Vincent M. Ferrara, also known as "The Animal", (born 1949) is an Italian-American mobster from Boston, Massachusetts of the

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-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 Mafia family in New England. It has two distinct factions, one based in Providence, Rhode Island, ...

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 JR, J. R. or Jr. may refer to: * Jr. or Junior (suffix), a name suffix Arts and entertainment * ''J.R.'' (album), an album by Jim Bob * ''J R'', a 1975 novel written by William Gaddis * "Jr.", a song by Codeine on the album ''Barely Real'' * J. ...

Robert Carrozza Robert F. Carrozza also known as "Bobby Russo", (born February 9, 1940, East Boston, Massachusetts) is an Italian-American mobster from East Boston, Massachusetts, who led a bloody internal rebellion against the leadership of the Providence-based P ...

, Dennis Lepore, Carmen Tortora, Pasquale Barone and Angelo Mercurio, who was, significantly, a fugitive, were charged with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (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 ...

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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