Colombo Boss Carmine 'The Snake' Persico Dies In Prison: Report

NEW YORK – Carmine "The Snake" Persico, who served as the boss of the Colombo crime family during its most powerful stretch in the '70s, has died aged 85, the Associated Press reported.

Persico died while serving a sentence of more than 100 years in a federal prison in Butner, North Carolina. He was convicted of racketeering and murder by then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani in 1986.

The New York Post reported that the gangster's lawyer, Benson Weintraub, said Persico died after a “rampant infection” in his leg wasn't treated because of the government shutdown.