Joseph Laratro was a Lucchese crime family member who spent his career in the gambling and betting rackets. As early as 1939 he was arrested for possession of policy slips in an illegal numbers racket. He was also cited for running slot machines for illegal purposes. He was one of thirty-nine men and women arrested in Jamaica in a bookmaking operation. Closely affiliated with Lucchese mobster Aniello "Neil" Migliore, Laratro was questioned about driving a car owned by Migliore. The auto was driven away from the notorious Apalachin Convention on November 14, 1957.