Rhode Island La Cosa Nostra Member Pleads Guilty in Murder-For-Hire Case

Anthony St. Laurent Sr. Also Acknowledges Participating in Extortion Conspiracy with Wife and Son

WASHINGTON – Anthony St. Laurent Sr. pleaded guilty today in federal court in Providence, R.I., to an attempted murder-for-hire, and acknowledged in a written plea agreement his participation in an extortion conspiracy outlined in a previous criminal complaint in which he, his wife Dorothy St. Laurent, his son Anthony St. Laurent Jr. and others extorted protection money from bookmakers in the Taunton, Mass.-area under the threat of violence.   St. Laurent Sr. acknowledged in his plea agreement that he is a “made” member of the New England branch of the La Cosa Nostra (NELCN.)

St. Laurent Sr.’s guilty plea before U.S. District Judge William E. Smith was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha for the District of Rhode Island and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office.

According to information presented in court, in 2006 and in 2007, St. Laurent Sr. offered money to individuals, including some known to be violent criminals, to murder Robert “Bobby” DeLuca, another “made” member of the NELCN, in retaliation for Deluca having publicly accused St. Laurent Sr. of being a government informant.  According to information presented in court, St. Laurent Sr. phoned an individual in Massachusetts to set up a meeting in Rhode Island on April 12, 2006, at which he solicited the individual to kill DeLuca.

St. Laurent Sr., who is presently detained, faces maximum penalties of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Anthony St. Laurent Jr. was sentenced in December 2010 to 78 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, to include 500 hours of community service each year during the term of supervised release for his role in the extortion conspiracy.   Dorothy St. Laurent was sentenced in December 2010 to three years of probation, the first six months of which will be served in home confinement.   She also was ordered to perform 500 hours of community service per year during the term of supervised release.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sam Nazzaro of the Criminal Division’s Gang Unit.   Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland for the District of Rhode Island is assisting with the prosecution of this case.

The matter was investigated by the FBI, with the assistance of the Rhode Island State Police and the Providence Police Department.