Alphonse Persico

Alphonse T. Persico, known as Little Allie Boy or just Allie Boy (born February 8, 1954), was the acting boss of the Colombo crime family between 1996 and 2019, and son of crime boss Carmine Persico.

On February 8, 1954, Alphonse T. Persico was born in New York City.

As a young child he grew up in South Brooklyn and Bensonhurst.

Persico's father was Carmine Persico, a former boss of the Colombo family.

Alphonse Persico has two brothers, Lawrence and Michael Persico.

In 1983, Persico was arrested for heroin possession, but the case was dismissed.

Little Allie Boy was also convicted in the "Colombo Trial", and sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, on November 17, 1986.

The sentencing judge, John F. Keenan, urged Little Allie Boy to renounce his life of crime, pointing out that he would still be fairly young once he got out of prison.

"You are a chump if you stay in the Colombo family," Keenan said.

Knowing that he would likely die in prison, Persico still wanted to ensure that his share of the Colombo rackets flowed to his relatives.

He intended for Little Allie Boy to become acting boss as soon as his nephew was out of prison.

To that end, Carmine Persico selected Victor Orena, the capo of his son's former crew, to be the temporary acting boss.

In selecting Orena, Persico made it clear to the family that he was merely a placeholder until Alphonse was released.

In 1987, Carmine Persico was sentenced to a combined 139 years in prison after being convicted in two separate trials—the Mafia Commission Trial and a separate racketeering trial involving the Colombo family's operations.

Persico had named his brother, Alphonse, as acting boss previous to his arrest.

He was nicknamed "Little Allie Boy" to distinguish him from his father's older brother, who was also named Alphonse and was a caporegime (captain) in the Colombo family; he died in 1989.

Alphonse Persico was married to Teresa Persico.

Unlike some mafiosi, the young Alphonse Persico was a promising student who graduated from high school and was accepted into college at St. John's University School of Law.

Instead, he quit St. John's after his sophomore year, presumably to work for his father.

By his early 20s, Persico was a soldier in his father's family, and by his mid-20s, Persico was reportedly a capo.

Like many other mafiosi, Persico enjoyed the power and excitement of the mob life.

In the spring of 1991, Orena decided to depose the Persicos and become boss in his own right.

He told consigliere Carmine Sessa to call a referendum of the family capos to approve his takeover.

Instead, Sessa alerted the imprisoned Carmine Persico, who promptly ordered Orena's murder.

On June 20, 1991, Persico gunmen made an unsuccessful attempt to kill Orena at his home.

In November 1991, after several months of negotiations, the Persico and Orena factions broke into open warfare.

Still in prison, Alphonse Persico directed the campaign against Orena.

On May 13, 1993, Alphonse and other family leaders were indicted on racketeering charges that included the 1992 murders of Orena loyalists John Minerva and Michael Imbergamo.

By October 1993, Orena and many of his followers had been sent to prison.

Carmine Persico retained control of the Colombo family.

Also in 1993, Teresa Persico divorced Alphonse.

On August 8, 1994, Alphonse Persico was acquitted of the 1993 federal racketeering and murder charges due to the revelations about Colombo capo Gregory Scarpa and his relationship with the FBI.

Persico was now a free man, but he did not become acting boss right away.

Instead, Persico spent much of the next few years at his family home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

In 1994, Carmine Persico appointed Andrew Russo as acting boss.

When Russo went to prison in 1996, Alphonse Persico took over as acting boss.

Alphonse Persico's second stint as acting boss would last only a year before he was sent back to prison.

In early 1999, the US Coast Guard stopped Persico in his speedboat as he was motoring in the Florida Keys.

After searching the vessel, Coast Guardsmen arrested Persico for possessing a shotgun and a semiautomatic handgun as a felon.

In May 1999, Carmine or Alphonse Persico allegedly ordered the murder of his newly appointed underboss, William Cutolo.