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The son of a legendary New York Mafia boss has died of complications from diabetes at the age of 71.
Anthony Colombo was the son of legendary Mob boss Joseph Anthony “Joe” Colombo Sr, who founded the Italian American Anti-Defamation League, which was later known as the Italian-American Civil Rights League for which Anthony became vice president. Joe Sr. was shot at a Manhattan Unity Day rally in 1971
Anthony would later sue the local CBS affiliate WCBS in 1971 for claiming that he was a mobster. That suit was settled for an undisclosed amount of money but in 1986, Anthony plead to federal racketeering conspiracy for his alleged role in an illegal gambling club.
From About The Mafia:
As part of the plea agreement, he received a 14-year prison sentence. Even though he had maintained he was not a Mafioso the conspiracy charge he pleads guilty to accused him and others of being members of the Colombo crime family of Cosa Nostra. Anthony said he agreed to the plea deal “to save my family and four children the agony” of a public trial.
In an interesting side note, Anthony Colombo once claimed it was his status as the vice president of the league and his power of persuasion that allowed him to ultimately have the word Mafia and La Cosa Nostra expunged from “The Godfather” film.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
