Persico was born in 1929 and was the brother of Theodore Persico, Sr. and Carmine "Junior" Persico. In his early years Persico served a ten year sentence for murder. He was known to be tough and struck fear into many. He operated a crew in Brooklyn, New York, out of the Diplomat Social Club. His power and standing within the crime family rose as his brother Carmine ascended to become boss of the family and served as his brother' consigliere from 1973–1977 and later underboss from 1977–1981.