Former mob boss charged with murder of witness

BOSTON (WPRI) – Former mob boss Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme has been charged with murder of a witness and will appear in a federal courtroom in Boston Wednesday afternoon.

Salemme, 82, formerly of Sharon, Massachusetts, was arrested Monday, according to court documents. The criminal complaint says Salemme was using the alias of “Richard Parker” and was apparently living in Atlanta, Georgia.

Details on the case are thin. Prosecutors asked that the affidavit – which would shed more light on the alleged crime – remain under seal “because it contains sensitive law enforcement information on a matter which is a continuing subject of investigation,” according to a court document.

• READ: Criminal complaint against Salemme filed in Boston federal court

The complaint states the murder happened on May 10, 1993, which is the same day Boston nightclub manager Steven DiSarro was killed. His body was exhumed from behind a Providence mill building earlier this year.

Rhode Island mobster Robert “Bobby” DeLuca has already been charged in the DiSarro case for allegedly lying to prosecutors about what he knew of the crime.

The FBI along with the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office exhumed DiSarro’s remains in March. Using DNA results, his body was positively identified earlier this month. DiSarro, previously of Westwood, Massachusetts, was 43 when he went missing.

As Target 12 was first to report, FBI investigators began searching for human remains behind 715 Branch Ave. in Providence earlier this year, and human remains were removed from the site on March 31.

In the indictment against DeLuca, investigators say DiSarro was murdered by Salemme on May 10, 1993.

“Salemme arranged with the defendant DeLuca to dispose of the body at a location in Providence, Rhode Island,” the indictment states. “Shortly after the murder of DiSarro, Salemme transported DiSarro’s body to Providence, R.I., where the defendant Deluca arranged to have the body buried in the vicinity of 715 Branch Ave.”

Salemme has previously denied he had anything to do with DiSarro’s murder. According to investigators, Deluca “falsely stated” during a March 2011 questioning by FBI agents that he had “no information regarding the disappearance of Stephen DiSarro.”

This is a developing story, check back for more details.

Tim White ( twhite@wpri.com ) is the Target 12 investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for WPRI 12 and Fox Providence. Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook