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 hitman from a Rochester-area crime family, pleaded guilty in 1992 to racketeering charges that included the killings of three men during mob wars in the 1980s.

He escaped on 28 March, according to the Bureau of Prisons website.

The 64-year-old 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 “was placed on escape status” on Monday, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said.

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.

A US district judge, Frank Geraci Jr, wrote: “Taddeo’s prior convictions are for crimes including assault, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and, most notably, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (Rico) conspiracy arising from his employment and association with Rochester’s La Cosa Nostra organized crime family.

“The Rico charges involve the murder of three individuals, attempted murder of two more individuals, and conspiracy to murder a fifth person.”

Prosecutors said medical records did not show that Taddeo was particularly unhealthy.