Mobster Guilty of Racketeering

Carmine Persico, the 52-year-old boss of the Colombo organized crime family, was convicted along with eight co-defendants today of racketeering, conspiracy and other federal charges.

Persico is the first of several top-level mobsters to face a jury since federal officials launched a drive against organized crime two years ago. The nine defendants, who also included Persico’s son Alphonse and Colombo family underboss Gennaro (Jerry Lang) Langella, were all named in two racketeering counts that each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison.