New York Illegal Gambling Joints Linked to ‘Mafia’ Lead to Arrests, Feds Reveal
Illicit gambling operations were pass for years come out of New York-based look businesses, indictments uncertain on Tues revealed. Nine reputed members or associates of the Genovese and Bonanno criminal offense families were indicted for the lucrative schemes.
Most were arrested this morning. The gambling dens operated inward both Queens and Long Island, N.Y.
The illegal gambling fronts included Sal’s Shoe Repair inwards Merrick. Among those apprehended past the feds was Salvatore Rubino, 58, also known as “Sal the Shoemaker.”
He is a Genovese criminal offense house associate, feds claim. He is supercharged with alleged racketeering.
Also charged with racketeering are: Susan Anthony Pipitone, a headwaiter and soldier in the Bonanno law-breaking family, Vito Pipitone, a Bonanno soldier, Agostino Gabriele, a Bonanno associate, Carmelo Polito, an playacting maitre d'hotel inwards the Genovese family, Joseph Macario, a Genovese soldier, and Genovese tie in Chief Joseph Rutigliano, feds said. Rutigliano remains at large.
Sports Betting
Polito also allegedly operated an illegal online gaming scheme. Bets were placed on sporting events through and through a website called “PGWLines,” prosecutors claim.
Polito also allegedly tried to rack a man who lost several M dollars inwards bets he placed through and through the website, prosecutors add. In 2019, Polito threatened to “break” a debtor’s face. Polito farther relayed a content to the debtor: “Tell him I’m sledding to set him under the f*****g bridge,” prosecutors said.
In total, octad defendants were arrested Tuesday morning. Seven of the suspects were to be arraigned sometime Tues before federal Magistrate James IV R. Cho in Brooklyn.
Vito Pipitone was arrested inward Florida. He is to appear in Miami federal court.
Other gambling sites included Centro Calcio Italiano Club, the Soccer Club, La Nazionale Soccer Club and Glendale Sports Club, feds said.
The military operation potential began at the Gran Caffe in 2012 or earlier, prosecutors said. (It is placed inwards Lynbrook, which was made famous as the hometown of the fictional Barone folk inward the Everybody Loves Raymond TV show.)
Crime Families Cooperate for Gain
The investigating also revealed how two unionized offense families cooperated in an illegal operation, Michael Driscoll, supporter director-in-charge of the FBI’s New York office, explained.
“Current members of the five families march every daylight they are not [averse] … to working unitedly to further their illicit schemes, using the same tired methods to squeezing money from their victims,” Driscoll said inwards a statement… The maffia refuses to see from history, and go for that at some point they will face justness for their crimes.”
Breon Peace, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, added that the arrests of members from “two La Cosa Nostra criminal offence families march that the Maffia continues to contaminate our communities with illegal gambling, extortion, and violence, spell using our financial system inwards service of process to their outlaw schemes.”
The booty raised from the gaming scheme was laundered, feds add. The surgical operation led to “substantial revenue,” officials said, with money head to higher-ups in the crime families.
Police Detective Charged
Also supercharged inward the roundup was Long Island investigator Hector Rosario. He allegedly took money from the Bonanno system to coordinate raids of competing gaming operations. He allegedly obstructed a grand panel investigating and lied to the FBI.
Peace called the allegations against Rosario “disturbing” and “shameful.” He “betrayed his oath of office and the honorable men and women of the Nassau County Police Department when he allegedly aligned himself with criminals,” Peace alleged.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly added that the “case is farther trial impression that unionised criminal offense is alive and wellspring in our communities.
These wild felonious organizations operated secret underground gambling parlors inward local commercial message establishments, generating material amounts of money inward backwards rooms piece families unknowingly shopped and ate mere feet away,” Donnelly added inward a statement.
Beyond racketeering, other charges faced past the defendants include illegal gambling, money laundering conspiracy, obstructor of justice, and related to counts, prosecutors said.