Mob captain sent to prison in South Carolina

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Admitted mafia capo regime Edward “Eddie” Lato has been shipped off to a prison in South Carolina to serve his 9-year prison term.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons said Lato is being housed at a Correctional Institution in Estill, South Carolina. The medium security facility is 50 miles north of Savannah Georgia, according to the prison's website.

Lato, 65, of Johnston, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy in March and was given the stiffest sentence of all the defendants in the sweeping mob case. The Bureau of Prisons' website says Lato is set to be released in July 2019.

• Read: Inside the downfall of the NE mob

Lato was convicted for his role in the shake down of area strip clubs for protection money. Investigators say he was also part of a crew that extorted $25,000 from a Johnston used car salesman.

The extortion charges against Lato were dropped as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

In all, nine defendants felt the sting of the federal crackdown into organized crime including former mob boss Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio.

Anthony DiNunzio – identified by prosecutors as the acting mob boss from East Boston – is the only defendant who has yet to be assigned a permanent prison to serve his 6 ½-year sentence. He, like the others, were housed at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls while awaiting the conclusion of their case.

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