The 'Saint' hires new lawyer

PROVIDENCE R.I. (WPRI) - Reputed mafia capo regime Anthony “The Saint” St. Laurent has retained Providence attorney Victor J. Beretta to represent him in a murder-for-hire case.

A June 18th filing with Beretta’s name marks a shift in legal representation.

St. Laurent was represented by public defender Olin Thompson when he was charged in January, but during a court hearing earlier this year St. Laurent informed Federal Magistrate Judge Lincoln Almond he’s hired famed mob attorney John F. Cicilline.

Beretta filed official paperwork to notify the courts he is now representing the 68 year-old wiseguy this month and has asked for a 30-day extension on the next scheduled hearing.

Beretta and Cicilline, father to Providence Mayor David Cicilline, share law office space at 381 Atwells Ave.; a basement law firm at the far end of historic Federal Hill. A receptionist tells Target 12 the two are not law partners.

Calls into Mr. Beretta have not been returned.

In January the Target 12 Investigators broke the story of a failed assassination attempt by St. Laurent. Investigators say "The Saint" twice attempted to hire men to gun-down reputed capo regime Robert "Bobby" DeLuca.

Both tries were thwarted by agents from the FBI. Investigators used a wired informant as St. Laurent allegedly offered $20,000 for the first hit and a Massachusetts State Trooper posing as a thug for the second.

St. Laurent is currently serving 5 years at Fort Devens federal penitentiary in Massachusetts for the attempted extortion of two Massachusetts' men.

It was from his prison cell that St. Laurent allegedly tried to get someone to kill DeLuca a second time.

St. Laurent is scheduled to be released from prison June 2010 on the extortion charges. His next scheduled hearing for the murder-for-hire plot is July 20th.

Riddled with health problems and confined to a wheel chair, St. Laurent has been making his court appearances via video-teleconference.