According to reports the FBI and local police are searching for the remains of former nightclub manager Steven A. Disarro allegedly murdered by the New England mafia.
A tip obtained by the feds has led to the search for the victims remains on property in Providence owned by William Ricci an alleged mafia associate. Ricci recently agreed to a plea deal after pleading guilty to a large weed growing operation, but it’s still unclear if the tip the FBI obtained is linked to that case.
“Steven DiSarro”
Infamous mobster Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi told the feds back in 2003 that he walked in on the DiSarro murder on May 10, 1993 at the home of former New England mob boss Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme. He told the feds that Salemme and two others were standing around watching DiSarro being strangled by Salemme’s son Frank. Flemmi says he immediately walked out but was later told by Salemme that he helped his son get rid of the body at a construction site in Rhode Island. He also told Flemmi that Rhode Island mobster turned rat Robert DeLuca was also present during the disposal of the body.
Ricci was described as a long-time associate of DeLuca in an affidavit filed by the FBI as part of his recent drug case. By the time Flemmi had spilled the beans about the mafia hit implicating both Salemme and his son the former mob boss had already turned rat cooperating in the prosecution of James “Whitey” Bulger and was in witness protection and his son had passed away in 1995. Salemme was sentenced to five years in prison in 2008 for obstruction of justice by lying and denying knowledge of the DiSarro murder during his plea negotiations back in 1999.
Salemme remains in the witness protection program and according to his attorney has moved on with his life and has had no criminal justice system involvement for over 20 years. He also called Flemmi a pathological liar, having no further comment on the search for DiSarro’s remains. A former Massachusetts Police Colonel who was part of the investigation into the DiSarro disappearance said at the time they didn’t have enough evidence to charge either Salemme or DeLuca in the slaying in part because they had not located the body. He said he was glad that there are still people who are going to be held accountable for it.
