Onetime Colombo Street Boss Likes His Revenge Served Ice Cold
Ralph F. DeLeo, 82, who departed Federal prison last year on supervised release after serving nearly 20 years for crimes committed while he was street boss of the Colombo family, was arrested last month for plotting to murder those responsible for convicting him in 2012.
D'Arco was unwilling to provide any assistance without first getting approval from Luchese boss Vic Amuso and underboss Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso, both of whom were fugitives at the time.
The third Colombo war began in earnest after Carmine Sessa and others made a move against Vic. They waited in a car outside Orena's home on the night of June 20, 1991. Orena spotted them and drove off unharmed.
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| DeLeo's goose just might be cooked this time. |
DeLeo, who was chosen to run one of the Five Families as street boss because he was perceived as having no ties to either the Persico or Orena factions, plotted to "murder no fewer than three people who played roles in his most recent criminal conviction," the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston said in a court filing.
DeLeo was "actively planning to kill two current and one former federal official, all of whom were involved in the federal criminal case resulting in DeLeo's 2012 conviction."
According to the court filing, DeLeo was seeking "personal identifying information, including home addresses and names of immediate family members, relating to the federal officials" which he referred to as his "retribution."
FBI agents recovered "hard copy packets" of personal information for the individuals along with "a burglary kit, marijuana, vials of steroids, and a handwritten note regarding silicone masks." The burglary kit contained a pry-bar, mini crowbar, bolt cutters, and lock-picking tools, prosecutors said.
DeLeo was allegedly "actively communicating with known felons," including co-defendants from the racketeering case that put him in prison.
Based on what his attorney says, it almost sounds like prosecutors are describing someone other than DeLeo.
DeLeo was "actively planning to kill two current and one former federal official, all of whom were involved in the federal criminal case resulting in DeLeo's 2012 conviction."
According to the court filing, DeLeo was seeking "personal identifying information, including home addresses and names of immediate family members, relating to the federal officials" which he referred to as his "retribution."
FBI agents recovered "hard copy packets" of personal information for the individuals along with "a burglary kit, marijuana, vials of steroids, and a handwritten note regarding silicone masks." The burglary kit contained a pry-bar, mini crowbar, bolt cutters, and lock-picking tools, prosecutors said.
DeLeo was allegedly "actively communicating with known felons," including co-defendants from the racketeering case that put him in prison.
Based on what his attorney says, it almost sounds like prosecutors are describing someone other than DeLeo.
DeLeo’s attorney Kevin Barron said he is “an ailing and infirm’’ man who is being treated with chemotherapy and is dealing with “a number of other medical problems that need immediate attention.’’
Still, prosecutors sought DeLeo's detention.
"DeLeo's criminal history, which includes a conviction for murder, proves that he is more than capable of acting on his threats," prosecutors said. "DeLeo has been fixated on seeking revenge for years."
At his 2012 trial, in addition to helming the Colombo family, prosecutors said that DeLeo also ran the DeLeo crew, which operated in Massachusetts, Florida, New York, and Arkansas and was engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, and loansharking.
DeLeo was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison, with credit for three years he had already spent in jail while the case was pending.
DeLeo had already flipped and testified before then-boss Alphonse (Little Allie Boy) Persico chose him to be street boss around 2008. At the time, Allie Boy had recently been sentenced to life in prison and was seeking to avoid a repeat of the third Colombo war.
Specifically, DeLeo cooperated in 1977 against a doctor who hired him to kill another doctor. DeLeo, who had been in state and Federal prisons since the late 1960s for bank robbery, made a daring escape from a prison hospital. During this brief sojourn of freedom, DeLeo murdered Dr. Walter Bond in Columbus, Ohio, after Dr. David Ucker paid him to do the dirty deed. Bond was Dr. Ucker's rival for the affections of a certain woman. Although Dr. Bond told him to kill the victim by castrating him and letting him bleed to death, DeLeo shot him in the head and chest instead, snuffing out the doc's life outside his own Livingston Avenue office on Halloween night.
Later, the law caught up to him, and as part of a deal, DeLeo pleaded guilty to the murder and was given 15 years to life. Even though DeLeo testified against Ucker, Ucker was found not guilty in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. But since DeLeo carried out his part of the agreement and testified, a Franklin County prosecutor advocated for his release. So in 1991, then-Governor Richard F. Celeste commuted DeLeo's sentence as one of his last formal acts in office.
DeLeo became a free man in 1997. He kept in touch with Allie and was inducted into the Colombo crime family in 2000, as per sources.
If the Feds have the goods to back up their allegations, it looks like this time old Ralph will wind up dying in a cage.
As For The Colombo War
In early 1991 Carmine (Junior) Persico told the family that his son Allie Boy would succeed him as boss in June 1993, when Allie Boy finished a prison sentence. Junior’s announcement didn’t sit well with acting boss Vic Orena and those loyal to him, which in turn put Persico and his loyalists on alert.
Orena sought to make a move without firing a shot, at least initially, by directing Colombo consigliere Carmine Sessa to disparage Persico to Colombo captains. (Orena was a weasel —this was a weasel move. We doubt it would’ve even worked as anything other than pretext.)
Still, prosecutors sought DeLeo's detention.
"DeLeo's criminal history, which includes a conviction for murder, proves that he is more than capable of acting on his threats," prosecutors said. "DeLeo has been fixated on seeking revenge for years."
At his 2012 trial, in addition to helming the Colombo family, prosecutors said that DeLeo also ran the DeLeo crew, which operated in Massachusetts, Florida, New York, and Arkansas and was engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, and loansharking.
DeLeo was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison, with credit for three years he had already spent in jail while the case was pending.
DeLeo had already flipped and testified before then-boss Alphonse (Little Allie Boy) Persico chose him to be street boss around 2008. At the time, Allie Boy had recently been sentenced to life in prison and was seeking to avoid a repeat of the third Colombo war.
Specifically, DeLeo cooperated in 1977 against a doctor who hired him to kill another doctor. DeLeo, who had been in state and Federal prisons since the late 1960s for bank robbery, made a daring escape from a prison hospital. During this brief sojourn of freedom, DeLeo murdered Dr. Walter Bond in Columbus, Ohio, after Dr. David Ucker paid him to do the dirty deed. Bond was Dr. Ucker's rival for the affections of a certain woman. Although Dr. Bond told him to kill the victim by castrating him and letting him bleed to death, DeLeo shot him in the head and chest instead, snuffing out the doc's life outside his own Livingston Avenue office on Halloween night.
Later, the law caught up to him, and as part of a deal, DeLeo pleaded guilty to the murder and was given 15 years to life. Even though DeLeo testified against Ucker, Ucker was found not guilty in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. But since DeLeo carried out his part of the agreement and testified, a Franklin County prosecutor advocated for his release. So in 1991, then-Governor Richard F. Celeste commuted DeLeo's sentence as one of his last formal acts in office.
DeLeo became a free man in 1997. He kept in touch with Allie and was inducted into the Colombo crime family in 2000, as per sources.
If the Feds have the goods to back up their allegations, it looks like this time old Ralph will wind up dying in a cage.
As For The Colombo War
In early 1991 Carmine (Junior) Persico told the family that his son Allie Boy would succeed him as boss in June 1993, when Allie Boy finished a prison sentence. Junior’s announcement didn’t sit well with acting boss Vic Orena and those loyal to him, which in turn put Persico and his loyalists on alert.
Orena sought to make a move without firing a shot, at least initially, by directing Colombo consigliere Carmine Sessa to disparage Persico to Colombo captains. (Orena was a weasel —this was a weasel move. We doubt it would’ve even worked as anything other than pretext.)
Specifically, Orena told Sessa to call Persico a rat who should be "knocked down."
Sessa instead fomented all-out war by telling Allie Boy's brother/capo Theodore (Skinny Teddy) Persico about Orena’s intentions.
After learning of the double cross, Orena plotted to kill Sessa at a making ceremony for new Mafia members.
In an attempt to lobby the Commission for its support, Orena launched a smear campaign against Junior by calling him a "rat" — his justification was that Persico had admitted the existence of omertá. He also blasted Persico (verbally) for providing information to a New York Daily News journalist and for talking to a reporter with CBS's 60 Minutes about appearing on the news show.
According to Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano, the accusations were the sort that would lead the Commission to label Persico "no better than an informer," a black mark that was also fatal.
Luchese turncoat Alphonse (Little Al) D'Arco and Gravano both testified that Orena also had approached them seeking help murdering Colombo capo Greg (The Grim Reaper) Scarpa, who was known to be fiercely loyal to Persico.
Sessa instead fomented all-out war by telling Allie Boy's brother/capo Theodore (Skinny Teddy) Persico about Orena’s intentions.
After learning of the double cross, Orena plotted to kill Sessa at a making ceremony for new Mafia members.
In an attempt to lobby the Commission for its support, Orena launched a smear campaign against Junior by calling him a "rat" — his justification was that Persico had admitted the existence of omertá. He also blasted Persico (verbally) for providing information to a New York Daily News journalist and for talking to a reporter with CBS's 60 Minutes about appearing on the news show.
According to Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano, the accusations were the sort that would lead the Commission to label Persico "no better than an informer," a black mark that was also fatal.
Luchese turncoat Alphonse (Little Al) D'Arco and Gravano both testified that Orena also had approached them seeking help murdering Colombo capo Greg (The Grim Reaper) Scarpa, who was known to be fiercely loyal to Persico.
D'Arco was unwilling to provide any assistance without first getting approval from Luchese boss Vic Amuso and underboss Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso, both of whom were fugitives at the time.
Gambino boss John Gotti, however, was totally in the tank for Orena and was pushing for him to take over the Colombo family. Once Orena did, he’d have a seat on the Commission, and Gotti knew that a grateful Orena would back whatever moves Gotti sought to make.
So Gotti told Gravano to help Orena kill Scarpa. The Gambino effort to whack the Grim Reaper never got beyond the surveillance phase, though: Orena quickly retracted the request, realizing the poor optics that would result. (He would’ve looked like the weasel that he was.)
The third Colombo war began in earnest after Carmine Sessa and others made a move against Vic. They waited in a car outside Orena's home on the night of June 20, 1991. Orena spotted them and drove off unharmed.
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