Six months house arrest for mobster, 97

Albert “The Old Man” Facchiano, a 97-year-old whose life of crime in the US dates to the days of Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel, was sentenced today to six months of house arrest and 18 months of probation on racketeering charges.

Facchiano, first arrested 75 years ago and also known as “Chinky,” pleaded guilty in February to a Florida racketeering conspiracy charge and a New York witness tampering charge, which carried maximum sentences of 30 years behind bars. The two cases were combined in Florida.

Facchiano was among six members of the Florida arm of New York’s Genovese crime family to plead guilty, including their admitted Mafia captain, 73-year-old Renaldi Ruggiero. Ruggiero is appealing his 14-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors in Fort Lauderdale recommended that Facchiano serve house arrest based on his age and numerous medical problems.

There are only a handful of prisoners older than 80 in the US, and the average age of a prisoner in Florida is 36, according to the US Sentencing Commission.

Facchiano’s FBI record includes armed robbery, grand larceny, bookmaking and previous racketeering convictions.