St. Laurent, Lato sentenced

to 70 months in prison

This story is from The Journal archives

By W. ZACHARY MALINOWSKI
Journal Staff Writer
Wednesday, 9/1/1999

Anthony M. St. Laurent Sr., 57, of Johnston, and Edward C. Lato, 52, of North Providence, will serve time at a federal prison for their part in a sweeping extortion ring.

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The streets of Rhode Island won't be seeing two long-time mob soldiers in the Patriarca crime family anytime soon.

Anthony M. "The Saint" St. Laurent Sr. and Edward C. Lato were both sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison yesterday for participating in underworld extortion schemes.

St. Laurent and Lato, both dressed in prison khakis from the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, expressed no contrition for their crimes.

Presented with an opportunity to address the court, St. Laurent, of Johnston, turned and glanced at his wife and daughter: "I'm sorry that I'm going to be leaving my family. That's all."

Lato declined to say anything.

Judge Ernest C. Torres sentenced each man to 70 months in prison - 5 years, 10 months.

The two were among 16 charged in a sweeping mob-extortion ring last spring. The indictments, unsealed March 25, followed a four-year investigation into a lucrative loansharking and illegal sports-betting operation led by Lato and Rocco "Rocky" Folco Jr.

In June, Lato, of North Providence, admitted that he and Folco ran the ring and made extortionate loans to gamblers and businessmen. They also hired strongarms to collect the payments.

Lato also admitted that he extorted payments from a professional gambler who cashed in a big payday at Lincoln Greyhound Park.

Folco has also pleaded guilty to criminal charges and is awaiting sentencing.

Prosecutors said that during one month, the ring took in $360,000 in gambling proceeds. They were tacking on interest rates from 52 percent to 260 percent, the authorities said.

Lawyer John F. Cicilline, of Providence, who represented St. Laurent and Lato, argued that Torres should consider a "downward departure" from the federal sentencing guidelines, or a more lenient sentence for his clients.

Cicilline said that St. Laurent, 57, who looked disheveled and considerably older, should get a break because he suffers from a host of medical maladies. During previous court appearances, Cicilline has said that St. Laurent suffers from a condition that forces him to take 40 enemas a day. He also is addicted to pain medication and has heart disease.

Torres said that he was aware of St. Laurent's "bowel condition" among other ailments, but that didn't stop the convicted felon from assaulting a victim with a hammer and threatening physical harm on others who owed him money.

Among his victims were Robert Atamian, described by prosecutors as an "inveterate gambler," and Darrell Morris, who drove a red Ferrari and lived in a $600,000 house on Appian Way in Barrington. He was sent to federal prison for bank fraud last year.

Torres did grant Cicilline's request to have St. Laurent placed in a federal prison with adequate medical facilities and allow him to enter a drug treatment program. He also ordered the federal marshals to arrange for St. Laurent to fly to the prison within a day instead of transporting him on a prolonged trip on a van.

It's not unusual for the ground transportation to take a week or more and stop at different prisons along the way.

"[St. Laurent] really couldn't wait a week to have methadone or enemas," Cicilline said.

Cicilline made a novel argument in an attempt to get a lesser sentence for Lato. He told the court that Lato, 52, deserved special consideration for convincing many of his codefendants to plead guilty. He said that Lato's gesture saved the government money and endless hours to bring the gang to trial.

The case would have revolved around hundreds of hours of conversations between the mobsters and their associates that were recorded by the FBI and the state police.

Cicilline said that Lato agreed to plead guilty almost immediately after his arrest.

"Once everyone knew Edward Lato was pleading, everyone else fell in line," he said. "Some recognition should be given to what has happened here."

So far, 10 people have pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from the sweep, and six others are awaiting trial.

After their release, St. Laurent and Folco will remain on supervised probation for three years. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, prisoners must complete 85 percent of their sentences before they are eligible for release.