Man who shot himself in standoff gets prison term

A decade ago, federal prosecutors labeled Christiano DeCarlo as the mastermind of an extortion plot designed to take over the city's outcall entertainment industry, with a little help from the Gambino crime family.

On Tuesday, DeCarlo was again in federal court, this time on a charge of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Lloyd George sentenced DeCarlo to 27 months in federal prison. Federal public defender Raquel Lazo said that with credit for time already served and good time credits he can earn in prison, DeCarlo, 38, could be back on the streets in 10 months.

Last April DeCarlo was arrested in connection with stalking a longtime girlfriend who obtained a restraining order against him. Police responded to the home to find DeCarlo in the front yard holding a pistol to his throat.

A seven-hour standoff ended only after DeCarlo shot himself in the chest.

That self-inflicted wound was described by police and local media outlets as a suicide attempt, but Lazo categorized the event as an accidental discharge. Lazo, however, acknowledged DeCarlo has mental health issues that cause him to make rash decisions.

Lazo also asked George not to implement one of the sentencing recommendations that requires DeCarlo to sever all ties with the girlfriend. She said both the woman and her parents were close to DeCarlo, although she acknowledged she had no idea how the ex-girlfriend feels about things.

In the case a decade ago, then-outcall service owner DeCarlo was sentenced to 10 years for his role in the conspiracy, which included violence and threats of violence in an effort to monopolize the outcall business. Among his six co-defendants were reputed Gambino mob family member Mario Stefano, and Vincent Congiusti, who prosecutors said was an expert in torture.

While DeCarlo might have received an arguably soft sentence in federal court, he still faces four felony charges in state court related to the April 23 incident.