luigi manocchio

New England Mafia more like ‘disorganized crime’ since arrests

November 9th, 2012 at 5:00 am by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – When Jeffrey Sallet walked into a Federal Hill restaurant and approached Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio, the aging mobster – who knew just about everyone in Providence – had never seen the man in his life.

Read the rest of this story »


‘Baby Shacks’ Manocchio moved south of the Mason-Dixon line

August 2nd, 2012 at 12:35 pm by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

PETERSBURG, Va. (WPRI) – The reputed former mob boss of the New England crime family has been moved to a medium security prison in Virginia, the Target 12 Investigators have learned.

Read the rest of this story »


‘Baby Shacks’ Manocchio moved out of RI to serve sentence

July 20th, 2012 at 4:11 pm by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WPRI) – The former boss of the New England mob has been moved out of the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls and is on his way to another prison to serve out the rest of his sentence, the Target 12 Investigators have learned.

Read the rest of this story »


Target 12: Indictment led mystery mobster ‘RD’ to wear a wire

March 26th, 2012 at 12:06 pm by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The unnamed made member of the Mafia who wore an FBI wire in a sweeping organized crime case was himself indicted and threatened with arrest before he agreed to cooperate with investigators, the Target 12 Investigators have learned.

In court documents filed this week, prosecutors William Ferland and Samuel Nazzaro say the made member of the mob was confronted on Feb. 12, 2011, with the pending charges and about to be placed in handcuffs. The individual was implicated in an extortion scheme to shake down a Johnston used car salesman for $25,000, according to the court documents.

“The FBI indicated to the [New England La Cosa Nostra] Made Member that he could cooperate with them and that such cooperation would be brought to the Court’s attention for its consideration in determining an appropriate sentence to impose,” prosecutors wrote in the filing. “Made Member thereafter agreed to cooperate.”

The Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s office has not disclosed the identity of the made mobster, but in a court filing earlier this month defense attorneys revealed the person has the initials “RD.” That revelation has further fueled speculation that reputed capo regime Robert “Bobby” DeLuca is the cooperating witness.

Read the rest of this story »


‘Baby Shacks’ pleads guilty, but ‘Eddie’ Lato backs out of deal

February 22nd, 2012 at 5:26 pm by under Nesi's Notes

A surprise turn of events in court today - read all about it via Tim White. Don’t miss Manocchio’s response to the judge asking whether he was threatened into doing a plea deal.


Target 12: ‘Baby Shacks’ case inching toward a trial … maybe

February 15th, 2012 at 5:45 pm by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Lawyers from both sides in the sweeping federal organized crime case met again behind closed doors Wednesday and at least one defendant is asking for more time before trial.

It’s unclear if the meeting in U.S. District Court Judge William Smith’s office prompted the filing by accused mob associate Albino Folcarelli. In fact, little is clear about what prosecutors and defense attorneys are looking to clear up as the April 23 trial date looms.

Court records show there have been three such closed-door sessions since January. The first was requested by well-known defense attorney John F. Cicilline in a filing last month. In it, Cicilline – who represents accused mob associate Theodore Cardillo – wrote “I believe such a meeting can produce a final answer as to whether or not the case will be a trial.”

Whether or not that means all sides are close to striking a deal on the eve of trial remains a mystery. When reached by phone, defense attorneys – those inclined to return calls – declined to comment. The same goes for the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Read the rest of this story »


‘Baby Shacks’ denied bail again; credit card use alleged

December 12th, 2011 at 4:53 pm by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Any hopes Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio had of being home for the holidays were dashed by a federal judge on Monday.

About a dozen supporters of Manocchio appeared in court including local filmmaker Michael Corrente, who had written the judge a letter attesting to Manocchio’s character. When asked outside the court why he was there, Corrente shot back, “Why are you here?” and ran from reporters. Corrente wrote one of 13 letters of support for Manocchio previously filed with the court.

The hearing shed new light on evidence the U.S. Attorney’s office may present at Manocchio’s trial. Prosecutor William Ferland said Manocchio was able to hide his substantial wealth by using credit cards belonging to his associates.

Ferland read a transcript he said was from a secretly recorded conversation between an unnamed informant – wearing a wire for the FBI – and businessman Joseph Ruggiero. Ferland said Ruggiero is a made member of the Patriarca crime family.

Read the rest of this story »


FBI subpoenas Starbucks surveillance video in RI Mafia probe

November 30th, 2011 at 3:13 pm by under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site

By Tim White

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – A more detailed picture of the U.S. Attorney’s case against a reputed former mob boss and several of his alleged soldiers emerged in a new federal court filing on Tuesday.

Federal prosecutor William Ferland filed the motion in response to a complaint by an attorney for accused capo regime Edward “Eddie” Lato that the government had committed a “document dump” drowning him in evidence without much guidance.

It details the extensive surveillance conducted inside Providence’s Cadillac Lounge strip club, including hidden microphones inside the main part of the club and an office. FBI agents also installed hidden cameras in an “interior office” and on a shoeshine chair.

On Feb. 25, 2010, the FBI issued a subpoena for video surveillance from the Starbucks inside Providence’s Biltmore Hotel, Ferland says. He did not state who is shown in the video or how it will be used in the case.

Read the rest of this story »


Filmmaker Corrente describes a softer side of ‘Baby Shacks’

October 12th, 2011 at 6:08 pm by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Filmmaker Michael Corrente said he wrote a letter of support on behalf of the accused former mob boss of New England because the two are friends, and he said he has visited him many times in prison since his arrest.

“I’ve known Louis Manocchio for a very long time and I visit him [at the Wyatt Detention Center] as any friend would,” Corrente said in a telephone interview with the Target 12 Investigators.

While Corrente said he was “shocked and saddened” when he learned of Manocchio’s arrest in January, he’s not surprised.

“It’s what one would expect based on the impressions and what everyone hears, but it’s just not the man I know as a friend,” Corrente said. “I just don’t see Louis Manocchio ever extorting or threatening anyone with bodily harm. That’s not the man I know.”

Read the rest of this story »


Filmmaker Corrente asks judge to let ‘Baby Shacks’ out on bail

October 12th, 2011 at 10:00 am by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – In a second effort to be released from prison pending trial, the reputed former mob boss of the Patriarca crime family has received letters of support from more than a dozen Rhode Islanders, including filmmaker Michael Corrente.

In a motion filed yesterday in Providence Federal Court, lawyers for Manocchio argue the 84-year-old accused former kingpin poses no threat to the community and would have no shot at escaping if placed on a GPS monitoring bracelet.

Included in the memorandum are 18 letters from friends of Manocchio, including doctors, lawyers and former neighbors.

In his letter, Corrente – who produced such films as “Outside Providence” and “Brooklyn Rules” – wrote he spends time with Manocchio “on a regular basis” and finds it “very sad and confusing for me to see Louis Manocchio to be portrayed in the manner in which he is currently portrayed.”

Read the rest of this story »


‘Baby Shacks’ pleads not guilty again; will seek release on bail

September 30th, 2011 at 10:24 am by under Nesi's Notes

By Ted Nesi

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The reputed former boss of New England’s Patriarca crime family, Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio, pleaded not guilty for a second time Friday morning on federal charges of extortion and conspiracy.

Manocchio, 84, entered the plea through his attorney before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Martin in a federal courtroom in Providence. Manocchio previously pleaded not guilty in February after the original indictment was filed. Prosecutors filed a second superseding indictment in his case last week.

Manocchio appeared in court for less than 20 minutes, arriving handcuffed and clad in a tan prison suit with close-cropped hair. He looked energetic and alert, discussing defense strategy with Balliro and quickly springing to his feet when asked the judge asked him to rise.

Read the rest of this story »

• Related: Target 12 – Who is Baby Shacks? (Feb. 10)

Tim White contributed to this report.


Feds: ‘Made’ RI mobsters will testify against other wiseguys

September 26th, 2011 at 4:26 pm by under Nesi's Notes

By Tim White

A court filing reveals federal prosecutors say they have “made” members of the New England mob willing to testify against other alleged wiseguys.

The details came to light in a motion filed in U.S. District Court in which prosecutors asked a judge to keep reputed capo regime Edward “Eddie” Lato behind bars.

“During the course of this investigation, the FBI has developed additional witnesses, including formally initiated or ‘made’ members of the [New England La Cosa Nostra], who will testify that the NELCN exists and further testify about the activities of its members,” Assistant U.S. Attorney William Ferland and U.S. Justice Department trial attorney Sam Nazzaro wrote in the filing.

“These witnesses will testify to the secret initiation ceremony at which newly inducted members of the LCN swear a blood oath of loyalty to enforce ‘omerta,’ the code of silence,” they wrote.

Read the rest of this story »


Artin Coloian to defend Iafrate in ‘Baby Shacks’ case

March 25th, 2011 at 3:34 pm by under General Talk, Nesi's Notes

One of Rhode Island’s best-known criminal defense lawyers has signed on to represent a co-defendant in the case against reputed former mob boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio.

Providence lawyer Artin Coloian will defend Thomas Iafrate of Johnston, who was indicted along with Manocchio in January. Iafrate pleaded not guilty earlier this month to charges of racketeering extortion and conspiracy.

U.S. District Judge William Smith on Friday granted Coloian’s pro hac vice motion to represent Iafrate in the federal case. Iafrate has been represented up to now by Kevin Salvaggio, a former North Providence police officer who owns an eponymous law firm in Providence.

Coloian is no stranger to high-profile court cases. His other clients have included former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci, reputed mobster Robert “Bobby” DeLuca, and the suspect in the hit-and-run accident that injured Providence City Councilman Terrence Hassett.


More charges, more prison for ‘Baby Shacks’

March 1st, 2011 at 4:22 pm by under On the Main Site

So reports Tim White, who’s at federal court:

A judge on Tuesday ordered that reputed former Mafia boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio be kept in prison for another week as prosecutors unveiled new charges in the high-profile organized crime case.

At a hearing in Providence, U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Martin denied for now a request by Manocchio that he be allowed out on home confinement. Martin’s decision followed testimony from Manocchio’s brother and nephew.

Manocchio, who already faces charges of conspiracy and extortion, was also charged Tuesday with an additional count of racketeering conspiracy. In addition, Target 12 has confirmed that two other local men have also been charged in the case: Richard Bonafiglia and Theodore “Teddy” Cardillo.

Bonafiglia was arrested last November during a raid on Providence’s Decatur Social Club. In May 2008, sources told Target 12 two FBI agents had recently questioned Cardillo during a visit to Providence’s Cadillac Lounge strip club, where he was the general manager. The pair are being arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

During Manocchio’s bail hearing, his younger brother, Dr. Anthony Manocchio, and his nephew Louis Manocchio both took the stand and testified that they were unsure of what their infamous relative did for a living.

Anthony Manocchio told the court he believed his brother was retired. Asked by a prosecutor what his brother had done prior to his retirement, Anthony Manocchio said he didn’t know but believed he had been “a salesman” at one point. Manocchio’s nephew also acknowledged loaning a credit card to his uncle for roughly six months.

Tim will have more details on this evening’s newscasts starting at 5 p.m. on WPRI 12. On an unrelated note, I’ll be on the 5:30 newscast talking about Rhode Island’s foreclosure crisis with Erin Kennedy.


Feds: Wealthy ‘Baby Shacks’ sought Italian property

March 1st, 2011 at 9:58 am by under General Talk, On the Main Site

Looks like Lincoln Chafee isn’t the only one who’s dabbled in the property market in recent years.

Reputed former mob boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio flew to Italy in the summer of 2009, the same year sources say he stepped down as kingpin, with an eye on purchasing property there, according to a new federal court filing.

The document was filed late Monday ahead of this afternoon’s bail hearing, where Manocchio’s pre-trial fate will be decided. Tim White has details on WPRI.com:

Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio – facing federal conspiracy and extortion charges – is mounting a legal effort to get sprung from prison today on bail. He has been ordered by a judge to present a list of people willing to post property as surety at a 3 p.m. hearing.

In response, the prosecutor – Scott Lawson, trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice – filed a court document claiming Manocchio lied to the government when he told them he hasn’t left the country since 2001.

“[G]overnment records confirm that he traveled to Italy for a week in July 2009 with [New England La Cosa Nostra] member Joseph Ruggiero, flying on [airline] Alitalia on July 17 and returning on July 24,” Lawson wrote. “According to an FBI confidential source, the purpose for this trip was for Manocchio to purchase property in Italy.”

The document does not state if Mannocchio went through with the purchase of the property. …

The court filing also alleges Manocchio has accumulated vast wealth from the extortion scheme he’s accused of masterminding. …

The court filing states he’s “accumulated hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, in a 17-year-plus extortion scheme of the adult entertainment industry.”


Feds: ‘Shacks’ kept mob ties, co-owns Atwells eatery

February 24th, 2011 at 1:03 pm by under General Talk, On the Main Site

That and much more was revealed in an explosive court filing prosecutors made ahead of this afternoon’s arraignment in Providence of reputed former Mafia boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio, Tim White reports on WPRI.com:

It states Manocchio stepped down as boss when he learned the FBI was hot on his heels as part of an investigation that included a 2008 search warrant “resulting in the seizure of $2,900 in ‘protection’ money extorted from the Cadillac Lounge and delivered to Manocchio by co-defendant [Thomas] Iafrate,” the document states. …

The document also reveals investigators wired the Cadillac Lounge strip club with hidden microphones. One conversation prosecutors say they picked up allegedly reveals Manocchio was collecting thousands of dollars a month from the business. …

Prosecutors also reveal for the first time that Manocchio is a shadow partner in the Federal Hill restaurant Euro Bistro, which is located at the far end of Atwells Ave., where Manocchio is often spotted by investigators.

Despite allegations that Manocchio stepped down as boss in 2009 – which were first reported by Target 12 – prosecutors allege he still has an active role in New England’s criminal enterprise.

Read the rest here.

Update: Manocchio pleaded not guilty this afternoon but was denied bail for now. He’s due back in court on Tuesday.


‘Shacks’ is back! Or at least he will be Thursday

February 22nd, 2011 at 5:36 pm by under General Talk, On the Main Site

Reputed ex-Mafia boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio’s long, strange trip through the federal prison system is finally bringing him back to Rhode Island this week.

So reports Tim White in a story he just broke on WPRI.com:

The reputed former boss of New England’s Patriarca crime family will be back on Rhode Island soil this Thursday, the Target 12 Investigators have learned.

Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio has been in federal custody since his Jan. 19 arrest in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. As Target 12 first reported, he was later flown from Miami to a federal prison in Oklahoma City, where he has been awaiting the next leg of his trip back the Northeast.

Manocchio, 83, will be flown from Oklahoma to New York on Wednesday. He will be housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn for one day, then driven with several other inmates to the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, according to Steven O’Donnell, U.S. Marshal for Rhode Island.

Read the full story here. And for much more of our Manocchio coverage, check out this roundup post I did earlier this month.


Pare: ‘I was surprised’ by Manocchio indictment

February 11th, 2011 at 4:14 pm by under General Talk

Former Rhode Island State Police Col. Steven Pare, who spent years tracking organized crime as an intelligence officer, was “surprised” to finally see reputed former Mafia boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio indicted last month.

“It’s huge,” Pare said about Manocchio’s arrest during a taping of WPRI 12′s “Newsmakers” this afternoon. “It’s a huge and significant case for organized crime.”

Pare discussed a wide variety of topics with us, including the suspension and the future of Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman, the cuts he says are inevitably coming to public safety departments in the capital, and Mayor Angel Taveras’ push to opt out of the controversial Secure Communities immigration program backed by Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.

Tim White will have more on Pare’s comments about Esserman during tonight’s 6 p.m. news. The full “Newsmakers” episode will air at 10 a.m. Sunday on Fox Providence and will be posted online later today.

After yesterday’s “Baby Shacks” extravaganza here at WPRI, though, I thought I’d excerpt his interesting comments about that.

Pare emphatically agreed with other law enforcement sources who say La Cosa Nostra – New England’s Italian Mafia – remains the top organized-crime threat locally. ”Absolutely,” Pare said. “Without a doubt.”

The Mafia may not be as visible now as it was in the 1970s, but “anywhere there’s money to be made illegally, they’re into it,” he said.

Here’s what he had to say specifically about Manocchio:

Louie’s been active in Providence with organized crime for decades. He’s good at what he does. He’s been able to avoid prosecution in a lot of ways. He’s typical old-school – he doesn’t get involved up front. He protects himself with people that he trusts. So he’s been able to avoid apprehension and prosecution. …

I was surprised that the case was made because it’s been so difficult to pin something on him. But historically, he’s been involved for years.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Pare confirmed that he is and always has been a “Baby Shacks” man, not a “Shanks” partisan. Vindication!


T12 dives into the life and times of ‘Baby Shacks’

February 10th, 2011 at 9:50 pm by under General Talk

'Shacks' sported a sweet 'stache in the '70s

He’s baaaaaaaack.

He, of course, is reputed former Mafia kingpin Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio, and while he’s not back here in Rhode Island quite yet, he’s all over WPRI’s media empire this Thursday evening.

Tim White has spent the last month adding to his already lengthy dossier on the life and times of “Baby Shacks,” with an occasional assist from yours truly. At right is my favorite photo of the man, from the passport he used while on the lam in Europe in the ’70s.

We’ve dug up all sorts of details, from the size of the monthly military pension Manocchio still gets to the time he convinced Judge Mark Pfeiffer, Central Falls’ receiver, to expunge more than half the charges on his rap sheet.

Tim’s full “Inside the Mafia” report airs tonight on Fox Providence at 10 p.m. and on WPRI 12 at 11. (For the love of Nielsen, please watch it there.) There’s a lot more online, too – here’s how to find it all:

The big enchilada. A new, in-depth biography of Manocchio, from his birth in Providence to his years as the alleged boss, is posted here for your reading pleasure. The video of Tim’s report will be there, as well.

The latest update. Manocchio is now in Oklahoma, en route back to Rhode Island to face charges, we reported today. Read about that here.

A 66-year rap sheet. We’ve put together a timeline chronicling Manocchio’s life and times – with new photos – and that’s available here.

Doherty talks ‘Shacks.’ R.I. State Police Col. Brendan Doherty, who spent years tracking Manocchio as a detective, sat down for a one-on-one interview to tell the tale. Only on WPRI.com.

Bios of six bosses. Tim updated his Dick Tracy-esque profiles of all six alleged Patriarca family bosses, from Raymond L.S. Patriarca himself through the man whom law enforcement sources tell us is running the show now. Read those here.

Target 12 gets results. This one’s a small story but possibly my favorite – last month’s court documents regarding alleged mob associate Anthony St. Laurent Jr. actually cited WPRI’s own undercover surveillance video of St. Laurent Jr. and Manocchio as evidence for its case. Here’s our video report on that – also a WPRI.com exclusive.

And finally, if you’re planning to write me an irate e-mail about how Manocchio’s nickname is actually “Baby Shanks,” read this post first.

(photo: Rhode Island State Police)


In search of ‘Baby Shacks’ (or ‘Shanks’)

January 22nd, 2011 at 7:47 pm by under General Talk

Manocchio's mug shot

So earlier this week, Andrew Phelps of Boston NPR station WBUR was hashing out the old debate about Luigi Manocchio’s nickname with me on Twitter.

Based on Tim White’s reporting, as well as law enforcement sources and this week’s indictment, I always go with “Baby Shacks.” The usual story says “Shacks” is some sort of reference to Manocchio’s successes “shacking up” with the ladies. The Projo’s Bill Malinowski sided with us, and explained why using this great anecdote in a story earlier this week:

[In the late 1990s,] The Journal had learned from an organized-crime source that the mobster had mistakenly been called “Baby Shanks” for years. His rightful nickname was “Baby Shacks,” for having a baby face in his younger years and a reputation for “shacking up” with various women. …

After Manocchio was arrested for the stolen appliances, State Police Col. Brendan P. Doherty, then a mob investigator asked Manocchio whether it was “Baby Shanks,” or “Baby Shacks.”

Manocchio, always the gentleman, provided the detective with a calm response.

“Brendan,” he said. “What does it really matter?”

(Love that story.)

WBUR’s Phelps, on the other hand, is – or at least was – a confirmed “Shanks” guy. After I chimed in by tweeting my usual support for “Shacks,” Andrew replied: “Our reporting says that’s incorrect. (Seriously.) Baby shanks refers to his short legs.”

That was a new one to me. The rationale Tim had heard for “Shanks” was that it could be a reference to the small makeshift knives prison inmates make with whatever materials they can get their hands on.

Either way, I told Andrew I was unconvinced and planned to stick with “Shacks” until someone convinced me otherwise, particularly since that’s the iteration the feds used this week.

Phelps followed up with a blog post yesterday afternoon that cited his colleague David Boeri, whom I grew up watching on Channel 5 in Massachusetts. Boeri told Phelps that Tim, me, Bill Malinowski, The Associated Press, and the federal government were “all wrong.”

However, when Phelps called the Justice Department here in Rhode Island, they told him in no uncertain terms the nickname was “Shacks,” not “Shanks.” A search of Lexis Nexis turned up a 1984 reference to “Shanks,” and no mention of “Shacks” until 1998 – but that reference turned out to be the Projo article cited by Malinowski that explained how “Shanks” was a mistake that people had been making for years.

“Regardless of whatever the ‘right’ name is, Justice ought to list ‘Baby Shanks’ as an aka,” Phelps concludes. Maybe. On the other hand, is the fact that the press spread an error far and wide really a good reason for the FBI to follow suit?

Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr, for his part, is in mourning over the Shanks switcharoo. “He’ll always be ‘Baby Shanks’ to me,” Carr wrote in a column today. He called up a mob wiseguy nicknamed The Kid, who claimed he’d always referred to Manocchio as “Baby Shanks,” not “Shacks.” Carr also mentioned that he once called Manocchio’s old restaurant on Federal Hill and asked whether “Baby Shanks” was available. “Who wants to know?” came the reply.

All I know is, I’m looking forward to the day we have Manocchio as a guest on “Newsmakers” and I get to put the question to him once and for all.

(photo: Broward County Sheriff’s Office)


RI US Attorney Neronha on Thursday’s Mafia bust

January 20th, 2011 at 2:07 pm by under On the Main Site

U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha spoke with Tim White by phone a short time ago about today’s Mafia bust, and his comments are now included in our continuously updated WPRI.com story about the roundup.

For those of you who’ve been tracking the story throughout the day, here’s what Neronha said that was new – the juicy parts, if you will:

Federal authorities arrested Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio, 83, in Fort Lauderdale the same day admitted mobster Anthony “The Saint” St. Laurent agreed to plead guilty to extortion and murder-for-hire charges. The reputed ex-boss was held overnight in the Broward County Jail.

“Mr. Manocchio has been a target for a long time,” Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha told Target 12 in a phone interview Thursday. “When you’re able to bring forth charges and take him into custody, it’s a big deal.” …

Manocchio will appear for a hearing in a Florida courtroom later Thursday for an “identity hearing” that will determine whether he is the individual listed in the indictment, Neronha said. Prosecutors will ask for him to be detained. There is no word yet on when he will be brought back to Rhode Island. …

“One of the things is, these [investigations] take patience,” Neronha told Target 12. “You have to stay at it. The New England La Cosa Nostra is an insular group.” …

Despite what some people may think, the mob remains powerful in New England, according to Neronha. “It was worse five years ago – now it’s getting worse again,” he said, comparing targeting organized crime to playing “whack-a-mole.” …

In a plea agreement filed Wednesday in federal court, Anthony St. Laurent admitted to being a made member of the notorious Patriarca organized crime family and confirmed that Manocchio was its leader as of 2006. Neronha declined to say whether there was a connection between St. Laurent’s plea and Monocchio’s arrest. …

Neronha, who said he began working on this investigation when he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, said he finds “disconcerting” the image some people have of Mafia members as somehow honorable or largely harmless.

The mob can be “incredibly violent,” he said. “They are not just nice old men. They are a threat to everyday society, and all that conduct that they engage in affects all of us in a variety of ways.

“That’s why organized crime has to be taken as seriously as we take it,” Neronha added.

Next up is the arraignment hearing for Thomas Iafrate, the alleged mob associate arrested in Johnston this morning, that was scheduled to begin a few minutes ago. We’ll have details from that as soon as it’s over in a new WPRI.com story, and lots more on this evening’s WPRI 12 newscasts starting at 5 p.m.

Plus, my video interview with Tim about how today’s news fits into the larger organized crime picture in New England should be up shortly. I’ll post it here when it’s finished.

(photo: U.S. Attorney’s office)