Former New England Mafia boss Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme, serving a life sentence for the 1993 slaying of a Southie nightclub owner, has been moved from a Brooklyn prison to a federal medical lockup in Missouri, records show.
Salemme, 85, is currently housed at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Mo., according to the Bureau of Prisons website. It wasn’t immediately clear when federal authorities moved Salemme from the Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn to Missouri.
His lawyer, Steven C. Boozang, said by phone Monday that he had requested a transfer to a medical facility for his client so his health could be monitored in his advanced age.
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Boozang described the Brooklyn prison as an “atrocious” facility that’s “just not a place where he can get any care whatsoever.” Salemme, Boozang said, remains “positive and upbeat” behind bars and has been doing a lot of reading, including one book recently on former President Eisenhower.
“He’s always been a perfect gentleman with me, regardless of whatever his past history was,” Boozang said. “He’s actually a pretty interesting guy and very up to date on a lot of different topics in the world. He’s not your average ex-criminal.”
Boozang added that if Salemme had it his way, “he’d prefer to be in general population without a care in the world,” but the Missouri facility is “one of the better places” for federal inmates who need medical attention.
In addition, Boozang said, Salemme looks forward to “his next fight,” and “that’s his appeal.”
Salemme and codefendant Paul Weadick, 64, were sentenced to life terms in September 2018 following their convictions for killing Steven DiSarro, a 43-year-old father of five, to keep him from cooperating with the FBI.
Weadick is currently serving his time at a federal prison in Pennsylvania, records show. Both men are appealing their convictions.
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The Salemme transfer was first reported by WPRI in Providence.
An inmate handbook posted to the BOP website lays out the medical services available at Salemme’s current home in Missouri.
“Health Services staff at MCFP include physicians, two dentists, dental assistants, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, radiology technologists, physical therapists, occupational therapist, recreational therapists, pharmacy technicians, prosthetist/orthotist, certified nurse assistants, and a respiratory therapist,” the handbook says. “Administrative and support services staff complement the professional healthcare staff. Each inmate is assigned a Patient Care Provider team consisting of a physician, a mid-level practitioner, and a nurse. The team assigned will coordinate your healthcare needs.”
The handbook also states that as part of “the admission and annual physical exams for inmates over the age of 50, each inmate may receive an electrocardiogram, tonometry, and a rectal exam. If symptoms or signs indicate, a sigmoidoscopy will be offered. Inmates may refuse any procedure and the refusal will be documented on the physical examination form.”
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.