First New England Mobster Sentenced to Life for ‘3 Strikes’ Rule Dies at 75
Notorious New England mobster Gerard "The Frenchman" Ouimette has died of lung cancer at the age of 75.
Ouimette terrorized portions of New England for more than two decades. In 1996, he would eventually be the first regional mobster sentenced to life behind bars as part of the "three strikes" federal statute. The three-strikes law significantly increases the prison sentences of persons convicted of a felony who have been previously convicted of two or more violent crimes or serious felonies, and limits the ability of these offenders to receive a punishment other than a life sentence. As a result, Ouimette served the remainder of his life in a medium security North Carolina prison.
On April 16, 1979, the FBI produced a document about Ouimette and his known background as the leader of a non-Italian faction of organized crime figures:
"Subject OUIMETTE controls a large group of criminals known as the OUIMETTE faction, whose criminal activities include gambling, loansharking, extortion and property violations such as major hijackings, robberies and burglaries. Although not Italian, OUIMETTE enjoys the same stature as lieutenants under RAYMOND L.S. PATRIARCA, who controls organized crime (OC) in the Boston and New England area."
Federal authorities also suspected Ouimette was responsible "for seven or eight gangland-style murders."
He had ten convictions during his lifetime including an assault on an FBI agent.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
