Bellomo gets just one more year

Liborio "Barney" Bellomo, one-time boss of the Genovese Crime Family, will serve just one additional year in prison, according to a story by Kati Cornell of the New York Post.

A racketeering-murder case that could have called for the death penalty fell apart when witness memories suddenly failed and evidence was lost from a storage room. Prosecutors reached a plea deal with Bellomo on a charge of cheating a Bronx carting company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They dropped a charge relating to the 1998 mob hit on Ralph Coppola.

Bellomo acknowledged once serving as acting boss of the Genovese Family. He claimed, however, that he found religion in prison and has severed his connections with the Mob.

Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan sentenced Bellomo on Monday to 41 months in prison on the fraud charge. All but one year will be served concurrent with his existing sentence. Bellomo went into jail 11 years ago for racketeering. He had been scheduled for release in August 2008.

Embarrassing plea deal with Bellomo

Federal prosecutors took what they could get in a plea deal last month with former Genovese Crime Family bigshot Liborio "Barney" Bellomo, according to a story by Kati Cornell of the New York Post.

As a racketeering/murder case against Bellomo (right) fell apart, U.S. Attorneys arranged a plea deal on mail fraud. That means, rather than face the worst penalties the government can impose, Bellomo could be sentenced to as little as three and a half years in jail. He will serve no more than five years.

Judge Lewis Kaplan apparently suffered some disbelief at the deal. After all, the original racketeering indictment included the 1998 murder of Ralph Coppola. However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Miriam Rocah explained that the case against Bellomo fell apart shortly after the indictment. According to Rocah, witnesses were reluctant to testify against Bellomo and the prosecutors feared they would lose a jury trial.

Bellomo was arrested in February 2006 along with 31 other accused underworld associates in New York City.