gohnjotti wrote: ↑Sat Dec 31, 2022 5:27 pm
I initially wrote this post to respond to CornerBoy's question on what evidence we have that Allie was acting boss while DeLeo was street boss. I went off topic a bit but this is my attempt to briefly analyze DeLeo's role as street boss in contrast with Allie's role, in prison, as acting boss.
We know that DeLeo wasn't making decisions on his own as street boss because he didn't really
know anyone in the family aside from Allie Persico and Mike Ferrara. He only went to New York as street boss once, to perform an induction ceremony which he didn't organize, inducting men that he didn't know. He also met with Colombo soldier Reynold Maragni in Florida, but that was apparently to facilitate cross-country drug deals. He may have also been conducting some family business, as Maragni was Allie Persico's point-of-contact for the Colombos operating in Florida, but that's still speculation. There was a lot of administrative changes in the Florida crew from '08-'11 as Maragni sought to organize all the Florida-based soldiers under one roof.
We also know that DeLeo didn't actually know many Mafia terms and customs until he went to New York; he discussed the norms and customs associated with the Mafia in taped phone conversations with his sister.
We also know that while DeLeo held the title of 'street boss' living in Somerville, Michael Persico (an associate and brother of Allie Persico) was actively engaged trying to propose members for induction (i.e. Anthony Russo and Francis Guerra), handle sit-downs and disputes (the Spata gambling disputes, for example).
Lastly, when Maragni and DeLeo were setting up a cross-country marijuana distribution scheme, it was Maragni who asked
Michael Persico for permission, given the Colombo family's perceived stance against drugs. He didn't ask DeLeo for 'family' permission. He met with M. Persico, after meeting with DeLeo, to ask express permission to deal drugs. That, to me, is one of the clearest pieces of evidence that DeLeo's function as 'street boss' was purely ceremonial.
Here is Scott Curtis' testimony at Andrew Russo's 2011 detention hearing on the definition of street boss:
The official boss of the Colombo family is still Carmine Persico but he’s in prison for 100-year sentence. His son Alphonse Persico was designated as the acting boss for his father. He is now in prison for life. Therefore, they need a boss that’s not incarcerated and has the ability to interact with
not only the Colombo family but with other families to mediate disputes and run the family. That individual in March of 2010 was designated as Andrew Russo at that point.
Curtis further clarified that Persico remained the acting boss today (i.e. Jan. 20, 2011). When asked if the street boss earned money or tribute from his role, prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes told the court; "Unfortunately, most of the time he doesn’t."