Soda Biz May Land Mob Prince Michael Persico In Jail

Soda Biz May Land Mob Prince Michael Persico In Jail

  March 18, 2010    Dapper_Don

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Carmine Persico via Wikipedia

Michael Persico -- son of reputed Colombo boss Carmine "The Snake" Persico and brother of reputed ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico -- is under investigation for possible "involvement in soda and candy vending machines placed in mob-linked car dealerships" as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News:

An unidentified partner in the business slapped with a grand jury subpoena told agents that Persico had invested $80,000 in the venture. Under the terms of the deal, the partner was required to deposit $4,000 to $7,000 per month into Persico's bank account. Persico . . . "facilitated" the placement of the machines in businesses across the metropolitan area, the affidavit alleges. "Most, if not all, of those businesses are owned and controlled by members and associates of the Colombo family," FBI agent Scott Curtis stated.

Persico was indicted earlier this month for his alleged role in a kickback and extortion scheme involving debris removal at the World Trade Center ground zero site.  Jerry Capeci provides the back story on the indictment at The Huffington Post:

Say this for Michael Persico, the handsome, smooth as silk 53-year-old heir to a legendary mob family: He managed to stay out of trouble for a very long time. That streak came to a dramatic end last week when Persico was arrested and jailed without bail along with his prison-hardened, rough-and-tumble cousin Theodore (Skinny) Persico Jr. on racketeering charges that could keep both men behind bars for the rest of their lives. The cousins are charged with using a trucking company they controlled to shake down the Testa Corporation, a Boson-based excavating company involved in the Ground Zero cleanup for untold hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickback payments in recent years.