In the 1970s, he was "Sonny," the mobster with a penchant for blowing things up.
In 1980, a judge called Sonny "rotten to the core" and shipped him off to prison for his role in a bombing spree that killed a prominent mob leader and leveled local gambling parlors.
On Wednesday, Dominic "Sonny" Celestino was a very different man from the one involved in the 1970s bloodbath in which two Rochester Mafia factions fought a violent turf battle. A wilting wiseguy, Celestino, 77, is now hobbled by poor health and is nearly deaf and blind.
Nevertheless, he was in federal court again, admitting to yet another crime. Now somewhat more stagger than swagger, Celestino was a far cry from the rebellious hoodlum of a different era.
On Wednesday, Celestino pleaded guilty to a crime that was either breathtaking in scope or just plain goofy. Celestino admitted that he and others plotted almost a decade ago to try to illegally move almost $100 million through bank wire transfers.
However, even federal prosecutors acknowledged that Celestino's role was "minimal," and questions had been raised during past court hearings about how aware he was of the criminal goings-on.
Also part of the scheme, prosecutors say, was former Rochester mobster Francesco Frassetto, who in 2006 admitted to a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors dropped charges against him that were connected to the wire transfer allegations.
The wire transfers never occurred, and federal authorities have said little about the likelihood that the crime could have been pulled off. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Wydysh, who prosecuted the case, said the criminal participants clearly thought they could pull off a $100 million crime.
Celestino's plea agreement alleges involvement by several co-conspirators who have not been charged. The statute of limitations has expired for most charges that could be associated with the crimes, which authorities allege occurred in 1998 and 1999.
Celestino was indicted in 2004, before the statutory time limit was reached.
"I would think this concludes the investigation," Wydysh said after Celestino's plea Wednesday.
In the plea, Celestino acknowledged that he and several other men, including Frassetto, had planned to move almost $100 million in wire transfers reminiscent of the baseball double-play combination known as Tinker to Evers to Chance. The money was to be routed to the Bahamas, then to a bank in Miami, the plea says.
Celestino said in the plea that he and others knew the money had been "stolen from a bank in New York City." Prosecutors say the initial theft never happened.
Celestino was among people who met with an FBI informant in Rochester in November 1998 to "discuss the execution of the illicit wire transfer," the plea agreement states.
Among others mentioned in the plea are Anthony Lepardo Jr. of Boston, who in 2006 admitted to a role in the scheme and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and another co-conspirator named E. Dawson Roberts.
The plea alleges that the money was to be routed through an account in the Bahamas "associated with" Roberts.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, which are advisory, Celestino faces between 18 and 24 months in prison. The judge could sentence him to less, and Celestino might even avoid prison. Prosecutors agreed that they would recommend that federal parole officials not revoke Celestino's parole and jail him because of his plea.
Celestino's attorney, Lawrence Andolina, said after the plea that he was surprised authorities pursued a case against Celestino, given his health and the small role he had in the crimes.
"This is one of the dumbest cases I've been involved with," Andolina said.
Celestino is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, and his latest journey through the court system could well be the last such trip for a former Rochester mobster. Some have died, some have committed new crimes and been jailed again, and others are now walking the straight and narrow.
"How are you feeling today?" U.S. District Judge David Larimer asked Celestino after the guilty plea.
"I feel all right," Celestino said. "I'm tired of all this, if you know what I mean."
"Well, yes, I do," Larimer said.
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