OFF THE WIRE
Source: wpri.com
Tim White
CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) - Funeral services for the longtime president of the Rhode Island chapter of the Hells Angels went off without incident last weekend as at least three law enforcement agencies kept watch, the Target 12 Investigators have confirmed.
Law enforcement sources said they saw a massive influx of Hells Angels members – from places as far away as Finland – for the Friday wake and Saturday funeral of Carl C. Ferraro, who died Nov. 20 at the age of 57.
Rhode Island State Police Capt. James Demers said they were aware of the large number of bikers in and around the Cranston and Providence area for the services, but the State Police did not receive any reports of a disturbance.
Both services for Ferraro were held at Nardolillo Funeral Hom e on Park Avenue in Cranston. He was buried at St. Ann's Cemetery in the city.
According to an obituary posted on the funeral home's website, Ferraro was a founding member of the state chapter of the Hells Angels and its president for more than 10 years. "He was always there for his brothers and his friends 24/7, his old school ways and traditions will never be forgotten," it said.
Cranston police and investigators from Providence and the State Police kept an eye on the services, according to law enforcement sources.
The Hells Angels are often on the radar screen of law enforcement because of their reputed ties to members of Rhode Island's organized crime family, La Cosa Nostra. Wakes and funerals for high-ranking members or their associates are regularly monitored by investigators.
Demers would not confirm if that was the case over the weekend. But sources with direct knowledge of the services said the turnout was for Ferraro "overwhelming."
"There were people from Finland, Germany and all over the country," one said. "The Hells Angels were the ones that buried him – they took him to the cemetery and shoveled the dirt."
Sources told Target 12 the funeral procession took more than an hour as hundreds of cars and motorcycles took part. It left the Cranston funeral home and passed by the Hells Angels clubhouse on Messer Street in Providence before looping back to the cemetery in Cranston.
The cause of Ferraro's death remains unclear, but sources said it appears to have been a heart attack.
Ferraro had been released from the hospital, where he was recovering from a car accident, just days before his death, but was soon back under medical care, where he passed away of an apparent cardiac arrest.
In lieu of flowers, the obituary asked mourners to make donations to the American Heart Association in Ferraro's memory.
The obituary went on to offer Ferraro's guiding philosophy: “Live the life you love, love the life you live! I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a good time!”
twhite@wpri.com
