Anthony Borgese, stage name Tony Darrow, has made a living out of playing mob and mafioso tough guys.
The Brooklyn-born actor has appeared in Goodfellas (as lounge owner Sonny Bunz) and HBO hit The Sopranos (as crime family leader “Larry Boy” Barese). He even landed a big role in Analyze This with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal, and featured in Mickey Blue Eyes with Hugh Grant. But now, life has imitated art.
That’s because Borgese, 72, has been sentenced to six months of house arrest after helping to arrange a mob beating over the non-payment of a debt.
However, the actor seems to have got off lightly. For pleading guilty to enlisting a Gambino crime family associate to collect a debt for him, Borgese could have received up to three years in jail. The victim of the collection attempt had his jaw and three ribs broken (and this over a relatively small debt of $5,000).
The sentence was mitigated after Borgese struck a deal to talk to youth groups about why getting entangled in mob life is a bad idea. He was also told he must film a public service announcement speaking out against the mobster lifestyle.
On top of his six months of house arrest, Borgese received two years’ probation, as confirmed by a spokesman for Brooklyn Federal Court to The Wrap .
Do you think Borgese got away lightly with his sentence, or will his agreement to speak out against mob life result in wider improvements?
