Joseph "Joe Onions" Scanlon: History of Lisboa Apartments

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - As Rhode Island State Police continue to dig for the remains of murdered mob associate Joseph "Joe Onions" Scanlon at Lisboa Apartments in East Providence, there have been a lot of questions raised about the construction of the building at 378 Bullocks Point Ave.

The Target 12 Investigators did some digging of their own, and this is what they uncovered about the apartment complex:

• The permit to construct the complex was pulled August 12, 1977. One year prior to the April 1978 shooting death of Joseph “Joe Onions” Scanlon.

• The final inspection made by the town was April 10th, 1978, according to some hand-written notes. That is just 7 days after Scanlon was believed to have been murdered.

• The building’s original owner and contractor was Stanley H. White. White has since passed away.

• According to court records, White was charged in a drug possession case, but it was dismissed. He was fined several times for housing violations. It’s unclear if those fines are related to the apartment complex on Bullocks Point Ave.

• The current owner, according to town records, is Celestino Antonio. The Attorney General’s office tells Target 12 they did not require a court-ordered warrant to conduct the dig because the current owner gave them permission.