That Anthony Borgese is one good fella.
A Brooklyn federal court judge sentenced 73-year-old “Sopranos” and “Goodfellas” actor better known by his stage name “Tony Darrow” to six months house arrest and two years probation on Wednesday after crediting the Brooklyn-raised thespian for filming a public service announcement denouncing the mobster lifestyle he’s built his career on.
During his brief court appearance Borgese admitted to using his mob connections to extort $5,000 from someone who owed him money.
“I know what I did was wrong,” Borgese told Judge Eric Vitaliano during his mea culpa. “It’s a terrible mistake I will suffer for the rest of my life, and I deserve it.”
Darrow, who has been identified by federal authorities as a Gambino crime family associate, was charged with enlisting another alleged mobster to collect the debt. The debtor suffered a broken jaw and a set of broken ribs as a result, federal investigators said.
Borgese, who played Larry Boy Barese in “The Sopranos” and Sonny Bunz in “Goodfellas” could have gotten three years in prison for his role in the attack, but got on the judge’s good side by filming a public service announcement that outlined his time in jail and denounced the mobster persona.
“[When I was arrested, I thought I was going to pee myself,” Borgese said in the frank video, that was shown in local schools. “If you ever break the law and think you’re a wiseguy, you’re not.”
The public service announcement made all the difference to Judge Vitaliano said as he announced his sentence.
“The good that can be done and the good that has been done outweighs the harm that was caused,” Vitaliano explained.
