Cheat Sheet — Bronzo’s in Shrewsbury, Criminal Record, and Worcester Family

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Monday, August 03, 2015

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Each week accompanying the segments of the FBI files on Raymond Patriarca and expert analysis on the documents released, GoLocal will provide a “cheat sheet” of some of the key elements from the documents.

Make no mistake about it, the files are layered with information about a time where the scope and reach of the Patriarca crime family permeated nearly every aspect of life in New England - from shop owners to judges.

1) Thomas Paolino, prior to serving on the Rhode Island Supreme Court - the Republican was close to the Eisenhower Administration and was a candidate for a Federal Judgeship, but FBI files show his legal work for Raymond Patriarca raised red flags with the feds. The New York Times wrote in Paolino’s obituary, “In 1952, he was chosen as a Republican National committeeman from Rhode Island and was an assistant floor manager and strategist for Dwight Eisenhower.”

Paolino is the Uncle to former Providence Mayor and mega-developer Joe Paolino.

(Slide 4 )

2) Patriarca’s brother Joseph was tied to illegal activities by the FBI documents as early as 1954 reports by the Boston office.

3) As early 1955, it is clear that Providence Police Commander Walter E. Stone, Head of the Detectives Bureau, had the best direct knowledge of the Patriarca organization of anyone in law enforcement at the time.

(Slide 14)

4) For the first time, and not the last, Patriarca’s tied to Bronzo’s Night Club in Shrewsbury, MA.

(Slide 15)

5) An informant tells that Patriarca has a one-quarter interest in a million dollar gambling house in Las Vegas.

(Slide 15, 16)

6)  Patriarca took an ownership interest in his brother-in-laws’ business, Sharwood manufacturing, and pulled off one of the great frauds playing off the greed of consumers.  

(SEE PAGE 18)

6) As early as 1950, Patriarca was identified as one of the most influential forces in organized crime. Virgin W. Peterson, Director of the Chicago Crime Commission, told the famous Kefauver Crime Committee in 1950 that Patriarca was “King of the Rackets” in Providence, and connected him to Worcester’s Frank Iacone.

(Page 24)

7) Patriarca’s arrests started in 1928. Take a look at the first compilation of arrests by the FBI in this Memorandum from the Boston FBI Office.

By the early 1950’s Patriarca had a long list of arrests ranging “vagrancy” to conspiracy to violate White Slave Act.

(Page 31)

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Patriarca Papers - Entry 1

Related Articles

• Glossary of The Patriarca Papers Terms
• The Patriarca Papers Experts
• The Patriarca Papers - FBI Files of the Boss of the New England Crime Family
• GoLocalTV: Previewing Section 1 of the Patriarca Papers
• Law Enforcement Experts Weigh in on The Patriarca Papers’ Entry 1

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