Fugitive mobster Ralph DiMatteo’s son posted a picture of him shirtless on Twitter which led to his arrest (Picture: Twitter)
Did it for the ‘gram? Regardless, a notorious mobster said he does not regret posing shirtless in a pool for a picture that was posted on social media and led to his arrest and imprisonment.
Ralph DiMatteo, 68, an alleged member of the Colombo crime family, wears a gold chain with a crucifix in the photo exposing his hairy chest and burly figure. He rests an elbow on the concrete edge of the pool in Florida and appears relaxed.
During his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, DiMatteo was asked if he had second thoughts about taking the picture, which his son shared on Twitter, allowing investigators to track him down.
‘Why?’ replied DiMatteo. ‘It was a great picture.’
Ralph DiMatteo was called ‘number three’ by fellow Colombo crime family members (Picture: Twitter)
DiMatteo, the clan’s alleged consigliere, had flown to Florida the day before federal prosecutors charged 13 of his co-defendants with crimes around infiltrating a labor union in Queens.
The photo gave away DiMatteo’s whereabouts and he surrendered the next day.
Wearing a charcoal colored suit and sneakers in a New York court, DiMatteo was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy, extortion and money laundering.
DiMatteo, called ‘number three’ by fellow Colombo members, was indicted alongside other leaders in the clan including boss Andrew ‘Mush’ Russo who died in April 2022 awaiting trial, and alleged underboss Benjamin ‘The Claw’ Castellazzo who pleaded guilty this year.
DiMatteo was released from jail on a $5million bond last year despite prosecutors objecting and saying that he was still involved in mafia dealings.
His lawyer, Gerald McMahon, asked Brooklyn federal Judge Hector Gonzalez for a more lenient sentence, saying that his client is ‘old-schooled’.
‘Mr DiMatteo did wrong,’ said McMahon. ‘He took a plea, he’s taking his medicine. He wants it to be on him. He’s doing his time.’
The lawyer added that DiMatteo will ‘hopefully be aging out’ of his alleged crime family operation.
But prosecutors, who sought a 46-month prison sentence, were skeptical.
‘Being a member of the Colombo crime family is a lifetime oath,’ said prosecutor Michael Gibaldi. ‘Aging out won’t happen.’