Son of Colombo family boss battles prosecutors before sentencing
Mob prince Michael Persico isn’t going down easy.
After a judge rejected his bid to yank a guilty plea last year, the reputed Colombo associate and son of jailed family boss Carmine Persico is still battling prosecutors before sentencing.
Persico pleaded guilty to loan-sharking in 2012, a deal that gave him immunity for involvement in two murders and set sentencing guidelines of 37 to 46 months in prison for the lesser rap.
But the Mafia scion later wanted the deal scrapped, claiming prosecutors implicitly pushed for a stiff term in a court filing by making mention of the killings and Persico’s alleged role in them.
Judge Sandra Townes shot down his bid and ordered that the sentencing proceed.
With his guilty plea made permanent, Persico and his lawyer, Marc Fernich, now want to block prosecutors from referring to the crimes in pre-sentencing submissions to the court.
Persico and his lawyers appeared in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday to set a timeline to submit arguments.
Prosecutor Allon Lifshitz hinted at the hearing that the government staunchly believes that Persico was involved in the murder of mobbed-up union official Joseph Scopo.
“As the defense knows, our position is different,” he said. “It’s that this defendant did participate in ordering it.”
Judge Dora Irizarry held out the possibility that the issue might require a special hearing to sort out the matter.
Persico declined to comment to The Post outside court.
The Mafia royal copped to loaning $100,000 to trucking-company businessmen — while sticking them with a whopping 45 percent annual interest rate.
Irizarry had set the status conference for 11 a.m., but a calendar error listed it at 10 a.m.
Quickly realizing that no one was present for the hearing at 10 a.m. — aside from a pair of reporters — the judge briefly issued a bench warrant for Persico before the snafu came to light and the proceeding was held.
http://nypost.com/2016/01/19/mob-prince-battles-prosecutors-over-loan-sharking-sentence/
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