Mob informant 'Mikey Scars' is a free man

Mob murderer-turned-informant Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo walked away from his sentencing a free man Friday after prosecutors praised his "historic" role in dismembering the Gambino family.

DiLeonardo, who testified at 14 trials including the prosecutions of former Gambino boss John J. Gotti's brother and son and notorious Gambino hit man Charles Carneglia, told U.S. District Judge John Koeltl that he had turned over a new leaf.

"I want to extend my apologies to society for me and my forefathers," said DiLeonardo, 56, who came from a family of mobsters. "I was born into an ideology. I was not a victim of it. I created victims for it. La Cosa Nostra is a living, breathing beast."

DiLeonardo, a former Gambino family capo who has confessed to participating in three murder plots and dozens of other crimes, faced up to life in prison for racketeering.

But prosecutor Elie Honig urged Koeltl to let him off with just three years of prison time served because of his extensive cooperation.

The 14 trial appearances were a record for an informant, Honig said, adding that DiLeonardo helped secure 80 convictions and $30 million in restitution. Free on bail and in witness protection since 2005, DiLeonardo's life is in constant danger. "Make no mistake: he is a marked man," Honig said,

After the sentencing, a beaming DiLeonardo bounded briefly into the audience to exchange handshakes and hugs with friends, and even tried to approach radio talk-show host Curtis Sliwa, whose murder he had tried to set up at the behest of the late John J. Gotti.

Sliwa refused with a quick shake of the head. "He authorized the hit on me," he said.