Twelve people in Rhode Island, United States, were arrested for running a sports betting ring operated by what police are referring to as a top member of a New England Mafia family.
59-year-old Edward Lato from North Providence, the alleged ring boss, is reported to be a senior member of the Patriarca crime family, a syndicate that traditionally dominated criminal operations in Boston and Providence.
The illegal gambling ring has allegedly raked $675,000 in wagers all within a period of two months. According to the investigators, the court-approved wiretaps will allow them to listen to telephone calls and read text messages with which the ring communicated. The evidence was enough to charge Lato with organized criminal gambling, racketeering, bookmaking and conspiracy.
Even though he was released Monday after posting bail, the arrest could mean jail time for Lato since he is under probation, following his release from federal prison in 2004. He was sentenced in 1999 to more than five years in prison for hiring bruisers to collect debts from gamblers who loaned money from him. This arrest is in violation of the terms of his release.
During raids, police found about $20,000 in cash and confiscated an ounce of cocaine, Vicodin pills, syringes and steroids, gambling ledgers and six vehicles.
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