pleading on his behalf.
Over the years Joyce Persico has seen multiple family members sent to prison due to their mob involvement including her husband Carmine Persico who is currently serving a 100-year sentence after being convicted in the mafia “commission trial” in 1987. Another of her sons Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico is serving a life sentence for a murder conviction. Lawrence a third son has also spent time in prison for a no-show union job but is currently out. She also said in her letter that “Throughout his life, Michael has been a loving son to me and our family and a doting father to all his children.” According to Michael’s lawyer, she is suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis and emphysema.
His lawyer also told the judge “It is clear from these letters that Mr. Persico has always endeavored to conduct himself in a law-abiding manner and has struggled to overcome the infamy of his last name and blood relations.”
