The Persico Crew has historically been linked to Brooklyn. Carmine Persico was always active in Brooklyn and the recent cases surrounding the Colombos have been based in Brooklyn. In fact, Colombo activity in Queens has been comparatively low compared to the other four families and compared to their strength in Brooklyn. If you look at indictments over the last twenty years, you'll see that most Colombo gangsters' crimes either take place in Brooklyn or Long Island. Sure, there are a handful of cases in Queens and Staten Island but none involving the Persicos.
The only current active "Persico crew" is the one that is run/ran by Teddy Persico Jr., who has been described as a potential heir to the family (he is serving ten years for racketeering at the moment and scheduled for release in 2020.) Teddy Persico Jr.'s crew has always been Brooklyn-based. I can provide evidence if needed, but a quick google search will show you. The 2011 indictment detailed how Big Anthony Russo, another Brooklyn-based mobster, was Teddy's acting capo and the entire crew was seemingly Brooklyn-based. In Teddy Jr.'s 2005 indictment which involved his brother Sean and cousin Andre D'Apice, that was also based entirely in Brooklyn.
Giacomo, are there any specific Persicos which you think run things in Queens? Also, which Colombos are Queens powerhouses?
The only recent Colombo activity that I had heard of was the dust up over the Napa and Sonoma restaurant in Whitestone. Apparently two Colombo associates broke all the windows of the restaurant and were chased down by the Bonannos. I can't find any links to it, but this NY Post story covers it without mentioning that the "other" family was Colombo:
https://nypost.com/2010/08/04/stabbing-pains-for-mob-crew/When acting consigliere Ralph Lombardo was arrested in 2003 for loansharking, most of his crew lived in either Queens or Long Island.
https://nypost.com/2003/06/18/911-no-excuse-to-mobs-loan-thugs/A later Gang Land Article mentioned that Lombardo operated in Queens and Long Island.
"Lombardo earned his mob stripes in Middle Village, Queens under Joe Colombo crony Vincent Aloi during the 1960s and ‘70s. Following five years behind bars for a 1974 stock fraud conviction, he relocated to North Babylon, while maintaining a social club in Middle Village. The club’s gone now, and Lombardo has since hunkered down in Bellmore."
Whatever the case, I think most Queens activity fell by the wayside probably around the time Joe Scopo was whacked. Larry Mazza mentioned in his book that when Vic Orena was in charge he emphasized inducting Queens guys over Brooklyn guys in order to consolidate power. Take that how you will, but the implication there is that Orena didn't want to make Brooklyn guys because that's where Persico's power-base was. Guys like the Russo Cousins (cousins of the Persicos, Chucky and JoJo Russo) were Brooklyn-based according to the book, as was Teddy Persico Sr. and Jr. The only Brooklyn guys that Vic did induct (according to Mazza's book) were guys in Wild Bill's crew because Bill was an Orena supporter.
After the war, in terms of busts and indictments (of which the Colombos have had MANY), it doesn't look like Queens has that much Colombo activity anymore. Yes there is still some, but certainly not as much. The argument could be made that maybe the Queens Colombos have been staying low-key, but I'd counter that this is the COLOMBOS we're talking about.... the gung-ho, ghetto-banging crime family. From the 1990s-late 2000s, their leadership and inner workings have pretty much been made an open book by informers and rats, so I think if there was some big Queens power, we'd know about it.
