As expected, former New England mob boss Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme is appealing his murder conviction and life sentence for killing a South Boston club owner in 1993.

He and a codefendant, Paul Weadick, 63, were both convicted in federal court in Boston in June of killing Steven DiSarro, a 43-year-old father of five, to prevent him from cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation targeting Salemme and his son.

Both defendants were sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.

Salemme’s appeal will be heard at a later date by the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston. Weadick has also filed a notice of appeal.


DiSarro’s remains were unearthed behind a Providence mill building in 2016.

Salemme was in the federal witness protection program when DiSarro’s hidden grave was discovered, leading to his arrest.

During the sentencing hearing, DiSarro’s son, Michael, said to Salemme, “What makes this ironic is that you killed our father for thinking he was going to rat and become a snitch. When actually, Mr. Salemme, you ended up being the snitch and going into protective custody.

“You are a coward and a murderer, and I am happy to see you will be spending what days you have left in a cell.”

Judge Allison Burroughs had asked Salemme whether he wanted to say anything before she handed down the life sentence. He responded curtly.

“Not really,” he said. “Anything I would have to say would be redundant. Let’s just wrap it up.”

Shelley Murphy of the Globe Staff contributed to this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.