Paul J. DeCologero is a former member of the North Shore mob who was recently convicted in Massachusetts on charges of racketeering and witness tampering. He is currently serving a life sentence in the federal penitentiary of Hazelton, West Virginia.
In 1996, DeCologero allegedly ordered his crew to kill 19-year-old Aislin Silva because she would cooperate with police. The teen was strangled, dismembered, and then buried in an undisclosed North Shore grave.
History
A Lowell man with a shady history with the Mafia has been named a second suspect in the murder of mobster James “Whitey” Bulger. Law enforcement officials “with knowledge of the matter” said DeCologero and former Mafia hitman Fotios “Freddy” Geas set upon Bulger less than 12 hours after he arrived at Hazelton federal penitentiary in West Virginia, according to reports.
DeCologero, who had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for racketeering, worked for the “DeCologero Crew,” a criminal gang on Massachusetts’ North Shore led by his uncle Paul A. The crew carried out drug dealing, robberies, and burglaries.
In 1996, DeCologero ordered his crew members to kill Medford teenager Aislin Silva. After they killed her, they dismembered her body and disposed of it in a dumpster in Danvers. Evidence that implicated DeCologero in her murder included bloody bags containing Silva’s DNA, a security video of Silva’s apartment, and a Home Depot receipt showing the crew members Capozzi and Meuse purchased items to assist in disposing of Silva’s body.
Crimes
During his criminal career, Paul J. DeCologero was involved in a number of crimes including drug dealing, robbery and burglary. He was also a valuable FBI informant, giving them information on competing criminals.
Paul DeCologero served as the head of a criminal organization called the “DeCologero Crew” during the late 1990s. He led the Crew’s drug business and acted as its commander.
The group used violence against drug competitors in territory the crew claimed as its own. This included robbing and killing marijuana dealers Phil Soccorso and Gary Ramus.
Bulger was a major figure in the Boston mob. He was a key player in the Winter Hill Gang and he served as a leader in the Salemme organized crime faction.
On the day of Bulger’s death, he was beaten to death in his prison cell at USP Hazelton in West Virginia. Two men were convicted of his murder. They are Fotios Geas and Paul J. DeCologero wikipedia.
Trials
The DeCologero Crew members were convicted of racketeering, witness tampering and other crimes. Among them was Paul A.
In 1996, he was ordered to kill 19 year old Aislin Silva of Medford in order to protect the crew from her possible cooperation with the police as a potential witness against them. She was strangled and dismembered before her body was dropped in an undisclosed North Shore grave.
During the trial, prosecutors showed bloody bags of Silva’s hair and her fingerprints in a dumpster behind a Danvers car wash. In addition, they presented security video and a Home Depot receipt showing that Crew members Capozzi and Meuse had purchased items to assist in disposing of Silva’s body.
The government also gathered evidence of the plan to convince Silva not to speak with police and prevent her from cooperating with them. They included statements from witnesses who testified in court as part of plea agreements with the government.
Release
Decologero was a member of the “DeCologero Crew,” an organized crime gang on Massachusetts’ North Shore led by his uncle. The crew robbed, kidnapped and terrorized drug dealers. In 1996, members of the crew murdered a 19-year-old woman, Aislin Silva, because they were afraid she would betray them to the police.
Paul Decologero was sentenced to 25 years in prison for racketeering charges and has been released from federal custody. He is expected to be released in 2026.
According to court docket records, DeCologero shopped for heroin that was used to attempt to kill a teenage girl his uncle wished useless as a result of he feared she would betray the crew to police. He also allegedly buried her remains within the woods.
Fotios Geas, 55, a well-known Massachusetts mobster who was in jail at the time Bulger was killed, is another suspect. Geas was also arrested today, and faces a charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
