By Nate Raymond

BOSTON (Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the conviction of an octogenarian former New England mob boss sentenced to life in prison for the 1993 murder of a nightclub owner whose remains were discovered in Rhode Island five years ago.

1. United States. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston affirmed http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/18-1899P-01A.pdf a jury’s 2018 verdict finding Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme and Paul Weadick guilty of killing club owner Steven DiSarro because they believed he would cooperate with federal investigators.

Defense lawyers argued https://www.reuters.com/article/us-massachusetts-crime-salemme/ex-new-england-mob-boss-appeals-conviction-for-1993-murder-idUSKBN29B2M8 that jurors were wrongly told they only had to find the men’s motive was to prevent a “possible” rather than reasonably likely communication with a federal officer.

U.S. The three-judge circuit judge William Kayata said the evidence was up to the standard. Weadick’s claim that he was denied fair trials by being tried along with Salemme was rejected by the court.

Defense lawyers did not respond to requests for comment

The case stemmed from an era when organized crime in Boston was run by Salemme, who headed the New England family of La Cosa Nostra in the 1990s, and the gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, who was serving a life sentence when he was killed in prison in 2018.

Prosecutors claimed that Salemme, now aged 88, was interested in The Channel music venue in South Boston, which DiSarro bought.

Stephen Flemmi (“The Rifleman”), who was a partner in Bulger’s, stated that Salemme was afraid DiSarro would speak to authorities and may be accused of crimes.

Flemmi stated that he watched Salemme’s deceased son strangle DiSarro. Weadick was holding his legs, and Salemme watched.

Flemmi, 84, said he quickly left. He said that Salemme told him later DiSarro had been killed, and that the body of DiSarro was found at a Rhode Island building site.

Salemme was charged only in 2016 when authorities found DiSarro’s remains in Providence.