Genovese East Coast Gambling Ring Busted Up

Genovese capo Daniel Pagano, last August.
The Rockland DA's Office took down an alleged Mafia-linked sports-betting ring today, with more than a dozen arrests this morning.

Fourteen suspects are charged with multiple felony counts following a 16-month probe into a multimillion-dollar monthly sports-betting ring that allegedly operated in Rockland, New York City, Bergen County in New Jersey, and Florida, according to law enforcement officials.

All those arrested were arraigned and released without bail today.

The ring took bets on professional football, basketball, baseball and college sports, Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said.



"The defendants are accused of operating an incredibly lucrative gambling operation – taking in millions of dollars a month," Zugibe said. "Such unlawfully earned profits are commonly diverted to more insidious criminal enterprises.

"In fact, the investigation uncovered evidence that the enterprise had links to organized crime."

This is a second assault on the Genovese family in about one month. In late October, in Powerful Genovese Capo and His NJ Crew Nabbed This Week, we reported: "The Genovese crime family saw a major bust earlier this week that centered on an 80-year-old capo and his New Jersey-based crew, which earned more than $12 million from various rackets, including loansharking, unlicensed check cashing, gambling and a money laundering operation that included drug trafficking proceeds. "

Law enforcement seems to have targeted the Genovese family, the most powerful Mafia group in America.

Those arrested today range in age from 27 to 74; all are charged with promoting gambling, possession of gambling records, and money laundering, among other offenses, Zugibe said.

Investigators seized more than $3 million dollars in cash and property during the investigation, which included about 60 court-authorized search warrants in New York, New Jersey and Florida, Zugibe said.

Participants used threats and violence to collect debts, officials noted, and also loaned money as sharks.

The arrests came on the heels of an investigation spearheaded by District Attorney's Office Organized Crime Unit that led to a federal indictment in August of reputed Ramapo organized crime figure Daniel Pagano and a Suffern-based associate, Michael Palazzolo.

Pagano, son of late mobster Joseph Pagano, and Palazzolo were charged with loansharking and other gambling-related counts. Pagano was identified as a captain in the Genovese crime family by federal prosecutors. He also has served prison time for mob-related scams.

Both men pleaded not guilty and were also released on bond.

In September, a veteran Haverstraw-based gambler was was arrested on a loansharking charge during a separate investigation. Anthony DePalma, 69, a barbershop owner also known as "Harpo," was charged with criminal usury after more than $60,000 and loan records were seized during a May 29 raid on his business.

The latest crackdown was led by the Organized Crime Unit with the assistance of the New York State Police Special Investigative Unit, the Clarkstown Police Department, the Ramapo Police Department, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the Queens District Attorney's Organized Crime Division, the NYPD Asset Forfeiture Unit, the Department of Homeland Security, the Broward County Sheriff's Department, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department and the FBI.


Comments

  1. Well they use to do this stuff on Super Bowl Sunday but with the offshore internet bussiness ballooning the last ten yrs and more people getting jammed up for non payment and no way out the informant list is as long as ur Christmas list today. Oh well one crews misery is another crews gain.philly

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  2. I guess u can relate it to our Boca Raton on the East Coast without the Mountains where New York and Phila Gangsters migrate to suck up sun and pretty ladies or open a Restaurant like So Philly Boss Skinny Joey Merlino did called Merlino.s Italian Cuisine

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  3. These indictments will probably result in quick low sentence plea deals. Operation old bridge in 2008 saw atleast 52 of the 61 defendents getting a plea less than 3 years. In one of Kenji gallo's post on the blog, I think it said, that the sports betting loan sharking usually ends up in low sentence plea deals.

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  4. Ed, do you think that anyone is going to cooperate after these indictments?

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  5. Hey Ed. I will definitely purchase The Cicale Files when available in print...my daughter and I just moved into a small town outside of Columbus with a library just as small and lacking a decent true crime section. Luckily they can get books shipped for loan from most libraries in the state. Can anybody please give me some titles to check out preferably covering currentish OC in Italy or Canada? Any recommendations will be appreciated even if I've read them and I've read many...Thanks Ed and all....

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  6. Some one is ratting. This Pagano originates from East Harlem.

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  7. The law didnt stumble over this net work by it self somebody led them down the yellow brick road and gave them names and site access and pin # and password.philly

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  8. Funny thing about sports betting, if a casino does it in Vegas, and most of today are owned by huge corporations, it's legal, but when men of Italian or Italian-American backgrounds provide you with over the phone and or over the Internet service to gamble on sports, it's illegal. How does a judge sentence someone to prison for running a sports betting business is beyond me, as long as their is no other crimes being committed that could be tired into it such as loan sharking and extortion. Sports betting, that shouldn't even be a crime.

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  9. Hi ed u got 4 comments stuck somewhere

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  10. Constitutionally you are correct. I don't think sports betting was listed in the enumerated clause in our constitution. This federal Govt is just out of control. Its to big and we are loosing more and more of our civil liberties each and every day. Its disgraceful.

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  11. I dont see why they would cooperate for Gambling pinch.s unless were misding the bigger picture and there is more indictments to come Ronen. Even guys with priors would only be looking at 3 yrs unless the law is different in New York State and if Federal add another 18 months but stranger things have happened. Philly

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  12. What's holding up the print version is outvof my control... But any day now; believe me: it's a priority!!

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  13. This looks like the remnants of a bust from 20 years ago .. Sounds like the continuation of an earlier gambling ring... Looking into this now for a story.

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  14. Yeah, I agree with anonymous below. But remember the law sees busts as stepping stones. They ultimately want to stamp out OC....

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  15. The fed and state have coopted many mob rackets... Lotto, Indian casinos all over the northeast. The crooks running Long Island have a major scam going on with these new video-enforced bullshit school speed zones. 20mph in front of schools. My 90 year old uncle got five tickets in the mail at once for doing 24 in a 20.... A 90 year old WW2 vet. $85 a pop....

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