Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme was found guilty Friday of killing a South Boston nightclub owner 25 years ago. The conviction marks the end of the half-century war on organized crime that was started by Attorney General Robert Kennedy.
The former New England mafia boss had long been suspected of the murder, but was not charged until the nightclub owner's remains were dug up in Providence, R.I., in 2016.
"Cadillac Frank" is just one of the famously nicknamed mobsters of the 20th century. Mobsters acquire nicknames from many different places: reporters, cops, friends, etc. Some enjoy the nicknames, and others, like Cadillac Frank, are not such big fans.
Salemme got his nickname "Cadillac Frank" from working at an auto body shop in Boston, where he specialized in fixing up Cadillacs. But former WBUR crime reporter David Boeri cites another explanation for Salemme's nickname in a 2016 interview with WPRI-TV.
According to Boeri, Salemme had a friend at a Cadillac dealership who would key and scrape every 30th or 40th new car coming off the truck. Salemme would buff out the damage and resell the car for a lower price.
Boeri said Salemme did not like Cadillacs and drove BMWs, one of which he was driving when he survived an assassination attempt in 1989.
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— This Jan. 19, 1931, file photo shows Chicago mobster Al Capone at a football game.
This Jan. 19, 1931, file photo shows Chicago mobster Al Capone at a football game.
/ AP
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— Albert Tannenbaum (left) and Abe "Kid Twist" Reles arrive to testify before the Bronx Grand Jury about the "mistake murder" of Irving Penn, a music publisher that was mistaken for a union man and was killed by mobster associates of Tannenbaum and Reles.
Albert Tannenbaum (left) and Abe "Kid Twist" Reles arrive to testify before the Bronx Grand Jury about the "mistake murder" of Irving Penn, a music publisher that was mistaken for a union man and was killed by mobster associates of Tannenbaum and Reles.
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive
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— Anthony "Big Tuna" Accardo (right), with his lawyer Carl Walsh, testifies before the Senate Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on Capitol Hill on June 21, 1984.
Anthony "Big Tuna" Accardo (right), with his lawyer Carl Walsh, testifies before the Senate Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on Capitol Hill on June 21, 1984.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
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— Joseph (Joe Bananas) Bonanno leaving U.S. Federal Court.
Joseph (Joe Bananas) Bonanno leaving U.S. Federal Court.
New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News via Getty Images
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— Alleged mob figures Jack D'Amico (left) and Joe DeCicco outside Brooklyn Federal Court, where John Gotti was on trial.
Alleged mob figures Jack D'Amico (left) and Joe DeCicco outside Brooklyn Federal Court, where John Gotti was on trial.
New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News via Getty Images
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— In this April 12, 1999 file photo, Luigi Manocchio listens during his trial for receiving stolen goods in Providence, R.I., Superior Court.
In this April 12, 1999 file photo, Luigi Manocchio listens during his trial for receiving stolen goods in Providence, R.I., Superior Court.
Matt York / AP
Talia Wiener is an intern on NPR's National Desk.
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