Former New England mob figure among 13 indicted on gambling charges

DEDHAM, Mass. -- A grand jury has indicted 13 people, including former New England mob leader Vincent Ferrara of Boston, on gambling charges.

The 59-year-old Ferrara was accused yesterday of one misdemeanor charge of conspiring to use a telephone for gambling purposes.

62-year-old Dominic Santoro of Quincy and Marston Mills was accused of leading of a gambling operation that operated on the South Shore and in Boston last year.

Ferrara served nearly 16 years of a 22-year federal racketeering sentence before a judge released him in 2005.

The judge found prosecutors may have coerced Ferrara into admitting to a murder he did not commit. He remains on federal probation.

His attorney, Martin Weinberg, said he hasn't seen the gambling indictments and declined comment except to say an allegation does not mean his client is guilty.

Santoro could not immediately be reached. It’s not known if he has an attorney.

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