RI Hells Angels believe Joseph Lancia is back behind bars after attending a mafia vigil

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The former president of the Providence chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club is back behind bars after attending the wake of a major figure in the New England crime family.

Joseph Lancia, 33, of Smithfield, was taken into custody Friday by the R.I. State Police Violent Fugitive Task Force. A state parole board administrator confirmed that Lancia is back in the Adult Correctional Institution, accused of violating the terms of his parole.

Lancia was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 for shooting a rival outside the biker gang’s headquarters in Providence, and in a separate case he was charged with knocking unconscious a bouncer at the Cadillac Lounge strip club.

Last year, the parole board agreed to grant Lancia early release from prison under certain conditions, including no contact with Hells Angels members, or being a director of the club, and no contact with convicted felons. He was released from the ACI in June.

Lancia was spotted at the wake of the late Edward “Eddie” Lato, the alleged underboss of the Patriarca crime family. Other attendees included several people with criminal records, as well as other members of the Hells Angels and at least two members of the Red Devil’s Motorcycle Club, a Hells Angels support group.

A colleague of attorney Joseph Voccola, who has represented the biker gang’s chairman in previous criminal cases, provided Target 12 with an email in which Lancia asked his probation officer for permission to attend the vigil.

“The wake on Tuesday is for Eddie (L)ato, I will go alone, without club members,” Lancia wrote. “Eddy was a friend of the family.”

The next day the probation officer replied, “Approved!”

It will be up to the parole board to determine whether there was any contact between Lancia during the wake or elsewhere that violated the terms of his early release.

Matt Degnan, administrator of the RI Parole Board, said a hearing on the violation is scheduled for October. In the meantime, Lancia remains in state custody at the ACI.

Lato, a longtime member of the New England crime family who eventually rose to become its second in command, died late last month after a battle with cancer. He was 77.

Former RI State Police Col. Steven O’Donnell, a law enforcement analyst for 12 News, said it’s not surprising Lancia attended the vigil, despite the legal dangers it may have put him in.

“Eddie Lato was really the main link with all the Hells Angels for years,” O’Donnell said. “Joe Lancia and all the other Hells Angels just show respect and reverence for the passing of Eddie Lato.”

According to O’Donnell, the Hells Angels and the Patriarca crime family have been working together for decades on underworld activities such as extorting strip clubs for protection money.

“It’s a huge connection,” he said. “Sometimes you think outlaw bikers and La Cosa Nostra operate differently. They don’t. It’s in their interest to work together and collaborate.”

For years, members of motorcycle gangs have provided protection to mafia members and acted as a catalyst for collecting outstanding debts.

According to O’Donnell, it is common practice for detectives to provide surveillance at high-profile events, such as Lato’s wake.

“Anyone involved in organized crime knows that state police monitor multiple public events,” he said.

Lisa Holley, Lancia’s attorney who handled the parole violation, declined to comment when reached by email.

Lancia had just one year left on his sentence when he was released, meaning he could remain in jail until next fall if the board finds he is breaking the law.

The main case against Lancia stems from an incident in June 2019 in which police said he fired a gun at a truck driven by Richard Starnino – once a potential candidate for the motorcycle club – who was embroiled in an ongoing dispute with Lancia.

Investigators said video surveillance showed Lancia shooting at the truck as Starnino drove past the Hells Angels Providence headquarters on Messer Street. The video — which was key evidence against Lancia — came from the clubhouse’s own security system.

The investigation into the shooting led to a dramatic daytime raid by Rhode Island State Police.

According to police, while on bail in that case, Lancia punched a security guard at the Cadillac Lounge strip club, causing him to hit his head on the ground and fall unconscious.

Lancia eventually pleaded guilty to weapons possession and assault.