New here; really have enjoyed browsing the forums, figured I'd make an account. My first thoughts are - was Frank Salemme ever officially made into the Patriarca family? I understand eventually he briefly became Boss around 91 - but who if anyone ever officially inducted him?

Dude was the boss at one point, I'd imagine he would have to be made wouldn't he?

From what I've always heard him and his brother put in some major work, I think his brother always ran around with Flemmi a good bit before he hooked up with Whitey.

as far as I know he never got made cause he was part irish.

He's a rat that is a fact

He was made around 87 or 88 right after he came out from his 15 year stint in the can for bombing joe barboza's lawyers car. The lawyer ended being a federal judge or a sumpreme court judge. salemme was great friends with flemmi since kids, both are from roxbury and did major work specifically during the 60's mob war. he was in tight with ray jr after he came out in the 80's thats how he was made, one of many reasons joe russo wanted ray jr out of being skipper b/c he made a guy half irish and ray jr wouldnt let the connecticut guys go see joe russo, who was consigliere at the time. But salemme became skipper in 90 or 91. He was almost clipped in 89 at IHOP same day Grasso was clipped. That was because a takeover that was in place by Russo, his brother carrozza, ferrara, bianco, biago, all capo's . He took over in 90 or 91 when 40 something members of the family was indicted. It was two seperate indictments. The war was continued between salemme loyalists like his brother jackie, mike prochilio, darren bufalino, rossetti and deluca all of whom later on became mad guys. The other side was a bunch of renegades under carrozza like gigi, patti, romano and ralph nazzaro scarpa who is the only real connected guy, pure killer gangster out of all the renegades b/c they were dirty bastards but scarpa was and still is the real deal. Rumor is he turned down the button twice. Then 95 came real fast and salemme was indicted. the renegads was indicted in 97 or 98. Salemme found out flemmi been an informant since the 70's even giving salemme up when he was on the lam for the bombing. Salemme flipped in 2001 when word hit the streets I never seen gossip and ser versas until rossetti news came out. But Salemme came out and is out and about freely living a stoolie's life

Yea in Boston it's ok to be a rat. You can just live in the community still. Boston easily has the highest number of rats living out in the open.

A friend of mine saw Cadillac Frank in a Jewish deli in Sharon, MA prior to Thanksgiving this year. He's a criminal defense lawyer in Boston and was part of the firm that Frank Salemme originally called when he got indicted. I'm not 100% certain that it was true, but my friend wouldn't just make that shit up out of nowhere. A lot of guys who have turned state's evidence live freely in the open, not just in Boston. At the end of the day, if you kill a cooperating witness, the Feds are going to come down hard on all operations and at the end of the day, putting food on the table is the primary concern. Does anybody know when the last cooperating witness was found and whacked?

I dunno when that would be but I know that Boston's gotta have the most in the open. There's a couple in NY like maybe 2 rats who are out in the open. In philly and south jersey all we got is previte who is really laying low anyway and on occasion john veasey might sneak into town when no ones looking.

I know in Youngstown, Lenny Strollo is back living in the open and in Pittsburgh, Chucky Porter moved right back to his mansion when he was released in 2000 and still has been spotted in his favorite Italian restaurant in the city. However, Pittsburgh's family is now defunct, so it really doesn't matter.

Dollars for dollars that there are more rats in NY than we know of...NYC is enormous and easy to get lost in. IMO.

I could only imagine how many rats are in the New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont areas after ducking into WITSEC. NJ would be hard to hide in unless they moved to remote South Jersey close to the wilderness, certainly not in Bergen County.

Mario Riccobene turned then for some odd reason tried to get back in the good graces of the Philly family, wasn't happening. Shot him outside a diner in 93.

When he testified in front of congress he said he was made June 87 got bumped to capo the next yr but didn't have one made guy under him. He the real deal when it came to murder. Did his time. Anthony d thought he was telling the feds everything the last couple yr. That mob lawyer cardinals came out and said no its not.the whole time it was bobby deluca and Nicky skins wedding wires. He red he lives on the cape but is all over mass. Who went to jail cause of him? No one maybe the people he killed wants the old guy.

Mario riccobene flipped and then never tried to get back into anything. He did however make the mistake of living in south jersey and for that he got blown away

Pmac is right he ratted technically BUT he didnt put anyone away. He basically took a safety valve which is basically telling your part and the truth and when you have co defendants its pretty much ratting. And vegasmickey you say theres rats living in boston freely i dont of any and been here all my life. I mean there ones that ratted and live in suburbs like nstick or sharon or wherever the fuck but not in the city or anywhere where there action going on thats for sure but if you know any let me know please be ,my guest

Salemme lived in Sharon for years, it's not surprising he's back there now. Heck, that's like a million years away from Boston and the North End.

I wonder if there's anyone he stays in touch with.

On the Nicky skins wire Anthony talking a ton of shit about frank. He said he lived on the cape. He thought frank was telling the FBI all the shit about the strip clubs when it was deluca who was franks right hand guy. Anthony cardinals the lawyer gave a statement to the herald franks not talking. The whole Nicky skins thing must have been embarrassment for the gambinos. He set up the new england guys philly guys tried to entrap joey Merlin.

Why did Anthony think Frank was on the Cape?

It was in the paper Anthony was gonna send his goons down the cape to tell him shut up but he had the wrong guy. Frank ain't in witsec he still goes to that dinner in newton I think regularly. The one the feds put a bug in the napkin holder and they found or the waitress did. It on the same skins recording were he's talking bout burrying guys alive well he was burrying himself. He also talks about putting his son under another capo. I swore it was frank who brought big cheese and ant back to Boston under his protection but I read baby shacks made them 2 in 95 or96 when he took over. Baby shacks had 3 strip cl pubs giving him 100 bucks a day each since he got out of jail in 1987 plus tribute from all his crooks not a bad job. St Laurent got caught. On a wire giving him 5 GS at xmis were he hide all his millions.

wasn't Frank's spot the Busy Bee Diner in Brookline...??

It was in brookline or newton dont remember but I know they all was under frsnk since the dinunzio's was real close to sonny boy rizzo and he was supporting frank throughout the war... I know when Luigi came home he was immediately a factor looked upon as a hitman instead of a leader of any sort

Gotcha...my friend who saw him at Jewish Deli in Sharon said there was no doubt it was him and that the staff was very friendly with him, almost like he stops by there on a regular basis. I was also told that DeLuca is in the Charlestown, SC area as an old friend of his got a call around the 4th of July and DeLuca said he was near Charlestown Harbor...could be rumor, not confirmed, but that's what I heard.

How did DeLuca rise up so fast? Who was he closest to? Was it through Frank or Baby Shacks?

frank but because he was a providence guy manocchio couldve took him under his wing but he def was a frank loyalist and underling. He was a long time assocaite was a good earner, enforcer and after all the indictments the ones left over easily took over if not by status def by action. Then he went did his twelve yeard came out and got bumbed up to consigliere . I fyou notice most guys didnt want the job and i heard he was real tight with the late consigliere rocco argenti sooo

Hey JoeRusso,

What was Rossetti's background? Was his old man in the rackets? Who was his mentor? Also, when I used to stop by Fresh Cheese for a sandwich, there was an Itslian looking guy (younger guy, maybe 30's-40's) and an older gentleman who was always with him, do you know who I am referring to? This was about a year ago when I was last there for a sandwich, although I'm in the North End at least once a week for lunch. And just so you know, your information is enjoyable to read, sorry about any back & forth disagreements, you have great knowledge. Later.

I think the majority of Salemme's testimony was against Flemmi during his trial as he had recently discovered that Flemmi and Bulger were rats and were responsible for ratting him out more than once and causing a lot of his jail time. A lot was about the 60's gang wars too where most of the people involved weren't around anymore except Flemmi and Bulger.

Although I think he did get into more trouble for not being truthful about a murder, maybe the Steven DiSarro hit that his son may have carried out.

JCB I am not to familiar with eastie crowds and that whole scene with th exception of a few people like ralph nazzaro scarpa, and tommy selveltti arenow and they are two I personally khighly involved respected the whole nine. But rosetti I believe was groomed by his uncle or father which is Ralph rosetti dont know the exact relation but its either or and he was a made guy under russo. Thats who taught and basically molded both stephen and mark. Ralph was feared and highly respected and hng with prochilio sr alot and thats where I believe prochilio jr and mark got real tight.
The Italian man thats worked in the cheese shop was two guys that i know of and both are connected. One being gambale's younger brother and son and the other was a known gentleman Costa LOL. The old man I dont know and never seen so I couldnt tell you who he is. But the fat cheese also had his mother there very often as well as his niece who is fuckin smokin hot but she worked there as well.

And JCB the only reason we went back and forth is because you kept saying the hole thing is near to instinct and thats a far cry from it. I understand why you would say that but I know better and see it first hand. There are people like ralph rosetti, isabella and alot others who are made and dont know one no of which is a great thing and n providence forget about it they always had and continue to have so much guys over there thats not even known of and many wouldn't even know exist unless a rat expose them like in most situations. remember i dont dis credit anyone because im sure some have connections, know people, whatever.. but me, not to brag, but like i said before but I grew up in a home of this lifestyle going back generations. I just have a pure interest from an outsiders point of view with an insider knowledge and experience. Thts all dosent mean I know it all but yes I am very well equiped with info first hand

Hey Vegasmikey can you tell us which rats are living out in the open in Boston. Yes Salemme is seen around all the time, but like Joe Russo said, he didnt really rat in the eyes of people in the criminal world. Yea he ratted, but on Bulger and Flemmi cause mostly Stevie was the one who was stabbing Frank in the back since the Fitzgerald bombing and before. And he told the truth about his own crimes like Russo said as well, except where he fucked up on the Disarro murder. But id like to hear some more names that you know of that are living openly in Boston. And please dont say Martorano or Weeks cause thats the same as Salemme. People have more respect for Salemme and Martorano anyway cant say the same for Weeks tho.

Boston Guys:

Did New England have any "crews" on the Cape? Also, did they have any presence in Maine or New Hampshire...I'm thinking Portland and somewhere around the Manchester/Nashua area? Curious to see exactly how far their operation went when Ray Sr. was in charge.

I have always wondered that myself JCB. Also curious about who was in charge of Merrimac valley/Lowell area while Ray Sr. was in charge. Thank you to all of the Boston guys! great stuff here. far more entertaining than reading underboss!