Raymond Patriarca, head of the New England Crime Family
Was Federal Hill really safer back when Ray Patriarca ran all of New England from the Coin-o-Matic on Atwells Avenue?
“There is a perception that things were less violent on Federal Hill during the Raymond Patriarca era but I disagree since it is only the nature of the violence that has changed,” explained Former Rhode Island Attorney General Arlene Violet, who oversaw a major crackdown on mob activity during her tenure as Rhode Island Attorney General from 1984-1986.
EDITOR'S NOTE -- this story first ran August 15, 2014. We decided to re-run it after the brutal attack on Stephen Cabral, 28, of North Providence. Cabral died as a result of injuries and his death was just the latest in a series of incidents tied to the club scene on Federal Hill.
SLIDES: Violence on Federal Hill: A Chronological History BELOW
GoLocalProv spoke with political leaders, law enforcement officials, historians, and Federal Hill community leaders who helped put the recent incidences of violence on Atwells Avenue in a historical context.
The Price of Protection
“It is no secret that organized crime was prevalent in Rhode Island, and when Ray Patriarca was the boss he ran all of all New England from his chair outside of ‘The Office’ on Atwells Avenue,” recalled former State Police Superintendent Col. Brendan Doherty who served for 24 years in the Rhode Island State Police Intelligence Unit focusing on organized crime in the 80s and 90s.
“Back then in the 60s and 70s there was shall we say an "arrangement" between the police and organized crime. And it was an unspoken arrangement. The mafia was expected to keep the lid on it [violence pouring out onto the streets]. To keep violence out of their places of business, restaurants on Federal Hill would pay tribute to Patriarca for ‘protection,’ said Providence City Archivist Paul Campbell, who has been responsible for covering the city's history.
“Going back to the era of organized crime there were high profile mob hits. You don't have that today,” explained Doherty.
Campell spoke one specific episode that stood out. “One of the early mob hits on Federal Hill was at a restaurant at 93 Atwells Avenue. ‘Blind Pig’ Rossi and several other witnesses of the shooting were stricken with total memory loss,” Campbell noted.
Mob “hits” and such specific acts of violence were routine during the time when Raymond Patriarca was boss, according to Violet.
“Owners who didn't pay off the tab for protection were routinely beaten by mob enforcers in their place of work. A murder/hit of Raymond "Slick" Vecchio occurred in a Federal Hill restaurant in 1982. Kevin Hanrahan, an alleged mob enforcer, was killed on Atwells Avenue in 1992. Another mob associate Willie Marfeo was shot to death on Federal Hill while his brother "ate lead" at a Providence grocery store. This ‘enforcement business’ was seen as fairly routine so residents were used to it and didn't fear being slain if they didn't run afoul of the mob.” Violet added.
Inside the Coin-o-matic on Atwells PHOTO:Providence Public Library
RICO and the Crackdown on Organized Crime
These aspects of organized crime, Campbell noted, began to ebb in the 1970s with more active and aggressive involvement of the FBI and the enactment of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO Act) in 1970.
“Under the RICO Act, you can prosecute people as part of a criminal enterprise. Utilization of the RICO Act offered law enforcement a number of ways to break up these organized crime operations,” Campbell noted.
Violet recalled the crackdown on organized crime that she oversaw as Attorney General following the death of Raymond Patriarca in 1984.
“When Raymond Patriarca died in 1984 (the year I was elected as Attorney General) mob enforcement went into a hiatus since the principals were jockeying for position to take over from Raymond. Nonetheless, there was a mob crackdown by my office and the US Attorney's office for past crimes whose statutes of limitations continued to allow prosecution. So many of the contenders for mob boss went to jail and left the mob with uncertain leadership. The eventual disarray of the mob by these prosecutions, the use of the RICO Act, and the witness protection program dismantled the mob and its stranglehold,” Violet said.
Randomized Violence Spilling Out Onto Atwells
But while there hasn’t been a high profile mob hit on Federal Hill in decades, violence has not disappeared from the Hill. Indeed, the violence has only grown more unpredictable and fearsome to Federal Hill residents.
“Patriarca would never allow drunken brawls, for example, to spill out onto the streets since it was bad business for the many owners who paid protection money to avert such a calamity. Today, there is a fear that violence could spill out onto innocent people by lone perpetrators. At present, the violence is much more randomized,” said Violet.
ProvidencePolice photo of murder tied to Patriarca crime family
Rhode Island State Representative John J. Lombardi told GoLocalProv that he cannot recall a time when Federal Hill was so violent. Lombardi grew up on DePasquale Avenue and has represented the Hill for 26 years in the Providence City Council and General Assembly.
“I have been on this earth 62 years and simply cannot recall a time when Federal Hill was so violent. Did people ever get murdered or shot? Of course. Let's not be naive. But people bludgeoned to death in the middle of the day? Twenty person mobs fighting with police outside of nightclubs? I don't recall women ever catching beatings in clubs. It is just egregious. I was young once. Growing up on Federal Hill, did we stay out until all hours of the night? Sure. But we always had respect for the police,” added Lombardi.
READ MORE ABOUT PATRIARCA -- GoLocal published the confidential FBI files on the head of the New England crime family. CLICK HERE
Doherty, from his role in law enforcement, said he commended the work the Providence Police have been doing "in keeping order and responding to emerging needs and demographic changes within the Federal Hill community."
“Federal Hill is a different place today than it was when I was stationed there. Back then, for the people who lived and worked on Atwells Avenue, family meant a lot. Today, you have different groups of people moving in from out of state. Police have to adjust in a city like Providence and the Providence Police have done just that. The Providence Police have shown leadership on Federal Hill, but the police can't do it alone. They need the community and they need the businesses to help keep the streets safe,” Doherty added.
Related Slideshow: Violence on Federal Hill: A Chronological History
“There is a perception that things were less violent on Federal Hill during the Raymond Patriarca era but I disagree since it is only the NATURE of the violence that has changed," argues former Attorney General Arlene Violet.
To see a brief chronological history of the history of violence on Federal Hill -- from the 19th century through the 1990s -- check out the slides below.
1888: Murder of Waterman Irons by Dennis "Spiker" Murphy and "Pete" Hackett
In 1888, an 82 year old leather merchant named Waterman Irons was murdered by Dennis “Spiker” Murphy and “Pete” Hackett. According to a Providence Evening News article from April 27, 1912 Irons' murder:
“..took place at the man’s little shop on High Street, now Westminster Street and Dean Street.” [1]
Late 19th Century: Tensions Rise Between Irish & Italian Immigrants
Federal Hill was initially settled by English immigrants. Irish immigrants began settling on the Hill during the 1830s and Italian immigrants followed suit later in the 19th century. By the 1880s tensions between the more established Irish and the new Italian arrivals began to erupt on Federal Hill resulting in acts of violence like the "stab and shoot" referenced in the accompanying photo.
The Macaroni Riots of 1914 began when a local wholesaler on Federal Hill, Frank P. Ventrone raised the price of macaroni by 50 percent. A monthlong series of labor unreset and riots ensued on the Hill. As Tony Marrocco(“Monaleek”) wrote at that time in the Italian Echo:
“It was Sunday afternoon when about 12 immigrants held a rally in Olneyville Square and then marched to Federal Hill. They proceeded to Ventrone’s Grocery on Atwells Avenue to protest the rise in the price of macaroni. They smashed windows and stole cheese, macaroni, salami, capacollo and most anything in sight. Twenty mounted police put a stop to the riot in two hours. The riot made a point and the price of macaroni returned to its pre riot price.” http://www.italianamericanwriter.com/?p=2672">Source
Frank P. Ventrone: The "Macaroni King" of Federal Hill
Federal Hill shopkeeper Frank P. Ventrone's wholesale shop was boarded up during the Macaroni riots.
According to Providence City Archivist Paul Campbell:
"At the end of it Ventrone agreed to lower his prices, and things quieted down around the World War I period when the Providence Police Department started to bring in Italian speaking police officers.”
From Providence Police Department [Campbell, P., Glancy, J., Pearson, G.(2014), Arcadia Publishing]
"The Jazz Age in Providence produced many great personalities, but none greater than Arthur"Daddy" Black who, during the 1920s, was kingpin of an illegal numbers pool that offered local blacks the long-shot opportunity to win big. A 20-year Navy veteran who was cited twice foil bravery during World War I, Daddy Black's investments included sponsorship of black and white professional baseball and basketball teams. His entrepreneurial skills earned him the accolade "Providence's Richest Negro," but his success in the numbers racket earned the attention of a new generation of violent gangsters. On September 24,1932, Black was shot to death in his office on 160 Cranston Street by a group of black assassins working under the direction of Italian mobsters. An estimated 3,000 mourners attended his funeral."
Excerpt from Rhode Island Monthly Federal Hill Timeline
1954 Organized crime boss Philip Buccola flees New England for Sicily, leaving Raymond Patriarca in control. Patriarca becomes a notoriously ruthless mob overlord and is ultimately arrested twenty-eight times.
1955: Mob Hit on George “Tiger” Balleto at Bella Napoli Cafe
From Providence Police Department [Campbell, P., Glancy, J., Pearson, G.(2014), Arcadia Publishing]
"A victim of a period of mob violence in the 1950s in Providence under the consolidated power of crime boss Raymond Patriarca, George "Tiger" Balletto was shot in the back several times on the night of August 10, 1955 while drinking an orangeade and vodka at the end of the bar at Bella Napoli Cafe on 93 Atwells Avenue. Police reported that a dozen witnesses of the shooting "had been sticken with total loss of memory."
Excerpt from STATE v. Raymond L.S. PATRIARCA. No. 1566-Ex. &c. Supreme Court of Rhode Island. July 20, 1973:
"It appears that at about 2:30 on the afternoon of Saturday, April 20, 1968, Rudolph Marfeo and Anthony Melei were shot to death while shopping in a market on Pocasset Avenue in the city of Providence. Apparently, it was Marfeo's custom to shop for groceries in that market on Saturday afternoons, and while he and Melei were in the market two masked gunmen entered and shot them both.
Thereafter, on June 2, 1969, as a result of these homicides three indictments were returned by the grand jury. Indictment No. 69-769 charged the appellant here, Raymond L.S. Patriarca, with conspiring to murder Rudolph Marfeo. Others named in that indictment were Maurice R. Lerner, Robert E. Fairbrothers, John Rossi, and Rudolpho G. Sciarra. In Indictment No. 69-767 the appellant here and Sciarra were charged with being accessories to the murder of Marfeo, while Lerner, Fairbrothers, and Rossi were charged with the murder of Marfeo. In Indictment No. 69-768 the appellant here and Sciarra were charged with being accessories to the murder of Anthony Melei, while Lerner, Fairbrothers, and Rossi were charged with Melei's murder."
1975: Mob Hit on Dickie Callei at the Acorn Social Club
From a Providence Journal article on March 15, 1975.
"Police say Callei was killed sometime overnight and his body driven into the woods and buried between 1:30 and 6:30 yesterday morning. Rehoboth Police Chief Raymond McKearney said snow lined the bottom of the grave, leading police to conclude that the grave might have been dug hours or even days before Callei was buried in it. Police said Callei was clad in a blood-soaked white shirt and green tie and buckskin shoes. A green and white sports coat was buried beside him. He was wearing a watch and two rings with initials on them.
Chief McKearney said it appeared from the marks and blood stains in the snow that he was dragged from the car by more than two persons, but wouldn't say how. There were blood stains between the tire marks at the end of the trail, indicating the body probably was taken from a car trunk. Chief McKearney called the slaying "brutal" and said it appeared to be a gangland killing. Dr. Shamey said Callei suffered three skull fractures caused by blunt instruments, stab wounds in the face, chest and abdomen and several bullet wounds in the back, the bullets going through the heart and lungs. He said shots were fired from close range."
1978: Mob Hit on Joe “Onions” Scanlon at Andrew Merola’s night club.
From the New York Times (In Rhode Island, an Old Mobster Lets Go of a Long-Kept Secret, 21 December 2008)
Thirty years ago, organized crime in Rhode Island was still like a rogue public utility. Raymond L. S. Patriarca, the old man with bullet tips for eyes, still ran the New England rackets from a squat building on Federal Hill. And men, from the merely dishonest to the profoundly psychopathic, still followed his rules.
Among them was Nicky Pari, who supposedly declined the honor to join the Mafia because he preferred the freelance life. If not made, he was known, in part because he had done time for helping a Patriarca lieutenant hijack a truck with a $50,000 load of dresses.
In April 1978, he and another freelancer, Andrew Merola, decided to address the delicate matter of a police informant within their ranks, a droopy-eyed young man from Hartford named Joseph Scanlon. The theories behind his nickname, “Joe Onions,” are that he made the girls cry or, more prosaically, that his surname sounded like scallion.
One morning Mr. Pari lured Mr. Scanlon and his girlfriend, who was holding their infant daughter, into Mr. Merola’s social club, in a Federal Hill building now long gone. Mr. Pari struck Mr. Scanlon in the face. Then Mr. Merola fired a bullet that shot through the man’s head and caught the tip of one of Mr. Pari’s fingers.
The girlfriend was ordered to leave the room. When she came back, her child’s father was wrapped in plastic near the door, his jewelry gone, his boots placed beside his body. A package, awaiting delivery.
The girlfriend, once described as a “stand-up girl” who wouldn’t talk, did, and the two men were convicted of murder in a case lacking a central piece of evidence: the body. They successfully appealed their convictions, but in 1982 they pleaded no contest to reduced charges in a deal that required them to say where the body was.
According to a Rhode Island Monthly Federal Hill timeline, in 1982:
Raymond “Slick” Vecchio is shot at Vincent’s restaurant on Atwells by two masked men. Police suspect mobster strongman Kevin Hanrahan, who himself is shot outside of the Arch restaurant, also on Atwells, in 1992.
1987: "Bobo" Marrapese Charged With Slaying Callei 12 Years After Murder
According to a March 13, 2005 Sun Chronicle article:
"Frank L. “Bobo” Marrapese, who reputedly ran gambling and loan sharking operations in Providence, was charged with Callei's slaying 12 years after the murder. Despite the age of the evidence, a 29-year-old Rhode Island prosecutor named Michael Burns was able to convince a jury that Marrapese had stabbed, bludgeoned and shot Callei in Providence's Acorn Social Club."
"On September 18, 1992, after having dinner with Buehne, Paulie Calenda, a millionaire businessman and mob associate, and others, Hanrahan went to a North Providence bar called The Arch, where he told several people he was expecting a "big score." After leaving the restaurant Hanrahan was walking down Atwells Avenue when two men confronted him. One pulled a .38 and fired three bullets into his face ending the life of the Irish tough guy."
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