'Junior' Patriarca released from prison

This story is from The Journal archives

He left a Michigan federal prison yesterday; when he will return to Rhode Island is uncertain.

By W. ZACHARY MALINOWSKI Journal Staff Writer
THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
Saturday, 12/12/1998

Raymond J. "Junior" Patriarca is a free man.

The former New England crime boss walked out of a federal prison in Milan, Mich., about 8:30 a.m. yesterday and hopped into a private car, which sped off.

It could not be determined who picked Patriarca up or whether he returned to Rhode Island last night.

Patriarca's stroll from the walls of the low-security prison was the first he had taken by himself - without handcuffs or guards - since he was indicted and jailed on racketeering charges in March 1990.

Back in Rhode Island, federal, state and local authorities were gearing up for his homecoming, and trying to figure out whether he would return to his old ways.

"It's something that we're clearly interested in," said Asst. Atty. Gen. William Ferland, a veteran organized crime prosecutor. "It's something we'll keep a close eye on with federal, state and local police departments."

Patriarca, 53, is out of prison, but he's not entirely free.

Donald J. Blackburn, chief of the federal probation office, said that the mobster must pay the government $124,835, the cost of being housed in federal prison for the past eight years.

He also is required to meet with his probation officer within 72 hours of his release. The officer who will be assigned to him will closely track Patriarca's activities for the next three years.

"It could be as often as every day," Blackburn said.

Don't expect to see Patriarca standing on the streets of Federal Hill chumming it up with other criminals. Under the terms of his probation, Patriarca is barred from associating with any felons unless it's approved by his probation officer.

He also is prohibited from leaving the state (unless he gets court permission) and the excessive use of alcohol. He must work and is subject to random drug tests and reviews of his finances.

If he violates his probation, Patriarca could be sent back to prison for three years.

Prison officials have been tight-lipped about their infamous inmate.

Cynthia Stowell, a prison spokeswoman, refused to provide any details about Patriarca's prison record or his release. She said that most of the 1,300 inmates are from Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

She said Patriarca's travel plans were approved weeks in advance.

"He's already made his merry-go-round through the institution," Stowell said. "That means everything has been checked off."

There was little activity outside the Patriarcas' secluded ranch-style house at 478 Angell Rd., Lincoln, yesterday. Occasionally, a car pulled into the driveway past the lanterns wrapped with red velvet Christmas decorations.

Someone who answered the telephone at the house said they had "no idea" when Patriarca would arrive home.

Sources have said that they expect Patriarca to work at RJ Patriarca Vending, a business run by his wife, Barbara Patriarca, at 161 Atwells Ave., in Providence.

In December 1991, Patriarca pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, conspiracy and interstate travel to further narcotics, gambling and extortion operations for the crime family.

The plea was significant because it marked the first time that a reputed mob boss had ever pleaded guilty to criminal charges. At the court hearing, Patriarca refused to admit membership in the Mafia.

Four years later, Antonino Cucinotta, a double murderer and made member of the Patriarca crime family, became a mob informant.

Cucinotta, in court papers, said that Patriarca attended his mob induction ceremony on Oct. 5, 1977, and talked to him about his obligations to La Cosa Nostra.

Among them: "If he were asked to kill, he would have to kill. No murder - even over a private dispute, could be committed without permission."

Cucinotta, who was Patriarca's driver for six years, also told the authorities that Patriarca informed him in 1984 that he had become "boss" of the crime family.

Patriarca succeeded his father, Raymond L.S. Patriarca, the ruthless mob boss who oversaw organized crime in New England for decades.