NY mobster who killed 3 escapes federal custody in Florida

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - A New York mobster who killed three people and attempted to kill two others has escaped from federal custody after recently being moved to a halfway house, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Dominic Taddeo, a hit man from a Rochester-area crime family, escaped on March 28, according to the Bureau of Prisons website.

Taddeo, 64, had been imprisoned at a medium-security lockup in Florida before being transferred to a residential halfway house, also in Florida, in February.

Taddeo failed to return from an authorized medical appointment and 'œwas placed on escape status'ť on Monday, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said.

Taddeo pleaded guilty in 1992 to racketeering charges that included the killings of three men during mob wars in the 1980s.

A federal judge in western New York denied Taddeo's request for compassionate release last year, rejecting his claim that health problems including hypertension and obesity put him at risk for serious complications from COVID-19. Prosecutors said medical records did not show that Taddeo was particularly unhealthy.