Vincent M. Ferrara, also known as "The Animal", (born 1949) is an Italian-American

mobster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

from Boston, Massachusetts of the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

-based

Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, or The Office is an Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime family, family in New England. It has two distinct factions, one based ...

Criminal career

On March 22, 1990, Ferrara was indicted on

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

and related charges with six other alleged members and an associate of the Patriarca Family. More specifically, Ferrara, Raymond J. Patriarca, J.R. Russo, Robert Carrozza, Dennis Lepore, Carmen Tortora, Pasquale Barone and

Angelo Mercurio Angelo "Sonny" Mercurio (1936 - December 11, 2006) was an Italian-American mobster and a member of the Patriarca crime family who became an FBI informant and recorded a Cosa Nostra induction ceremony. His act led to the incarceration of family bo ...

, who was, significantly, a fugitive, were charged with violating the

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was en ...

(RICO), by conspiring to participate in the affairs of a racketeering enterprise, and doing so, through a pattern of racketeering acts that included murder, extortion, and other crimes, some of which were also charged as separate substantive offenses. Three years later, under a

plea agreement A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...

with the government just as his case was about to go to trial, he pleaded guilty to racketeering,

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

, and ordering the 1985 slaying of Boston mobster Vincent "Jimmy" Limoli. The murder was apparently the result of a narcotics transaction gone bad. Ferrara received a 22-year sentence.

Release from prison

After serving 16 years in prison, Ferrara was released on April 12, 2005. U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf ruled that several years were to be cut from Ferrara's sentence after finding that a

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

Jeffrey Auerhahn Jeffrey may refer to: * Jeffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * ''Jeffrey'' (1995 film), a 1995 film by Paul Rudnick, based on Rudnick's play of the same name * ''Jeffrey'' (2016 film), a 2016 Dominican Republic documentary film ...

, had withheld evidence during plea negotiations. Specifically, a key witness had tried to recant his claim that Ferrara had directed his codefendant Pasquale Barone to murder Vincent Limoli. Wolf concluded that Ferrara was denied

due process Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pers ...

and was probably innocent of Limoli's slaying, but pled guilty rather than risk a wrongful conviction.''The Boston Globe'', Ex-mob leader freed from prison. By Shelley Murphy, May 27, 2005 If Ferrara had been aware of the recantation, the judge decided, he may not have agreed to the deal that sent him to prison for 22 years. Ferrara, a father of five, was placed on supervised release for three years and prohibited from contact with any convicted felons during that time. Ferrara has stated that he will not return to his criminal past.

Criminal career

Release from prison

References

See also