New York Mob Assassin Escapes Federal Custody

An upstate New York mob assassin who murdered three rivals in the 1980s and attempted to murder two others has escaped from federal custody in Florida.

Dominic Taddeo, 64, was living in a halfway house while preparing for his planned release next year when he went to an approved medical appointment on March 28 and failed to return, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

In 2020, a judge denied Taddeo’s plea for a compassionate release during COVID.

U.S. District Judge Frank Geraci Jr. wrote, “Taddeo’s prior convictions are for crimes including assault, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and, most notably, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy arising from his employment and association with Rochester’s La Cosa Nostra organized crime family.”

“The RICO charges involve the murder of three individuals, attempted murder of two more individuals, and conspiracy to murder a fifth person,” Geraci said.

In 1987, Taddeo disappeared after being released on bail then was found two years later visiting his brother in Cleveland. At that time, he had not yet been linked to the murders of Nicholas Mastrodonato, Gerald Pelusio, and Dino Tortatice in 1982 and 1983, and was facing only federal firearm charges.

U.S. District Judge Michael Telesca sentenced Taddeo to 54 years in prison in 1992.