Raymond L. Patriarca was born on March 17, 1908, in Worcester, Mass. His criminal career began as a bodyguard for bootlegers in the early twenties when he quickly gained a reputation for being a strong-arm man. That this man was without honor even among his fellow thieves was indicated early in his career by the fact that he was known to set up hijacking of the very shipments of alcohol he was hired to guard. His police record began while in his teens in 1926 and includes arrest for hijacking, jail escape, violations of the gambling laws, violations of the Mann Act for which he served a federal sentence, safe cracking, armed robbery, adultery, motor vehicle code offenses, carrying of firearms, conspiracy, assault, auto theft, and accessory before the fact, murder-two counts. He is a shrewd, scheming individual as well versed in the ways of crime today as he was in yesteryear. He is as ruthless in the sixties as he was in the thirties. Behind the front of his business enterprises, Patriarca, through his lieutenants, is still involved in one of his old specialties, that of strong-arming. Now its being done for unions in the New England area instead of for his fellow gangsters during prohibition.

He has the controlling interest in lotteries, bookmaking, dice games, and the provision of wire service in this area. Moreover, he settles any disputes within the organization working this section, sometimes using force or intimidation to accomplish his designs. He is known to be connected with other racketeers operating not only in New England, particularly in Boston and Worcester, but also in Broward County, Fla.
The following is a partial list of his known criminal associates, all with previous arrests by local and Federal authorities, and individuals who comprise a tight knit organization in New England and elsewhere.

There are many more of lesser note who also are allied with Patriarca in one way or another, His fold of friends presently, or in the past, includes the following from Rhode Island:
Dominic "Terry" Biafore, Americo "Pat the Barber" Bucci, John Candelmo, Alphonse "Fobey" Capalbo, Frank Forti, Albert "Keystone" Leport, Antonio "Tony Holmes" Lopreato, Frank "Butsey" Morelli, Francis "Joe" Patriarca (Raymond's brother), Santino "Sandy" Ruggerio, and his brother, Richard "Rex" Ruggerio, Giuseppe "Blondy" Simonelli. Louis "The Fox" Taglianetti, Henry Tameleo, Alfredo "The Blind Pig" Rossi, Albert "Albo" Vitale.
From Boston, there are Frank Ferrara and Michael "Mickey the Wise Guy" Rocco. Another associate of Patriarca was Frank Iacone of Worcester, now deceased.


Raymond Patriarca is no stranger to murder, having been indicted by a Rhode Island grand jury for his part in the 1930 Easter saturday attempt to free two vicious criminals from a Rhode Island prison which resulted in the death of four people. Patriarca was a part of the conspiracy involved in setting the stage for the attempted prison break. One may ask how this man Patriarca came to attain control of the rackets with its goons and its far reaching effects. He first came into power in the early forties when he took over the rackets in southern New England from Frank "Butsey" Morelli, then the No.1 man, who was on the apparent downgrade at the time. One of Patriarca's first acts after taking over the rackets was to take control of the wire service in southern New England. He raised the fees for its services. This pushed a lot of people out of the bookie business and left the gravy for Patriarca and his mobsters. One of the men who dared challenge Patriarca was Culton O'Brien, an ex-convict and strong-arm man in his own right. Carlton O'Brien ran several bookie places in and around Rhode Island and he refused to go along with paying the raised wire service ante. He set up his own wire service in an adjoining State where he bootlegged this service into his own bookie parlors, and also furnished other bookies service who refused to pay the heavy rate put on by Patriarca. This brought on trouble.

O'Brien's bookies were held up, bookie parlors wrecked, and telephone lines pulled out, bookmakers slugged and robbed. In 1951, O'Brien, while walking into his home early one morning, which is located in a respectable neighborhood outside of Providence, was gunned down from ambush with a shotgun. This is one of the unsolved gangland murders. Police officials feel this slaying was a reprisal for his defiance of Patriarca.
There is little doubt that Raymond Patriarca, like his racketeers in organized crime today, is using profits gained from illegal enterprises to infiltrate legitimate businesses mostly on a "silent partner" basis. In any analysis of the past criminal cases involving Raymond Patriarca one is certain to find indications that witnesses who have made damaging testimony against this man have through fear repudiated said testimony. Rhode Island law enforcement officers feel that such withdrawal of testimony was motivated out of the fear witnesses had of reprisals. The threat of reprisal action is not only directed toward the law abiding who would make damaging testimony. There is cause for peace officers to believe that reprisals in all forms, including murder itself, have been carried out against those criminals in all echelons of the organization.

In the year 1956 Raymond Patriarca, with his brother Joe, strong-armed their way into the cigarette vending machine business. Trucks were hijacked and equipment destroyed and, with the fear of reprisal, the owners of legitimate business that were affected kept their mouths shut. Also during the year 1956 Raymond Patriarca stated: "I am going to put out 500 machines before I'm through and there is nothing that anyone can do about it." Patriarca, through his goons, threatened the legitimate cafe and store owners into renting his cigarette machines and jukeboxes. Failure to comply with these hoodlums requests resulted in the wrecking of the store, fixtures, and bodily harm. Patriarca is known to be linked very closely to gaming czar Frank Costello. This affiliation comes from their activities, which also include the late John F. (Big Jack) Letendre, of Woonsocket and Florida, in the operation of a gambling joint in Florida. "Big Jack" Letendre later was murdered in the city of Woonsocket, R.I., and police theorized that this slaying was a result of a squabble within the underworld.

Another one of the rackets that Patriarca worked was the so called past posting. This is the placing of a wager on a horse race that has been run and a winner has been determined. These risky but profitable activities were carried on by the goons of Patriarca throughout the East. Very active in this operation of past posting was George "Tiger" Balletto and Michael "Mike" Mandella.

As a reward for their endeavors Balletto was shot to death in the Bella Napoli Cafe in the Federal Hill section of Providence in front of 22 witnesses, most of them with a criminal record.
The assassin of George "Tiger" Balletto was John "Jackie" Nazarian, one of the most vicious and feared gunman on the east coast. This "triggerman" was one of Patriarca's enforcers. Very reliable police information has that Nazarian had been used in gangland slayings outside of Rhode Island. It is also a positive fact that this gunman was responsible for two of the gangland slayings in Rhode Island that have occurred in the past few years. One of the 22 witnesses of the Balletto murder, Eddie Hannan an ex-boxer, was strangled to death by Nazarian who left his body in a dump in the Federal Hill section of Providence with bailing wire around his neck. This indicated that he was going to be a damaging witness in the Balletto murder. Patriarca had to have an "animal" like Nazarian in his fold for obvious reasons, although he lived in fear that he was not immune to being a victim of "Jackie," who was known as a mad dog. Just mentioning the name of Nazarian brought fear to the underworld as well as the average citizen. Michael Mandella received the same fate as his cohort, Balletto, when his bullet riddled body was discovered on the outskirts of Providence. John "Jackie" Nazarian, who was Raymond Patriarca's chief torpedo man, was slain while walking the streets of Federal Hill last year, a short distance from Raymond Patriarca's hangout.

In recent years, another racket has flourished, "Boosting." Boosting as it is known, is a professional operation by trained goons who are specialized in the fleecing of department stores of millions of dollars in merchandise annually. They invade these department stores in teams, consisting of pitchman, blocker, bag man, and roller. With this combination they have been known to steal in excess of 100 suits a day. To show you the extent of their operation, one team has been arrested in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The men engaged in this lucrative operation leave Rhode Island and travel throughout the greater part of the United States as far as California. These groups of boosters out of Rhode Island are considered one of the best in the country. They no longer travel only by car, but use every mode of transportation. They ship the merchandise directly to the fence by rail, air, boat, or any other conceivable way. Two of the biggest fences for this operation in Providence and Pawtucket were Alfredo "The Blind Pig" Rossi and Albert "Albo" Vitale, known associates of Patriarca.

Brief Bio on some Patriarca members:

Michael Rocco: Although in his late sixties he is still active in the organization. He controls the gaming activity in one section of this city.

Anthony Sandrelli (Tony Canadian) : His main source of income has been derived from the illegal sales of alcoholic beverages. He operated a well known after hours restaurant in the city. His establishments have been raided on a number of occasions by the police. The restaurant license was revoked recently for violation of the liquor laws.

Gennaro "Jerry" Angiulo: The oldest of six brothers who are all involved in controlling the largest single gaming operation within and without the city of Boston. Their business offices for the gaming activity for this group are outside the City of Boston. Jerry is in constant contact with Raymond Patriarca through Henry Tameleo and when Patriarca visits Boston. They are reputed to have invested considerable capital in loan shark operations. They have recently ventured into the lucrative cigarette vending business. All the brothers are incorporated in a realty firm that controls a number of business establishments. They also operate a night club in the downtown section of the city.

John Guglielmo (Johnny Williams) a very important man during the period that Buccola was the boss. From 1956 up to the time of the Castro revolution he was in Cuba where he was connected with the Tropicana, an establishment that boasted of the reputation of being the world's largest nightclub. He was a casino operator there. Upon his return to Boston he still retained prominence within the syndicate but not to the degree he formerly possessed. However, he demands considerable respect and is frequently consulted by lesser figures within the organization.

Samuel Granito: A convicted gunman. He holds a minor post in the syndicate. He is regarded as a sound soldier by the organization for his many talents.

Larry Zannino (Larry Baiona), is a favorite of Raymond Patriarca. He was formerly the right-hand man of Anthony Santaniello, now deceased (1960). At the present time Zannino is in State's prison serving a term for extortion. For income, he operated barbut games and had a nightclub for a front.

Leo Santaniello, he has been involved in the rackets for many years. He too is serving time for complicity in the same extortion as Larry Zannino. He is reported to have incurred the displeasure of Raymond Patriarca for his behavior during the extortion case. It is believed he could have protected Zannino, by the members of the organization.

Other members of the organization are Peter Limone, Paul Intiso, Nicola Giso, Ralph La Mattina, Alexander Rizzo, and Teddy Fucillo.