Mafia capo’s son dons restaurateur’s hat

When Caffe Nuovo opens in Boston’s North End in a few weeks, customers likely will recognize the owner’s name - if only for the sins of his father.

Vincent Ferrara Jr. - the 34-year-old son of convicted Mafia capo Vincent “The Animal” Ferrara - is breaking into the restaurant business as a first-time owner.

The space at 76 Salem St. had sat vacant for a time following the closing of Paesan’s Pizza.

“It’s sort of been an eyesore in the neighborhood, and that was another reason why I wanted to go into there - to help clean up Salem Street and bring some people to that end of the street,” said Ferrara, a former bus boy and waiter who owns City Valet, which serves North End eateries.

Full Story (Boston Herald)

Officials Deny Misconduct in Sex-Trafficking Inquiry

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have sharply criticized a defense lawyer’s claim that the government engaged in misconduct by allowing a cooperating witness in a Mafia case to run a sex- trafficking ring that involved a 15-year-old girl.

The government said it ended the operation as soon as it discovered that the under-age girl was involved. The witness, who was participating in an investigation of the Gambino crime family, learned of the prostitution ring in June 2009 and reported it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, prosecutors said. The witness was then authorized to participate in the trafficking activity for investigative purposes.

Full Story (NY Times)