Former capo in New England Mafia arrested in Coral Springs, authorities say

Robert DeLuca, 71, accused of disposing body after 1993 murder

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – A former capo in the New England Mafia has been arrested in South Florida, authorities said.

A spokeswoman for the FBI office in Boston, Kristin Setera said Robert "Bobby The Cigar" DeLuca, 71, was arrested Monday morning in Coral Springs.

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According to an indictment, DeLuca is believed to have disposed of the body of a Boston restaurant and nightclub owner in 1993 at the order of the boss of the New England La Cosa Nostra (NELCN), a secret criminal organization previously known as the Patriarca Family of La Cosa Nostra.

File: Robert DeLuca indictment

Detectives said NELCN boss Francis Salemme and his son Francis Salemme Jr. took an interest in a nightclub owned by businessman Stephen A. DiSarro called The Channel.

DiSarro was reported missing May 10, 1993.

Authorities said Salemme took DiSarro's body to Providence, Rhode Island, after he and his son killed him and met with DeLuca, who arranged to have his body buried.

Detectives said DeLuca was arrested in Rhode Island in 2011 and agreed to cooperate with federal law enforcement authorities in an effort to obtain a lighter sentence.

According to the indictment, DeLuca agreed to plead guilty to a single count of racketeering, but denied having any knowledge about DiSarro's murder or any other murders committed by members or associates of the NELCN.

He was sentenced June 30, 2014, to one day in prison (time served) as a result of his cooperation with the government.

After further investigation, DeLuca faces additional charges for allegedly lying to authorities, including obstruction of justice and providing false statements to authorities.

DeLuca made his initial appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Monday. His next court date is scheduled for Thursday.

DeLuca was among the mobsters captured on an FBI tape being inducted into La Cosa Nostra in 1989 during a ceremony in Medford, Massachusetts.

Setera said the Boston FBI office and other law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts were involved in his arrest Monday.


About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.