The Nation - News from Nov. 11, 1987

Alphonse Persico, reputed former boss of the Colombo organized crime family, was denied bail in Hartford, Conn., and ordered returned to New York for the extortion sentencing he skipped out on seven years ago. Persico, 57, had been on the FBI’s “10 Most Wanted” list before he was apprehended while cooking spaghetti in a West Hartford apartment where he had been hiding. U.S. Magistrate F. Owen Eagan ordered federal marshals to return Persico to New York as soon as possible for sentencing on his conviction on three counts of extortion in connection with loan-sharking activity. Stanley Meyer, Persico’s attorney, did not seek bail or attempt to block the transfer. Persico had been a fugitive since June 20, 1980, when he failed to appear for sentencing.