Joseph Anthony Florio

Joseph Anthony Florio passed away on October 18, 2017 at the age of 76 years. The late Mr. Florio was a practicing attorney for more than 52-years and a member of both the State of Texas and the Rhode Island State bar. He served the American public for 28-years as an Assistant United States Attorney, and in that capacity for some 21 years in San Antonio with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. Mr. Florio was Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Section for the federal Western and Southern Districts of Texas. He was nationally recognized as the authority on federal forfeiture law, having authored the legislation during the Reagan Administration that became today's federal forfeiture statutes. He was also a 'Founder of the Asset Forfeiture Program,' a federal program still employed by law enforcement nationwide. Mr. Florio earned his Juris Doctor from Boston's Suffolk University Law School in 1965. He first entered private practice in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was also a member of the Adjunct Faculty for Johnson & Wales College and for nearby Roger Williams College in Bristol. In the late 1970s, he began his distinguished public service career in Florida with the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, eventually becoming the Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Section for the Southern District. The success of his law enforcement efforts attracted the attention of then Attorney General Edwin Meese, who invited him to Washington, D.C. where he served in the U.S. Department of Justice as their Associate Director of their Asset Forfeiture Office. Mr. Florio was regularly consulted on matters concerning forfeiture law and on proposed Congressional legislation by the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Postal Service. Mr. Florio lectured to state, local and federal agents on forfeiture law for some 28 years. Following his retirement from the U.S. Department of Justice in 2008, Mr. Florio engaged in the private practice of law until the very day of his passing.

Mr. Florio is survived by his beloved wife, Irma Florio, his children Christina Florio DiDino, Melyssa Florio Ramirez-Hoyt, Jason J. Florio, Stephanie Florio Boyle, step-son Wayne E. Shuptrine and wife, Teresa and grandchildren Gina Marie, Tyler, Gabriella, Austin, Jason, Brennan, Finley, Ethan, Amanda, and by his many wonderful friends and family members.

Visitation will be held at 12noon, Sunday, October 22, 2017 with a Rosary to follow at 2 pm at Porter Loring Chapel, 1101 McCullough Ave.; Mr. Florio will have funeral services at Nardolillo Funeral Home in Cranston, Rhode Island, (401) 942-1220.

In lieu of flowers, friends and relatives of the late Mr. Florio are asked to please make memorial contributions to your local chapter of the American Heart Association, rather than gifts or flowers.