by B. » Sat Jul 04, 2020 4:34 am
gohnjotti wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 12:23 pm
B. wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 1:36 am
Michael Persico's second wife who passed away was also the daughter of Gambino soldier David Rava and the granddaughter of the murdered Gambino captain Armand Rava.
His first wife was the daughter of Colombo member Tom Petrizzo.
I still want to know who told Greg Scarpa that Michael Persico was made. Scarpa was told twice (by the same person? by two different people?) that Michael Persico was a made member in the 1980s, which he reported to the FBI on separate occasions. Everything about Persico would suggest membership but no other source backs it up.
I didn't know that about Michael's second wife. Good stuff, B.
You're right that everything about Persico would suggest membership, but we have other informants who have specifically stated that he wasn't made, with Anthony Russo - who was Michael Persico's longtime right-hand - testifying specifically that he wasn't. It was a contentious issue in court papers regarding Michael's bail release after his arrest in 2010, with prosecutors conceding he wasn't made but that he held a higher rank due to his special connection to Carmine and Alphonse Persico.
Even if Scarpa was wrong, I think it was as harmless a mistake as Francis Guerra being mis-identified as a soldier by Chris Paciello, or Dino Calabro being mis-identified as a soldier in the 1990s (when the Colombo books were still closed). I think Michael Persico's influence extends beyond a made member, to the point where he was equal in stature with the ruling panel (with Skinny Teddy Persico Jr., another ruling panel member, telling Steve Marcus on tape that he needed permission from Michael before he could engage in violence).
I'd file it under "part of the conversation" and not much more. Given how much of our info on the Colombo family 1960s-1990s comes straight from Scarpa and how reliable and detailed most of his info is, it's a strange little mistake and would be out of character for him to lie about it. Especially given that he was asked to verify the info and spoke to somebody a second time about it, which is why I'm wondering who gave him the info.
Another possibility is that Persico was made specifically to carry messages to and from his brother and father, keeping his true status known only to the Persico relatives, though you'd think some of the members close to him like Russo would have at least picked up on a hint of it. That he held defacto leadership status over the years not just in business but in mafia matters makes it that much more confusing.
[quote=gohnjotti post_id=158565 time=1593804223 user_id=5299]
[quote=B. post_id=158512 time=1593765379 user_id=127]
Michael Persico's second wife who passed away was also the daughter of Gambino soldier David Rava and the granddaughter of the murdered Gambino captain Armand Rava.
His first wife was the daughter of Colombo member Tom Petrizzo.
I still want to know who told Greg Scarpa that Michael Persico was made. Scarpa was told twice (by the same person? by two different people?) that Michael Persico was a made member in the 1980s, which he reported to the FBI on separate occasions. Everything about Persico would suggest membership but no other source backs it up.
[/quote]
I didn't know that about Michael's second wife. Good stuff, B.
You're right that everything about Persico would suggest membership, but we have other informants who have specifically stated that he wasn't made, with Anthony Russo - who was Michael Persico's longtime right-hand - testifying specifically that he wasn't. It was a contentious issue in court papers regarding Michael's bail release after his arrest in 2010, with prosecutors conceding he wasn't made but that he held a higher rank due to his special connection to Carmine and Alphonse Persico.
Even if Scarpa was wrong, I think it was as harmless a mistake as Francis Guerra being mis-identified as a soldier by Chris Paciello, or Dino Calabro being mis-identified as a soldier in the 1990s (when the Colombo books were still closed). I think Michael Persico's influence extends beyond a made member, to the point where he was equal in stature with the ruling panel (with Skinny Teddy Persico Jr., another ruling panel member, telling Steve Marcus on tape that he needed permission from Michael before he could engage in violence).
[/quote]
I'd file it under "part of the conversation" and not much more. Given how much of our info on the Colombo family 1960s-1990s comes straight from Scarpa and how reliable and detailed most of his info is, it's a strange little mistake and would be out of character for him to lie about it. Especially given that he was asked to verify the info and spoke to somebody a second time about it, which is why I'm wondering who gave him the info.
Another possibility is that Persico was made specifically to carry messages to and from his brother and father, keeping his true status known only to the Persico relatives, though you'd think some of the members close to him like Russo would have at least picked up on a hint of it. That he held defacto leadership status over the years not just in business but in mafia matters makes it that much more confusing.