Frank Salemme: Former mafia boss dies in prison at 89

Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme has participated in several gang-related killings. Here, Salemme (middle) is seen after his arrest by the FBI in 1972

A prominent New England Mafia boss has died while serving a life sentence in prison.

Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme died on Tuesday at the age of 89.

The mobster was best known for leading the prominent Patriarca crime family, also known as the New England Mafia, in the early 1990s.

He had been convicted of several crimes, and was recently jailed in 2018 for the 1993 killing of Boston nightclub owner Steven DiSarro.

Salemme's latest conviction came after the discovery of Mr DiSarro's remains in 2016.

The murder trial evoked memories of Salemme's days as a leader of a feared and powerful mob in New England.

Salemme, known by his nickname "Cadillac Frank", spent much of his life involved in gang wars, and had participated in several gang-related killings in Boston in the 1960s.

He had previously spent 16 years behind bars for trying to kill lawyer John Fitzgerald by blowing up his car in 1968. Mr Fitzgerald lost a leg but survived.

Salemme was later convicted on racketeering charges in 1995, alongside notorious Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger and others.

He was sentenced to 11 years in prison - marking the end of his time as a Mafia boss.

The case, however, revealed that Bulger and Salemme's best friend Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi had secretly worked as an FBI informant.

Salemme was released early in 2003 after serving as an informant and helping prosecutors convict a corrupt FBI agent.

But the discovery of DiSarro's remains in 2016 made him a target for law enforcement again.

Mr DiSarro's nightclub, The Channel, was on police's radar due to Salemme's involvement in the business. The FBI told Mr DiSarro shortly before his death that he should co-operate with the government against Salemme.

Salemme had maintained that he was not involved in the death, but was convicted after his former best friend testified against him.

His attorney, Steven Boozarg, told the Associated Press on Sunday that Salemme "regretted a lot of the things he had done in his life, particularly the effects it had on his immediate family and the families of others".