New York Mob Bosses Lose Bid for New Murder Trial

"A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld the convictions of two Colombo family crime bosses jailed for life for the murder of one of their captains in an alleged struggle to control the New York Mafia family," Reuters reports.

"The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to vacate the guilty verdicts of accused Colombo family acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico, and underboss John "Jackie" DeRoss for the 1999 murder of William "Wild Bill" Cutolo Sr., said to be a high-ranking Colombo captain.

"A federal jury convicted the two men in 2007 on charges they orchestrated Cutolo's murder, fearing Cutolo was planning to take down Persico. They also were found guilty of tampering with witnesses, including Cutolo's wife and two children.

"A three-judge panel was not won over by the argument that the post-trial discovery of the body buried in upstate New York debunked prosecutors' theory he was dumped in the sea after his murder by a Colombo family soldier on Persico's order.

"The court found what it called "considerable other evidence" to tie the two to events preceding the death, including phone records and testimony from Cutolo's wife that he went to meet Persico right before he disappeared.

"Persico and DeRoss disputed the decision by the Brooklyn district court to let Cutolo's wife testify that he often met Persico at the Brooklyn address where Cutolo last was seen -- as well as the government decision to let Cutolo's wife keep $1.65 million in cash from her late husband's alleged illicit activities."

READ MORE