Mafia Justice

This week I have three stories and three different takes on justice.  

The first one is takes us to Rhode Island where the former boss of the New England family, Frank Salemme, is facing charges for allegedly murdering Steven DiSarro, a nightclub manager, in 1993. DiSarro ran a Boston nightclub for Salemme and his son.  Frank and his son were worried that DiSarro would talk to the Feds.  They also believed he was stealing money from the club.  So Frank Salemme Jr. strangled him while Paul Weadick held his legs.  Salemme's son is dead now.  Paul Wedick and Salemme are facing charges of murdering a federal witness, which can carry the death penalty.  A former capo, Robert Deluca, and Steve Flemmi, a former partner of Whitey Bulger, both agreed to testify against the two men.  You have Robert Deluca telling the Feds that he told Salemme to get rid of him, only now coming forward after many years in the witness protection program. Steve Flemmi is also cooperating after being charged with murdering a lot of people.  

The next case is Colombo capo Luca Dimatteo.  His doctors claim he will be dead within the year due to cancer.  DiMatteo was charged with running an offshore bookmaking operation and shylocking.  He collected money from loans on a weekly basis once when he finished up his chemotherapy.  In 2004 he received a 57 month sentence for racketeering and went right back to the life within months of his release.  This time, Judge Leo Glasser did not want to hear about how sick he was.  DiMatteo was asking for home confinement, but the Judge gave him 33 months in prison.  The Judge told him, “You’ve done this to yourself.”

The third case brings us to New Jersey, where lawyer Cory Leshner helped Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. and other Lucchese family members loot a Texas mortgage company.  The lawyer helped them take over Firstplus Financial Group and steal 14 million dollars, which they then used to buy homes, yachts and a plane.  Before the case went to trial, Leshner agreed to cooperate and he testified against those he helped.  He agreed to a five year plea deal and admitted they stole millions.

Retired FBI Agent Joe Gilson testified last week at Lehshner’s sentencing hearing.  He told the court of a phone call he got from Leshner in the summer. Leshner told him he just wanted to call and thank him for saving his life. The Judge at the sentencing hearing gave him three years instead of five and three years of supervised release.  

The Judge has never lowered a sentence before, but he felt Leshner went above and beyond with his testimony and he had truly changed his life around. Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., on the other hand, was handed a 30 year sentence for his part in the fraud.

Unearthing a New England Mafia Murder Victim

The FBI, Providence Police Department and Rhode Island State Police started digging behind a warehouse at 715 and 725 Branch Avenue Providence.  The were looking for the body of Steven Disarro, who served as the manager of the Boston nightclub, “The Channel” in 1993.

Steven Disarro was the father of five children when he went missing.  The story that law enforcement has gone with came from Whitey Bulger’s best friend Steve “The Rifleman” Flemmi.

Steven Disarro was the front owner/manager of The Channel, which had been a popular rock club but had turned into a highly profitable strip club in South Boston.  The FBI was all over the club because they believed that the boss of the New England family, Frank Salemme, and his son Frank Jr. had a hidden interest in the club. Steven had some tax problems and he was friendly with someone who was cooperating with the law.  That was enough to get him murdered by the Mafia.

The story goes, they lured him to Frank Salemme’s home, where Frank Jr. strangled him while Frank Sr., Jackie Salemme and Mark Rossetti allegedly watch and later finished him off.

This all came from the Rifleman.  The Feds recently used him as a witness to put Whitey away forever.

Frank Salemme would survive a Mafia war and reign for a few years before he was taken down.  When he was taken down he learned that Flemmi and Bulger were long time informants and had been giving the Feds information on him for years.  Frank flipped.

Frank Jr. died of AIDS a few years after the murder.

The Rifleman told his handlers that he accidently walked in on the murder and he quickly left.  When he spoke to Frank Sr. about the incident, he was told Bobby DeLuca his underboss helped get rid of Steven Disarro’s body at a Rhode Island construction site.

Bobby DeLuca flipped in the 2000’s and he told the FBI that Steven Disarro was buried at Billy Ricci’s warehouses at 715 and 725 Branch Ave.

Billy Ricci was a long time associate of Bobby DeLuca.

In 2008 Frank Salemme pled guilty to perjury for lying to the FBI during his debriefing when he flipped.  He told the FBI the former boss Nicky Bianco ordered Steven Disarro’s murder.  Frank was given 5 years in the plea bargain.

Three weeks ago Billy Ricci pled guilty to using the warehouse for a large scale marijuana growing operation and it has been said part of the plea deal was to let the FBI searched his property.  

Mark Rossetti who became the Capo in South Boston flipped and worked with the FBI.

That only leaves the brothers Frank and Jackie Salemme to pay the price for this murder.

Three men can keep a secret, if two are dead.