Salemme pleads guilty to illegal gambling charges

Martin Finucane

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000 | 3 a.m.

BOSTON - John J. "Jackie" Salemme, the brother of organized crime figure Francis P. "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, was sentenced to 53 months in prison Monday for running two illegal sports gambling outfits.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions and I will accept anything your honor decides," Salemme told U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns before the sentencing.

Salemme pleaded guilty last month, and already has served more than 39 months in prison. His lawyer, Robert George, said that with reduced time for good behavior, Salemme should be free after serving an additional two to two-and-a-half months in a halfway house.

Salemme was arrested in 1996 and was charged with illegal gambling, money laundering, extortion, loan sharking and conspiracy.

He admitted running two illegal sports gambling businesses, one that relied on bookies and the other that sold "football cards." He also admitted conspiring to collect debts from the two gambling rings through extortion, and conspiring to launder his proceeds from the businesses.

Salemme also acknowledged threatening people who sold a competing football card.

He faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each of the money laundering and extortion counts, and five years in prison for the illegal gambling counts.

Salemme's brother, Francis Salemme, once the head of the New England Mafia's Patriarca family, was sentenced earlier this year to 11 years and four months in prison.

Francis Salemme had pleaded guilty to crimes that included extorting money and a car from associates, collecting "rent" from local bookies and loan sharks and attempting to pressure union officials involved in film projects in Massachusetts, California and Nevada.