Mobster Ralph DiMatteo, 68, who was caught after his son posted a shot of him lounging in a Florida pool says he has no regrets about image that led to his arrest as he’s jailed for three years

A New York mobster who was arrested after his son shared a photo of him relaxing in a pool, which led to him being arrested and jailed for three years, says he has no regrets about posing for the snap. 

Ralph DiMatteo, 68, the alleged ‘number three’ member of the Colombo crime family, was sentenced to three years in prison this week, after pleading guilty to racketeering involving extortion and money laundering.

He was caught after his son, Angelo, took a photo of him shirtless in a Florida swimming pool with a large gold chain around his neck. Angelo posted a rat emoji to his social media shortly after his father was arrested, seemingly claiming that someone had ratted him out. 

But the photo, shared to social media, was the key to his capture, as cops used it to figure out his location. 

When asked in court whether he regretted the photo, he merely asked: ‘Why? It was a great picture.’

Ralph DiMatteo, 68, (pictured) the alleged ‘number three’ member of the Colombo crime family, was sentenced to three years in prison this week

He was caught after his son, Angelo, took a photo of him shirtless in a Florida swimming pool with a large gold chain around his neck.

DiMatteo was one of 14 defendants charged for allegedly committing crimes as members of the Colombo family. 

One of his goons, Vincent ‘Vinny Unions’ Ricciardo, was found to have bullied a high-ranking union official into paying $2,600 a month to the mob family as a ‘pension’ for nearly 20 years, totaling nearly $600,000. 

DiMatteo was directly responsible for overseeing Ricciardo, and the consigliere was caught on wiretapped phone called telling Vinny Unions to hurry his extortion efforts up. 

‘Part of the privilege of being towards the top is that you don’t have to get your hands dirty yourself. You have other people do that on your behalf,’ Assistant US Attorney Michael Gibaldi said at DiMatteo’s sentencing.

The family also pressured a union-associated health fund into picking mob-friendly vendors paying an eyewatering tribute of $10,000 a month. 

DiMatteo served as a consigliere, an advisor to the Colombo family boss

Biggest mafia busts in history 

November 14, 1957: State troopers raid a national meeting of mafia leaders at the home of mobster Joseph ‘Joe the Barber’ Barbara in Apalachin, New York. Dozens escape and the 58 taken into custody insisted they were there to deliver well-wishes to an ailing friend, and were eventually released. The incident raised major national awareness of the mafia. 

February 1985: US Attorney Rudy Giuliani indicted 11 Mafia leaders, including the heads of New York’s five dominant crime families. The Mafia Commission Trial delivered a crushing blow to the mob.

December 11, 1990: Detectives raid the Ravenite Social Club, arresting Gambino boss John Gotti Jr, his underboss Salvatore ‘Sammy the Bull’ Gravano and Gambino consigliere Frank ‘Frankie Loc’ LoCascio. 

January 20, 2011: Authorities arrested 119 organized crime suspects in what the FBI called the largest single-day operation against the Mafia in history. 

His lawyer, Gerald McMahon, asked the judge to be lenient during sentencing, as the allegedly consigliere was ‘old school’ and ready to be held accountable for his actions.  

‘Mr DiMatteo did wrong. He took a plea, he’s taking his medicine… He’s doing his time,’ the lawyer said. 

McMahon added that DiMatteo will ‘hopefully be ageing out’ from his alleged crime family business, though prosecutors were less certain that this was true. 

‘Being a member of the Colombo crime family is a lifetime oath,’ said Brooklyn federal prosecutor Michael Gibaldi.

Last year, DiMatteo was freed from a Brooklyn jail on a $5 million bond despite federal prosecutors’ objections that he was still conducting mafia business.

Brooklyn Federal Court Magistrate James Cho said the mobster was not a flight risk and that home detention and phone monitoring was enough to ‘alleviate the risk.’

It is currently unclear who remains to take control of the Colombo syndicate on the street.

The entire administration of the Colombo crime family, including Russo and Castellazzo, already pleaded guilty to a variety of mobster activities in 2012.

The New York mafia has been weakened by several blows in recent years, including arrests, fratricidal struggles and competition from other criminal organizations, but they are still considered active.

The reputed boss of the Gambino clan, ‘Frank’ Cali, was shot and killed outside his home in the New York borough of Staten Island in March 2019.

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