A Rockland resident who pled guilty to racketeering charges was sentenced today to 27 months in prison.

Daniel Pagano is a captain in the Genovese Crime Family, said Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Pagano and fellow Rockland County resident Michael Palazzolo, whom federal officials termed an associate of the Genovese Crime Family, were charged in August 2014 with participating in a racketeering conspiracy by, among other crimes, committing extortion and loan sharking and operating an illegal gambling business.

SEE: Rockland Man Admits Role as Capo Pagano had previously been convicted of racketeering conspiracy and served a term of over eight years in prison, and was sentenced today as a repeat offender. The judge also included a term of three years of supervised release, and ordered Pagano to pay a fine of $5,000 and forfeiture of $2,000.

"Pagano's conviction and sentence reinforce a simple truth: if you join the mob and choose a life of crime, you end up behind bars," Bharara said. Here's the full text of his statement:

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that DANIEL PAGANO, a Captain of the Genovese Organized Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra (the "Genovese Crime Family") was sentenced to a term of 27 months in prison for his leadership role in the Genovese Crime Family.

PAGANO pled guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy in March 2015 and was sentenced today before by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: "Danny Pagano, a Captain in the Genovese Crime Family, has been sentenced today for his leadership role in a racketeering conspiracy. Pagano's conviction and sentence reinforce a simple truth: if you join the mob and choose a life of crime, you end up behind bars." According to the Indictment and other documents filed in this case, and statements made during the plea and sentencing proceedings: The Genovese Crime Family is part of a nationwide criminal organization known by various names, including the "Mafia" and "La Cosa Nostra" ("LCN"), which operates through entities known as "Families." The Genovese Crime Family operates through groups of individuals known as "crews" and "regimes," most of which are based in New York City. Each "crew" has as its leader a person known as a "Caporegime," "Capo," "Captain," or "Skipper," who is responsible for supervising the criminal activities of his crew and providing "Soldiers" and associates with support and protection. In return, the Capo typically receives a share of the illegal earnings of each of his crew's Soldiers and associates, which is sometimes referred to as 'tribute.' DANIEL PAGANO is a Caporegime or Captain in the Genovese Crime Family.