Aged Mafia Boss Ralph DeLeo Charged in Murder Plot Against Feds

Posted on: May 23, 2025, 01:41h. 

Last updated on: May 23, 2025, 01:41h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Ex-Colombo boss accused of plotting revenge killings
  • Prosecutors say DeLeo targeted officials from 2012 case
  • Arrest yields burglary tools, dossiers, and silicone mask note

They say wisdom comes with age, but one aging wise guy — who’s spent roughly 44% of his 82 years behind bars — clearly still has some learning to do.

Ralph DeLeo, Colombo crime family, Mafia, Patriarca crime family
Ralph DeLeo in a 2010 mugshot, two years before his racketeering conviction. Prosecutors say he later sought “retribution” against federal officials for that case. (Image: Public Domain)

Ralph DeLeo, a former high-ranking street boss in the Colombo crime family, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly plotting to murder federal officials involved in his 2012 racketeering conviction.

DeLeo was released from prison last year and living under supervised release. Prosecutors say he was preparing to assassinate two current and one former federal official who played key roles in putting him behind bars.

According to prosecutors, DeLeo has a “long and violent criminal history” that began in the 1970s when he was an associate of the Patriarca crime family in Providence, R.I.

Prison Escape, Murder

Also known as the New England Mafia, the Patriarcas at the time controlled illegal gambling, loansharking, and extortion operations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

In 1977, DeLeo was imprisoned in Massachusetts for armed robbery and kidnapping. He escaped custody and fled to Ohio, where he carried out the contract killing of Dr. Walter Bond.

In 1980, DeLeo was convicted of Bond’s murder and sentenced to life in prison. However, the sentence was later commuted in exchange for his testimony against Dr. David Ucker, the man who ordered the hit.

Ucker, then a deputy county coroner in Columbus, Ohio, wanted Bond dead because he believed the physician had drugged and assaulted a pharmacist Ucker was dating.

While still incarcerated in the 1990s, DeLeo formed a close bond with Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico, then acting boss of the Colombo family.

Their relationship led to DeLeo’s induction into the family. By 2008, he had risen to the role of street boss, overseeing a crew that trafficked drugs and weapons and engaged in extortion.

In May 2012, DeLeo pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. He was sentenced to 235 months by U.S. District Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, with credit for 36 months already served.

‘Retribution’

Since his release in 2024, DeLeo allegedly resumed contact with criminal associates and began planning revenge. Prosecutors claim he actively gathered sensitive details about the three federal targets — including their home addresses and the identities of close relatives. In intercepted messages, he reportedly described the planned killings as acts of “retribution.”

Authorities say a search of DeLeo’s residence turned up printed dossiers on the targets, a “burglary kit” with tools used for forced entry, marijuana, anabolic steroids, and a note referencing silicone masks.

“DeLeo’s criminal history, which includes a conviction for murder, proves that he is more than capable of acting on his threats,” prosecutors wrote. “DeLeo has been fixated on seeking revenge for years.”