Salemme testified in 2002 against Connolly, who was convicted of helping Bulger avoid prosecution. Grassos slaying and the attempt on Salemmes life marked the first hits of made members of the Boston Mafia in recent memory. December 18, 2022. Two years later, however, Steve Flemmi was immunized and told U.S. attorneys Fred Wyshak and Brian Kelly that he saw Salemme participate in the murder. Two fishermen found his body at about 3:15 p.m. Salemme and Bulger fled after they were tipped off to the impending indictment by Bulgers FBI handler, John Connolly Jr. Salemme was arrested in Florida several months later while Bulger spent 16 years on the lam before being captured at the age of 81 in Santa Monica, California. He was 79. [2][3] Judge Allison Burroughs sentenced Salemme and former Patriarca crime family associate and accomplice, Paul Weadick, to life in prison on September 13, 2018. DiSarros nightclub, The Channel, was under scrutiny at the time for the Salemmes involvement in the business. BOSTON Weymouth native and former Sharon resident Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the once-powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, the Bureau of Prisons reported. He remained a fugitive until 1972, when he was captured by FBI agent John Connolly in Manhattan. Authorities suggest that Salemme could be in line to assume control of one of the regimes whose leadership could fall vacant in the wake of indictments against Ferrara and the others. . Salemme died on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, according to Bureau of Prisons' online records. Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, according to the Bureau . Salemme's wispy gray hair and thin frame made him almost unrecognizable from the bulky, feared Mafia don jurors saw in photos from the 90s. Salemme ran toward the back of the pizza shop and fell to the ground near the mens room, Collins said. The racketeering case revealed that Bulger and Salemmes best friend, Stephen The Rifleman Flemmi, had secretly worked as FBI informants. Another former mobster told authorities that he saw Salemmes son strangle DiSarro while Salemme stood by. Salemme, who earned his nickname by his predilection for the finer things in life, including Cadillacs, drove a black BMW sedan to the meet, as Mob sitdowns are commonly known. Salemme, who has admitted to a slew of other gangland killings, was living in Atlanta under the name Richard Parker when remains of the nightclub owner were unearthed in 2016, making the elderly ex-Mafia don a government target once again. Sample Page; ; At the time of his death, the former New England Mafia boss was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner. As it turned out, the film crew was actually a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) front. 15. Just before DiSarros death, the FBI told him he was about to be indicted and should cooperate with the government against the Salemmes. Salemme led the Patriarca crime family in Boston in the early 1990s before helping prosecutors convict a corrupt FBI agent after learning that other mobsters had been talking about him to authorities. In previous years, Salemme had forged strong ties to Whitey Bulger and the mostly Irish Winter Hill Gang. The shooting came three days after the Herald published a front-page article citing unnamed sources who described Salemme as a rising organized crime leader in Boston since his release from prison in February 1988. Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at . Salemme led the Patriarca crime family in Boston in the early 1990s before helping prosecutors convict a corrupt FBI agent after learning that other mobsters had been talking about him to authorities. Mob chief's son has cancer", "Former New England mob boss 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme dead at 89", Boston.com Local News Man who helped bug the mafia dead at 70, Americanmafia.com: Mob War in Beantown II, The Chicago Syndicate: "Cadillac Frank" Salemme Gets Five Years in Prison, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Salemme&oldid=1129607889, This page was last edited on 26 December 2022, at 08:17. Fiorentina captain Davide Astori, a defender who has also been capped by Italy 14 times, has died, the club WELLINGTON, New Zealand Fergie McCormick, a hard-tackling fullback who played 16 tests among 28 matches for the All Blacks between 1965 and 1971, has died aged 78, New ATLANTA Former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, a lifelong Democrat and the father of Georgia's lottery-funded HOPE scholarship while serving as governor, died Friday. He said he believed the man regretted a lot of the things he had done in his life, particularly the effects it had on his immediate family and the families of others.. Michael Romano of East Boston is accused of offering $5,000 to $15,000 to hitmen hired to execute Salemme and 13 of his associates. You are unauthorized to view this page. Mobster Frank Salemme Wounded in Saugus SAUGUS, MA - JUNE 16: Bystanders examine a car that was in the line of fire as assailants shot at Francis P. Salemme outside an IHOP in Saugus, MA on June 16,. Frank Salemme passed away on December 13, 2022. Investigators are particularly interested in learning why Salemme was carrying $14,000 in cash in a briefcase recovered from the car he was driving. Former Florida Gov. East Coast But this probably was planned to be done before the story., But another law enforcement source said Ferrara is the type of guy who could go crazy over a newspaper article.. West Coast, Burnstein Op-Ed: Reports Of Chicago Mob Legend Jimmy Is Role As Informant Missing Context, Rewarding FBI For Hypocrisy, Bad Faith, Chicago Mafia Don Solly D DeLaurentis Not Present At Underboss Jimmy Is Wake, As Windy City Underworld Mourns Loss, Pagans MC Parties In The Ozarks As Part Of Expansion Agenda, Recruiting Rally In Branson, Missouri Runs Smoothly, GR SOURCES: Hells Angels Want Backing From Highwaymen MC In Fight With Outlaws MC For Brand Building In Michigan, The Golden Touch In Cicero: New Power Player, Louie Rainone, Emerges In Chicago Mob Circles, Per Sources. His reign as Mafia boss ended when he, notorious Boston gangster James Whitey Bulger and others were charged in a sweeping racketeering case in 1995. Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89. Salemme participated in numerous killings in Boston's 1960s gang wars and spent 16 years behind bars for trying to kill a lawyer, who survived but lost a leg, when his car was blown up in 1968. With his would-be killers in hot pursuit, and a cars wheels squealing on the shopping center parking lot, Salemme lunged into the lobby of a neighboring pizza shop, grabbing the door as a bullet pierced his left leg, according to witnesses. Suspicion on who ordered the Salemme shooting fell immediately upon Vincent M. (The Animal) Ferrara, 40, a Boston College-educated accountant whom the FBI has publicly identified as one of a half-dozen Boston-area capo regimes. FBI agents rushed to the scene, and to the hospital where Salemme was under heavy guard last night. BOSTON -- Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston . Random After being released from prison, Salemme was seriously wounded in a shooting outside a suburban Boston pancake house. We won't get into too much detail here as the shooting will be part of this season's finale. Police believed an assault rifle was used in the shooting, which occurred outside the International House of Pancakes in the K mart shopping center on Route 1 southbound in Saugus. He diedTuesday, according to the FederalBureau of Prisons online records. He started working with Morelli in criminal activities after getting out of prison, and he quickly gained stature in the Patriarca family as an associate although he could not become a made man or full member. During the 1990s, at the urging of Frank Salemme, Jr., Frank, Sr. started extorting money from a film crew that wanted to avoid paying high salaries to union workers while filming in Boston and Providence, Rhode Island. He said Salemme wore sweat pants, a t-shirt and a windbreaker that he used to hold to his wound while waiting for paramedics. Some Say Boston, He Said Providence 1 year ago Scott Burnstein . Life imprisonment (2018) Francis Patrick Salemme (August 18, 1933 - December 13, 2022), sometimes spelled Salemmi, also known as "Cadillac Frank" and "Julian Daniel Selig", was an American mobster from Boston, Massachusetts who became a hitman and eventually the boss of the Patriarca crime family of New England before turning government witness. THE MOB boss Francis "Cadillac Frank Salemme, who unleashed a sick reign of terror on the streets of Boston, has died behind bars at 89. In 1999, while serving his racketeering sentence, Salemme learned that both Bulger and Flemmi had been FBI informants for many years, and that both men had provided information on Salemme to their FBI handlers. Mob Don Cadillac Frank Salemme Get 'Made' Into The New England Mafia? Former New England Mafia boss Francis Cadillac Frank Salemme has died in federal custody at the age of 89. As he grabbed the door, the men in the car, which had reversed direction and was in pursuit, opened fire again. It could have been an old payback., According to witnesses, after he was shot and stumbled into a Papa Ginos restaurant, Salemme shouted, Call the police! BOSTON - Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at . -- A man identified in a published report as the 'heir apparent' to organized crime in Boston was shot Friday in a 'professional' murder attempt in a shopping center parking lot, police said. 19salemme -- FBI surveillance photos from March 1991 show RI mobster Bobby DeLuca getting into a car outside Joseph's restaurant in the North End; beside him is Frank Salemme Sr. (FBI surveillance photos), African-American By the time World War II arrived, the whole era of the Irish gangster seemed to have drawn to a close. BOSTON (AP) Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston . Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Podcasts (Federal Bureau of Investigation via AP, File), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Upset that his fellow mobsters had turned on him, Salemme agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with authorities. In 1986, family boss Jerry Angiulo had been sent to prison on racketeering charges, leaving a power vacuum in the Patriarca family. Another former mobster told authorities that he saw Salemmes son strangle DiSarro while Weadick held the nightclub owners feet and Salemme stood by. About 100 people were in the pancake house when Salemme parked his car outside, got out and was set upon by the gunmen. The two shootings, authorities say, could mark the beginning of Mafia violence the likes of which New England has not seen for more than two decades, when more than 60 mobsters died at the hands of rivals in the centurys worst gangland feud. But that is only the beginning of the story when it comes to Salemmes link to, if you will, Irish blood. Dont run to Google to see which county in Ireland is best known for the name Salemme. After Salemme's release, he became a "made man" in 1988. This could be a stack of bodies.. News Frank Salemme, 56, of Sharon, who was named Tuesday by The Boston Herald as 'a new emerging power' in Boston-area mob activity, was shot by four men who fled after leaving a stolen rental car in the parking lot of the nearby Palace nightclub on Route 99 in Saugus, police said. Bulger was eventually captured at the age of 81 in Santa Monica, California, before being killed by fellow inmates in prison in 2018. The former New England Mafia chief Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, serving a life term in prison for the 1993 murder of a Boston nightclub owner, has passed away at 89, according to the Bureau of Prisons. DiSarros nightclub, The Channel, was under scrutiny at the time for the Salemmes involvement in the business. A year later, he survived a shooting by a renegade mob faction outside a Saugus pancake house. Salemme died Tuesday, Dec. 13, according to the Bureau of Prisons . }Customer Service. Last year, in a speech to prosecutors that has become prophetic, Jeremiah T. OSullivan, former chief of the US Justice Departments New England Organized Crime Strike Force, predicted bloodshed, saying Grasso had begun to muscle in on the Springfield rackets controlled by the Genovese crime family of New York. anthony apocalypse costume; mark dellagrotte record; shohreh aghdashloo ever after; wendy's employment verification; is it haram to wear shorts to sleep Popularity. He was serving a life sentence behind bars. Salemme was living in Atlanta under the name Richard Parker when remains of the nightclub owner were unearthed in 2016, making the elderly ex-Mafia don a government target once again. Salemme was seriously wounded in a shooting outside a . At his 2018 trial in Boston, Salemmes slicked-back, wispy gray hair and thin frame made him almost unrecognizable from the bulky, feared mob boss jurors saw in grainy surveillance photos from the 1990s. An email was sent to the bureau on Sunday requesting . Lets face it. He was released after serving nearly 15 years for trying to murder a lawyer by blowing up his car, the newspaper said. The racketeering case revealed that Bulger and Salemmes best friend, Stephen The Rifleman Flemmi, had secretly worked as FBI informants. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter@nataliealund. Shortly after his release, Salemme appeared before a Congressional committee to testify on the Connolly case. By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk December 18, 2022 at 4:55 pm CST. Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Exclusive Dianne Kottmyer, acting chief of the U.S. Justice Department's New England Organized Crime Strike Force, declined any comment on Salemme. Salemme served 16 years in prison after the Fitzgerald bombing. Before being sentenced to life in prison in 2018, Salemme rose from his chair, called the proceeding ridiculous and said DiSarros family hasnt been told the truth. The point of the attack was to scare Barboza into not testifying against Raymond Patriarca and other mob leaders. Salemme now agreed to provide the government with information on the FBI handling of Bulger and Flemmi. A contrite Salemme sentenced to 11 years. Testifying before Congress in 2003, Salemme admitted to murdering numerous rival gang members in Charlestown, Massachusetts: The Hugheses, the McLaughlins, they were all eliminated, and I was a participant in just about all of them, planned them and did them. After the unsuccessful attack, Salemme went into hiding. One way or the other, theyre going to get you., Salemme's longtime attorney, Steven Boozang, said Sunday his client had been nothing but a gentleman" to him and he believed Salemme regretted a lot of the things he had done in his life, particularly the effects it had on his immediate family and the families of others., This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Former mob boss, Sharon resident, 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme dies at 89, according to the Bureau of Prisons' online records, Former mob boss, Sharon resident, 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme dies at 89, Lori Lightfoot becomes the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose re-election, Fiery Greece train collision kills 32, injures at least 85, A condition called POTS rose after covid, but patients can't find care, Drones fly deep inside Russia; Putin orders border tightened, Rep. Lauren Boebert Gets Absolutely Schooled By Jamie Raskin Using Trump's Own Words. New York Since then, Marino had focused his efforts on shaking down local restaurant owners for protection . The case was under investigation by Saugus police and state police, who said they were searching for what witnesses described as four Hispanics dressed in camouflage suits. BOSTON (AP) Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has . The racketeering case revealed that Bulger and Salemmes best friend, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, had secretly worked as FBI informants. One way or the other, theyre going to get you.. [10], Last edited on 26 December 2022, at 08:17, Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, "Providence remains solve 23-year-old mystery", "Owner of mill where mob-linked body was buried gets probation on pot, gun charges", "The Latest: Prosecutor: Trial ends 'long and dark chapter', "Former Mafia boss 'Cadillac Frank' sentenced to life in prison", "Ex-Mafia boss 'Cadillac Frank' sentenced to life in prison", "Former Mafia don Frank Salemme sentenced to life in prison for 1993 slaying", "This man may have waited 38 years for his revenge on Whitey Bulger", "Boston Mafia Beef with Frankie Boy Salemme, Jr. One way or the other, theyre going to get you.. Salemme and Bulger fled after they were tipped off to the impending indictment by Bulgers FBI handler, John Connolly Jr. Salemme was arrested in Florida several months later while Bulger spent 16 years on the lam before being captured at the age of 81 in Santa Monica, California. His 2018 trial had served as a flashback to the days when the mob was a feared and powerful force in New England. In 2003, in return for assisting the government, Salemme was released early from prison and brought into the federal witness protection program. About an hour after the 10:40 a.m. shooting, police found the car abandoned near the Palace nightclub on Route 99 in Saugus, about 1 1/2 miles from the shooting scene. Bulger was killed by fellow inmates in prison in 2018 at the age of 89. Salemmes son, known as Frankie boy, died in 1995. It was Barons lawyer, John E. Fitzgerald, whose leg was blown off in the 1968 explosion for which Salemme was convicted. Several children were walking on the sidewalk in the 3500 block of 164th Street SW when two . One way or the other, theyre going to get you.. Youre not going to beat the government, Salemme told a reporter in 2004. At the scene, police found at least eight bullet casings, fired from two guns. After being released from prison, Salemme was seriously wounded in a shooting outside a suburban Boston pancake house. BOSTON Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the former Mafia boss of New England's crime family . Police mounted a massive but futile search in the Mount Hood Golf Course, through which the gunmen are believed to have fled. Newman played an Irish American gangster named John Rooney in the moody, atmospheric film "The Road to Perdition," part of a stellar cast including Tom Hanks, Jude Law, and Stanley Tucci. Salemme was living in Atlanta under the name Richard Parker when remains of the nightclub owner were unearthed in 2016, making the elderly ex-Mafia don a government target once again. The racketeering case revealed that Bulger and Salemmes best friend, Stephen The Rifleman Flemmi, had secretly worked as FBI informants. Another former mobster told authorities that he saw Salemmes son strangle DiSarro while Weadick held the nightclub owners feet and Salemme stood by. On June 22, 2018, Salemme was convicted of the murder of 43-year-old Steven A. DiSarro, who disappeared in May 1993. Sources stressed, however, that it was too early to say whether the fallout of the attempted hit will be single or mass retribution, or what could be the beginning of the FBI cultivating its best Mafia informant since Joseph (Barboza) Baron turned against his fellow employers and testified against Mafia leaders in Boston and Providence in the 1960s. Archives MIAMI William Henry Trotter Bush, a wealthy investor and the brother and uncle of presidents, has died. His reign as Mafia boss ended when he, notorious Boston gangster James Whitey Bulger and others were charged in a sweeping racketeering case in 1995. Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Upset that his fellow mobsters had turned on him, Salemme agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with authorities. Salemmes 2018 trial became a flashback to the days when the mob was a feared and powerful force in New England. 6 dead including suspect, 1 hospitalized in shooting at condo building near Toronto, 31 sailors missing, rescue search underway after warship capsizes in Thailand, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Salemme's death was first reported Sunday by WPRI-TV in Providence. During Boston's 1960s gang wars, Salemme participated in scores of killings and spent 16 years behind bars for trying to kill a lawyer, who survived but lost a leg, when his car was blown up in 1968. His reign as Mafia boss ended when he, notorious Boston gangster James Whitey Bulger and others were charged in a sweeping racketeering case in 1995. Ponzo fled in 1994 and wasn't captured until 2011, when authorities found him in Marsing, Idaho, where he owned a handful of cows on a small ranch and neighbors . By his own admission (Salemme) participated in eight mob hits during the Boston gang wars of the 1960s.. If its not sanctioned, then whoever did it better look out. At the time of his death, the former New England Mafia boss was serving a life sentence . Patriarca boss Raymond Patriarca respected Salemme for his obedience to the family and his skill as a money maker, but he only allowed full-blooded Italians to become made men, and Salemme was part Irish from his mother Anne Salemme (ne Haverty). Run by Black journalists at The Boston Globe, Black News Hour, a new radio program, delivers reliable news that connects with our community and expands on deeper issues impacting our city. During the trial of retired FBI agent John Connolly, Salemme denied murdering a nightclub owner named Steven DiSarro in 1994. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. WATCH: This St. Patrick's Day flash mob is still one of our favorites! His reign as Mafia boss ended when he, notorious Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger and others were charged in a sweeping racketeering case in 1995. Tell their story, and publish it online for free. Gunmen then ambushed Salemme, wounding him in the chest and leg. Salemmes 2018 trial became a flashback to the days when the mob was a feared and powerful force in New England. Francis Cadillac Frank Salemme, the head of the Patriarca crime family,has died at the age of 89. Mass shooting in Canada: 6 dead including suspect, 1 hospitalized in shooting at condo building near Toronto. Before being sentenced to life in prison in 2018, Salemme rose from his chair, called the proceeding ridiculous and said DiSarros family hasnt been told the truth. The inmate was an informant who wrote down his confession and it is memorialized in law enforcement reports. Marino had been arrested 12 hours after the 1989 shooting of Frank Salemme. He was really cool about it, said Collins. Youre not going to beat the government, Salemme said in 2004. Salemme was convicted and sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment. Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89. Fitzgerald, at the time, was involved in various underworld criminal cases involving various alleged underworld figures, including Salemme. who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, according to Bureau of Prisons' online records, Salemmes 2018 trial became a flashback to the days when the mob was a feared and powerful force in New England. Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, according to the Bureau . When gunmen wearing camouflage fatigues opened fire from about 15 feet away outside the House of Pancakes on Route 1, wounding him in the chest, Francis P. (Cadillac Frank) Salemme, 55, made a mad 30-yard dash for cover, a move that probably saved his life. Salemmes longtime attorney, Steven Boozang, said Sunday his client had been nothing but a gentleman to him. At his 2018 trial in Boston, Salemmes slicked back, wispy grey hair and thin frame made him almost unrecognizable from the bulky, feared mob boss jurors saw in grainy surveillance photos from the 1990s. Salemme maintained he had nothing to do with Steven DiSarros death, but was convicted after his onetime best friend testified against him. Patriarca caporegime Joseph Russo opposed Salemme's move, fearing the loss of his lucrative rackets. Just before DiSarros death, the FBI told him he was about to be indicted and should cooperate with the government against the Salemmes. AP. #ada-button-frame { Salemmes longtime attorney, Steven Boozang, said Sunday his client had been nothing but a gentleman to him and he believed the man regretted a lot of the things he had done in his life, particularly the effects it had on his immediate family and the families of others.. Instead of charging Salemme with the murder of DiSarro, Wyshak and Kelly merely charged him with perjury and obstruction. Frank Salemme, 56, of Sharon, who was named Tuesday by The Boston Herald as 'a new emerging power' in Boston-area mob activity, was shot by four men who fled after leaving a stolen rental car in . Tags: Members Only. This week's episode is a short tribute to his life along with a few perhaps lesser known stories. Known as "Cadillac Frank" thanks to his work in a car repair shop, he had already spent 16 years behind bars for trying to kill a lawyer, who survived but lost a leg, when his car was blown up in 1968. (Federal Bureau of Investigation via AP, File). A . Salemme died on Tuesday, according to Bureau of Prisons . Forgot Password. Salemmes 2018 trial became a flashback to the days when the mob was a feared and powerful force in New England. Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, according to the Bureau . Weve been waiting for the first real big body to drop, and Billys dropped, one law enforcement official said of Grasso. One of the fascinating things about the Irish American experience is just how many times it seems to be drawing to a final and definitive close. Regions Salemme survived the shooting. Try our free interactive obituary template. Led to 1985 Jimmy Limoli Murder", "Report: N.E. But he seemingly predicted years earlier that his own story would end behind bars. Just before DiSarros death, the FBI told him he was about to be indicted and should cooperate with the government against the Salemmes. He was expected to recover. 'I think it was professional.'. Salemme died on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, according to Bureau of Prisons' online records. Associated Press. Like Newmans character, Looney faced tougher times by the 1930s, with the Great Depression. Salemme participated in numerous killings in Bostons 1960s gang wars and spent 16 years behind bars for trying to kill a lawyer, who survived but lost a leg when his car was blown up in 1968. Just before DiSarros death, the FBI told him he was about to be indicted and should cooperate with the government against the Salemmes. John Patti of Revere faces gun charges. Username. And it always seemed that Connolly and the FBI knew what Salemme and his crew were going to do, and yet could never get out in front of Whitey. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Former New England Mafia don Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme's last hope for a new trial was dashed Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his . South In June 1989, Angelo "Sonny" Mercurio, a Russo loyalist, lured Salemme to a meeting outside a Saugus, Massachusetts IHOP.