Maurice Richard "Pro" Lerner (December 20, 1935 – September 5, 2013)
was a
Mafia hit man connected with the
Patriarca crime family
The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, or The Office is an Italian-American Mafia family in New England. It has two distinct factions, one based in Providence, Rhode Island, ...
who was convicted of murder in 1970. His conviction was overturned due to unethical behavior by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
and its chief witness.
Early life
Lerner was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 20, 1935 to Samuel and Doris Lerner. His father was a small-time bookie. He played
baseball for his high school in
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...
batting .364 in his senior year. After he graduated, Lerner served two years in the US Marines, before signing on with the
Erie Senators
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 at ...
, and played
minor league baseball through 1963.
Lerner compiled a career batting average of .308 with 24 home runs and 225 RBI in his 482-game career with the
Erie Senators
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 at ...
,
Boise Braves,
Yakima Bears,
Topeka Hawks
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
,
Wilson Tobs,
Jacksonville Braves,
Atlanta Crackers,
Savannah Pirates
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground ...
,
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
,
Macon Peaches,
Raleigh Capitals
The Raleigh Capitals was a name used by various minor league baseball teams that were based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Most of these teams played at Devereaux Meadow.
There have been minor league baseball teams in the past that played in Raleig ...
and
York White Roses.
Lerner also played for the Winter League in Nicaragua during the 59-60 season
Johnny Pesky told reporters:
" ernermust have hit .800 against us in the playoffs. We only got him out three times and twice on line drives. He's a tall, rangy boy with great determination. He hit about .360 in the regular season. They tried playing Lerner at third and at second and finally shifted him to the outfield. If I had him, I might use him in right field because he can run and has a real good arm.
"In some ways he reminds you of George Kell. He's that kind of a hitter. He wears glasses, and while he doesn't look like Dom DiMaggio, he can cover more ground and can run faster. He stole six bases in the play-offs. He stole second and third against us on consecutive pitches."
Criminal activities
Lerner became acquainted with mobster
John "Red" Kelley in late 1962. The two men were seen frequently together. On June 9, 1965, Lerner was arrested on an outstanding fugitive from justice charge while sitting in Kelley's car. The warrant had been issued in December 1962 in
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 478,971, making it the third-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Knoxville, which is the third-most populous city in Tennessee. K ...
charging Lerner with three counts of forging and uttering checks amounting to $140.
Patriarca Family murder trial
Lerner, Patriarca family boss
Raymond Patriarca and three other members of the family, Robert Fairbrothers, John Rossi, and Rudolph Sciarra, were tried in 1970 for murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Irish Mafia
The Irish Mob (also known as the Irish mafia or Irish organized crime) is a collective of organized crime syndicates composed of ethnic Irish members which operate primarily in Ireland, the United States, Canada and Australia, and have been in ...
mobster
John "Red" Kelley, a sometime associate of the family, gave testimony as a cooperating witness linking Lerner, Patriarca and other family members to the 1968 murder of Rudolph "Rudy" Marfeo and Anthony Melei. Kelley testified he had been
contracted by Lerner to help plan the hit on Marfeo and Melei, whom Lerner allegedly murdered with a shotgun. After the trial, Kelley went into the federal
witness protection program.
Lerner and Patriarca were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Lerner also was convicted of two counts of murder for which he was sentenced to two life terms in addition to the ten years for conspiracy, all of the sentences to be served consecutively. The jury was unable to reach a verdict for the other defendants.
Lerner's conviction subsequently was overturned by the
Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1988. It had been established that Kelley had perjured himself at the trial, as had
F.B.I. Special Agent H. Paul Rico
Harold Paul Rico (April 29, 1925 – January 16, 2004) was an FBI agent, indicted for murder in 2003. He was accused of the 1968 framing of four men for murder but died before his trial would have taken place.
Early life
Rico was born in 1925 i ...
, who had collaborated Kelley's testimony. The Court ruled, in the case Lerner v. Moran 542 A.2d 1089 (1988):
...that Kelley's perjury, elicited by the FBI, constituted material exculpatory evidence withheld in violation of the applicant's due-process rights. We also hold that the trial justice correctly denied the applicant's motion to dismiss his indictment.
The court vacated his conviction and ordered a new trial.
He pleaded no contest and was released due to time served.
[
]
Personal life
Lerner and his wife, Arrene, had a son and a daughter. He died in 2013.[
]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lerner, Maurice
1936 births
Patriarca crime family
Mafia hitmen
Sportspeople from Brookline, Massachusetts
Baseball players from Massachusetts
Erie Senators players
Boise Braves players
Topeka Hawks players
Yakima Braves players
Wilson Tobs players
Jacksonville Braves players
Atlanta Crackers players
Savannah Pirates players
Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players
Macon Peaches players
Raleigh Capitals players
York White Roses players
2013 deaths