Persico, who had taken some pre-law classes in two and a half years at St. John's University, played a large role in the acquittal. He was instrumental in preparing his own defense, and he worked as hard as any lawyer I have ever worked with. Indeed, during the height of the Colombo war Persico had a tape recorded conversation in which he often sounded more like a lawyer than the attorney he was speaking with. At the time, Meyer was representing three members of the Orena faction that was killing Persico loyalists on gun charges. You could never tell it from their talk.
Any win is good.
Several times, Persico punched holes in Meyer's legal analyses of the laws regarding weapons possession, federal parole and probation. Well, if you receive it, it's in your possession. The spokesman gave few other details but said the FBI agents were acting on a tip that led them to the mobster's boat. Guerra, a reputed Colombo associate with a seemingly charmed life, has moved into Alphonse Persico's inner circle in recent months, according to federal and local law enforcement officials. Theodore Persico Jr. Years later, Guerra told Smith's mother he was the Frank in the Theodore Persico case and wanted to come forward so her son could be released, but he ultimately refused to plead guilty to the drug charges on orders from Theodore Persico,according to FBI documents.