Mark Rossetti, the once-feared captain of the New England Mafia, appeared before a Suffolk Superior Court judge in jogging pants and handcuffs Friday and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, effectively punctuating a sweeping case that charged him with running a violent criminal enterprise across Eastern Massachusetts.

Rossetti, now 53 and silver-haired, had a controversial secret relationship with the FBI. He had pleaded guilty to usury and extortion, to lending money at exorbitant interest rates to a gambler, and to using threats to collect gambling debts for bookies.

He will serve the sentence concurrently with sentences for recent convictions of selling ­heroin and of breaking and entering to rob a ­rival drug dealer.

With the sentence Friday, the third and final punishment stemming from an indictment in 2010, Rossetti is sure to remain in prison until he is in his 60s, the latest blow to La Cosa ­Nostra in New England.



“Mark Rossetti was the leader of an extensive and violent criminal enterprise that for ­decades threatened the safety of our community,” said Attorney General Martha Coakley, whose office sought indictments of Rossetti and about 30 other Mafia members and associates in October 2010 for running a vast enterprise known as the Rossetti organization.

“This sentence today is an important step in our efforts to combat organized crime,” Coakley said, adding that “Rossetti and many of his asso­ciates have been taken off our streets and are no longer threats to public safety.”

Rossetti, after telling Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Locke that he worked in construction and never went past the ninth grade, said he understood the charges and his decision to plead guilty.

His attorney, Michael Doolin, said that his client was glad to resolve the case and “looks forward to putting these ­issues behind him and getting on in his life.”

Rossetti has a history of convictions, for robbing an armored vehicle and having guns, and he once chose to serve jail time rather than testify about organized crime. He had been identified by State Police as a suspect in several murders.

But the indictment of him and his associates in 2010 after an investigation initiated by Essex County authorities and the State Police also helped to expose his secret work for the FBI as a federal informant, a questionable relationship, given his history of crime and his continuing role as a Mafia leader. The FBI had enacted guidelines banning similar relationships in the wake of its corrupt handling of James “Whitey” Bulger.

The FBI said after the relationship with Rossetti was exposed in court records that it had ended its work with the Mafioso once it realized he had been engaging in organized crime and that it assisted with the State Police inquiry. The bureau has admitted to no wrongdoing and said it is conducting an internal review of the relationship.

Several of Rossetti’s associates sought dismissal of their cases, arguing they could not be convicted for conspiring with Rossetti because he had been a government informant, but their requests were denied.

A recent tally showed that nearly 20 of ­Rossetti’s associates have been convicted and are serving either prison terms or probation for a variety of crimes, including gambling, bookmaking, loansharking, drug dealing, and extortion

Assistant Attorney General Dean Mazzone had asked Locke for the 12-year prison sentence for Rossetti, citing his history as a Mafia leader.

“His record is a horrendous one,” Mazzone said. “The defendant was a capo in the Boston area Mafia. He directed various crimes over the course of several years.”

All things considered a total of 12 years is a deal, he's already served 2 so he's out in 10 and maybe less with good behavior...It's surprising they did not get him on any murders or conspiracy to commit especially with Bobby Deluca now in the program.

It seems to me all the people involved in serious lcn crimes except a very few are informants. I gues an informant cant build a case on another informant. I think the fbi got beat at there own game. IF you look back at connelys case all the bad guys left the fbi holding the bag. I find this quite amusing.

I'm just wondering if there gunna put this guy on the main yard or is he goin to PC right away..he might have to go to a sensitive needs yard were all the rats an ex cops are

Rossetti seems like a major scumbag

Heroin is no joke!!!!!!

Last time I checked he was in Walpole but now vinelink says County Federal Interstate but where ever he ends up to do his bid it will be in PC no question

You think today's announcement about the Gardner Museum heist has anything to do with Rossetti? I imagine he knows that story. Maybe that was his chip for a lighter sentence.

Lol I seen that on channel 7 me an my cousin had a huge discussion on the subject..the feds say they now the organization responsible for the heist Haha also they said the are went through ct an philly

this guy has a bad rep and they'll send him probably to a county jail in the berkshairs, he and the fbi fucked each other. they got whitey's trial and all his friends with books telling lies on the stand its gonna get worse. rosetti I read was made by frank salemmi in the 92-95 when he was boss. salemmi testfieyd that when jr. got caught on tape he wanst the snitch or there cause he got shot and grasso wacked like a a couple months before and he was recovering. frank salemmi had one of the sweetest deals he never had to go against his mob only corrupt police and fbi wow. this book don't embaraess the family got salemmis talk against fbi agent comely who got fucked, says he got out of jail x mis 87 seen jr pat. amonth later and got made summer of 88 then bumped to capo early 89 then eastie tried to kill him. good books just too many people tell there side of a story

yea there is a snippet on youtube of the cadillac man saying he is out the game bc its all informants, i guess rossetti did bc its a safelty, he can preserve himself by being a rat! lol jk , anyways why would anyone wanna be made? if i was them id rather just rely on them instead of having to pay tehm etc

who is this mark rosetti? he was a rat right? when did he come up etc?

Salemme interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjsxiumDiL4

He was a captain in the Boston faction of the Patriarca family. His crew was into heroin and marijuana trafficking, bookmaking, loansharking, robberies, etc. He had been a secret informer since the 1990's.

Longer than that Ive

Yeah Southed you know what it is.

so all the bosses in boston rollover and point fingers in court

Do all top guys flip up there?

Technically, the recent top guys didn't flip, Manocchio, Limone, the DiNunzio's etc.

A couple of captains did Rossetti, DeLuca, Sonny Mercurio back in the 80's.

Salemme did after he learned that Flemmi had been informing on him for years and set out to specifically rat on Connolly and Flemmi. Bulger, Flemmi, Martorano were Winter Hill, not Italian Mob but they really were the cause for Salemme to flip.

Arillotta and Tranghese in Springfield seems to have decimated that area, but they are Genovese, not Boston. I'll defer to Southend on that area, that's his 'hood.

New England needs the terminex man

See that's the thing with everybody moving on and getting pinched. It needs to be the way it was before just stfu and do your bid. I wonder if any new crews will be popping up

I WONDER IF ROSSETTI ACTUALLY GOT ANYONE LOCKED UP OR JUST TRIED TO USE THE FBI SO HE WOULDNT GET TARGETED HIMSELF

EITHER WAY THAT GUY...fuggetabouit