A guide to the history of organized crime , corruption and plain old lawlessness in Rhode Island ’ s capital city .
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Rhode Island has a bit of an image problem .
It turns out two of its biggest claims to fame on the national scene , its close ties to the Mafia and blockbuster corruption scandals , are also a history many would rather forget . After all , how many cities can claim the seat of an entire region ’ s mob for decades , or boast a mayor who left office not once , but twice , on felony charges ? It ’ s no wonder we were the subject of a hit 2016 true crime podcast , or that the reactions among locals were mixed , to say the least . Whatever your views on the state ’ s less than savory track record , we dove into the archives to bring you a primer on the locations to remember , the names to forget , and the incidents where you definitely didn ’ t see anything .
EDITED BY LAUREN CLEM Ć CONTRIBUTIONS BY JAMIE COELHO , DANA LAVERTY , KAITLYN MURRAY AND TABITHA PEREIRA
COVER AND OPENER PHOTOGRAPHY : ( FINGERPRINTS ) LABSAS / GETTY IMAGES ; ( FEDERAL HILL ) MARC DUFRESNE / GETTY IMAGES ; ( CONTRABAND ) COURTESY OF BRIAN ANDREWS ; ( MANOCCHIO ) COURTESY OF MARC SMERLING ; ( PATRIARCA ) THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL-USA TODAY NETWORK ; ( DOHERTY ) COURTESY OF BRENDAN DOHERTY ; ( PATRIARCA BOOKING DETAILS ) COURTESY OF BARBARA ROBERTS ; BORDER TEXTURE : ALEXANDR _ KROTOV / GETTY IMAGES .