Eddie Lato

Lato before the court in Rhode Island, 2014

**Edward C.** "**Eddie**" **Lato Jr.** (born March 29, 1947), also known as "**Little Eddie**", is an American mobster and current caporegime in the Patriarca crime family of New England. Lato, who is based in Providence, has a lenghty criminal record, and in 2011, he was arrested along with retired boss Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio and other mobsters on racketeering and extortion charges, and he was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2012, of which he served seven, being released in 2019. Lato is a made man in the family and a longtime member of the organization, and he was also stated to have allegedly been one of two hitmen who executed family enforcer Kevin Hanrahan in 1992.

## Biography

### Shakedown of adult businesses

By the 1980s, Edward Lato worked as a member of the Patriarca family, serving boss Raymond "Junior" Patriarca. During this time, Lato, along with Luigi Manocchio and others, received monthly payments in exchange for protection from the owners of a number of adult businesses in Providence, Rhode Island, including The Cadillac Lounge, Satin Doll, The Foxy Lady and Desire. Lato and Manocchio would meet with the owners and operators of said businesses to discuss the arrange for delivery of the payments. Lato was known to use threats of violence and fear to convince the owners into giving them the monthly amount. During the 1990s, Manocchio, Lato and others made associate Thomas Iafrate set aside and collect cash from the gross recepts from The Cadillag Lounge, cash which was stored in a safe in the club's manager's office, and which was then delivered by Iafrate to the family every month. Manocchio would often share the money with Lato and made man Alfred "Chippy" Scivola.

### Suspect in the murder of Kevin Hanrahan

In 2016, Patriarca captain-turned FBI informant Robert "Bobby" DeLuca implicated Lato as a culprit in the gangland-style murder of Patriarca family enforcer Kevin Hanrahan in 1992. On September 18, Hanrahan was having dinner at a restaurant in North Providence, with soldier Ronnie Coppola, among others. After finishing, he was *en route* to The Arch steakhouse in Federal Hill. As he was walking down the corners of Atwells Avenue, two masked gunmen confronted him outside the steakhouse. One pulled out a .38 caliber handgun and shot Hanrahan three times in the face, killing him. Hanrahan was allegedly murdered, according to DeLuca, for trying to extort bookmakers under then-boss Frank Salemne's protection and for plotting to kill Salemne and Manocchio. DeLuca stated in the 2016 debriefing that the pair of gunmen sent to murder Hanrahan were Lato and future consigliere Rocco "Shaky" Argenti. Lato was indeed sighted mere minutes after the killing huddling with Coppola and DeLuca in a nearby bar and restaurant. He was never formally prosecuted for his involvement in the murder, though.

### Further criminal activities

Lato had known ties to loansharks Edward T. Perrotta and Rocco "Rocky" Folco. In the 1990s, Lato and Folco were involved in a loansharking and scheme to make "extortionate extensions of credit", reaching a $260,000 dollar amount during a seven-month period. On June 23, 1995, police conducted a search on Perrotta's residence, finding $4703 in cash on him, $4800 around his house, two handguns and ammunition in a nightstand in a first-floor bedroom, a third handgun, brass knuckles, a fake bomb in Perrotta's garage, and a billy club in his car. The following day, Lato had a conversation with Folco where he discussed his worries about the situation. Perrotta's arrest kicked off a four-year FBI investigation against the New England Mafia.

The investigation concluded on March 25, 1999, when Lato was indicted along with 13 other mobsters and associates including then capo Anthony "The Saint" St. Laurent and his son, Anthony St. Laurent Jr.. Lato was charged with racketeering and loansharking, and, if convicted, could have been sentenced to life in prison under the three-strikes law, which had just been implemented five years prior, in 1994. Ultimately, he was sentenced to five years and ten months, being released in 2004.

On December 10, 2006, Lato was arrested along with Folco in a house while they were examining betting records from an illegal sports betting ring in Providence that garnered around $675,000 in illegal wagers in two months. Lato was the ring leader, while Folco was also associated with the ring. The arrest meant Lato violated the three years of supervised release following his stint in prison, but authorities didn't know whether to detain him.

In 2007, Lato requested a motion to the District Court of Rhode Island, asking for an extension of time to file an objection to a report and recommendation previously passed on June 19, 2007. Though the motion was granted, the objection was denied for failing to comply to Local Rule LR Cr 57.2 (d) (2).

### 2011 investigation and arrest

Former family boss Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio was indicted on extortion charges in January 2011, which stopped the monthly protection payments coming from The Cadillac Lounge. However, Lato, hoping to continue the distribution of said payments, met with an unidentified person on a number of occasions following Manocchio's arrest to discuss managing the continuing influx of protection money. First on February 18, 2011, Lato met with the unknown person in North Providence, to discuss the extortion of clubs including the Cadillac Lounge, Desire and Cheaters, also stating how he would send soldier Alfred "Chippy" Scivola to the Cadillac Lounge to collect the payments. Among other things, Lato reaffirmed Cheaters was one of the clubs the Patriarca family got its money from, stating "It's another joint we use to get money out of the joint for him", referring to Manocchio. Lato also expressed concern over surveillance and law enforcement, saying that there was "heat on everything".

On February 25, 2011, again in North Providence, Lato met with an unnamed person and talked about many of the same subjects from the last meeting, but also discussed Manocchio's recent incarceration and sending either Scivola or associate Albino "Albie" Folcarelli to the Cadillac Lounge to collect, lamenting and worrying over losing hold of the establishment. On March 11, 2011, during a meeting in North Providence, Lato again voiced concern over law enforcement surveilling him whenever he drove to Massachusetts to meet with a high-ranking mob member, stating the following; "Every time I leave there's someone looking at me… there's a guy on the corner every fucking time. It's got to be something, right? Then he's telling me I'm being followed here… how the fuck am I being followed here?" He later went on to say the high-ranking Boston member was also being surveilled: "They're following him… I mean.. not that they're not supposed to follow him, he's the fucking boss." He also said Desire was Manocchio's club.

On May 2, 2011, at a meeting with an unknown person, Lato was provided $2000, which he claimed he would share with the Boston faction leadership of the Patriarca family. Then he travelled from Providence to Boston to meet with a high-ranking mobster.