Feds: mob associate close to being made

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Just before his arrest accused mob associate Albino “Albie” Folcarelli was told he would be recommended for “membership” into the Patriarca crime family by a high-ranking member of the mob now working for the government, the Target 12 Investigators have learned.

Prosecutors spearheading the sweeping mob case – just weeks from trial – filed a motion Wednesday that goes into greater detail at just how much the unidentified turncoat mobster is willing to share about the operation of the New England La Cosa Nostra.

The mysterious unidentified mobster who wore a hidden microphone for the FBI is referred to as the “Made Member” throughout the document.

“The evidence will show however, that Made Member had agreed to propose the defendant Folcarelli for membership in the NELCN and that it was well known within the organization that Folcarelli was to be proposed for membership when the leadership next ‘opened the books,’” prosecutors wrote.

Experts say the term “open the books” is when mob leadership decide to induct new members into their ranks.

Prosecutors William Ferland and Samuel Nazzaro filed the document to object to a motion by Folcarelli. Defense attorney James McCormick is asking the judge to exclude any evidence describing the operations of the mafia or any evidence of Folcarelli’s prior arrests, convictions and “reputation for violence.”

Folcarelli is accused of intimidating a Johnston used car salesman into forking over $25,000 to the mob. Investigators say the victim’s wife tapped a retirement account in order to pay off the debt.

In the document, prosecutors wrote Folcarelli’s motion to exclude evidence about the existence of the mob “would in effect rewrite the Indictment and attempt to lead a jury to believe that the defendant is a law abiding auto body shop owner, who just happened to pull into [the victim’s] place of employment, asked for him and finding him not there left.”

Folcarelli visited the victim’s work and drove by the home in an effort to be seen and cause fear, prosecutors said.

Prison Connection

It was the car salesman’s brother – identified as a former prison guard at the Adult Correctional Institution – who warned the victim that Folcarelli was a man to be feared, according to the document.

We’re now learning the former correctional officer is poised to take the stand at trial.

“He will further testify that he knew Folcarelli from ‘the ACI’ where Folcarelli was an inmate and Folcarelli’s reputation caused him concern,” prosecutors wrote. “The brother will testify that he sought the assistance of Made Member because he was afraid and he knew that he, the NELCN member, could bring his influence to bear on these two associates and direct them not to bother [the victim] or his family at home.”

Earlier filings revealed the cooperating “Made Member” was also indicted in the case after investigators learned he was part of the crew allegedly shaking the car salesman down. The government said it was the mobster’s pending arrest that moved him to cooperate with the FBI.

Two others involved in the car salesman scheme have already pleaded guilty in the case, including mob associate Raymond “Scarface” Jenkins and Edward “Eddy” Lato.

Charges accusing Lato in the car salesman extortion scheme were dropped as part of a plea agreement. Instead, Lato pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conpriacy for shaking down strip clubs for protection money. He faces up to 9 years behind bars when he is sentenced on June 8.

Also pleading guilty in this case is the former boss of the crime family, Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio, 84 of Providence and mobster Alfred “Chippy” Scivola, 71 of Providence.

Mob associates Thomas Iafrate and Richard Bonafiglia also pleaded guilty for their role in the strip club scheme.

Only Folcarelli and accused mob associate Theodore Cardillo are slated for the May 1 trial.

U.S. District Court Judge William Smith will hear arguments on the pending evidence motions filed by Folcarelli next week.

Mysterious “RD”

So far court documents have only identified the cooperating wiseguy as having the initials “RD,” further fueling speculation that it is reputed mobster Robert “Bobby” DeLuca.

A spokesperson for the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment on the identity of the cooperating witness.

DeLuca is a longtime figure in Rhode Island’s underworld. His induction into the mob was famously caught on an FBI wire in a Medford Massachusetts apartment in 1989.

The recording was an embarrassment for the mob and has been used repeatedly to prove La Cosa Nostra’s existence.

The explosive tape earned then boss Raymond “Junior” Patriarca – who can be heard on the tape performing the ceremony – eight years behind bars.

For his part, DeLuca’s time behind bars lead to strong allegiance with the Boston faction of the crime family, in particular the ex-boss Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme.

As Target 12 first reported in 2009, DeLuca was being watched closely by law enforcement as a potential new underboss in the crime family after Manocchio stepped down and the center of power once again shifted back to Boston.

DeLuca was a regular at Sidebar and Grill restaurant in Providence, where he worked while still on probation.

He hasn’t been seen in the state since August, just weeks before the second superseding indictment decimated the ranks of the Rhode Island mob.

Tim White ( twhite@wpri.com ) is the Target 12 investigative reporter for WPRI 12 and Fox Providence. Follow him on Twitter: @white_tim