A Piece Of The Action

Veteran journalist and author George Anastasia (seen in the above photo) offers his take on why New Jersey should get a piece of the action in sports betting in Jersey Man magazine.

A friend of mine who likes to wager on sporting events has an interesting take on the Super Bowl, a game that arguably attracts more action than any other American athletic contest.

“It’s a chance to get even,” he once told me with a laugh.

Then he paused, shrugged and added, “Or to get even worse.”

He’s been there. So have tens of thousands of others.

Last year the sports book in Vegas took $116 million in bets. The year before it was a record setting $119 million. But those numbers are only a fraction of what is bet on the game. Nobody has an accurate figure because many of the guys taking bets don’t report their business income.

But the total is in the billions. Best estimates are from $3 billion to $5 billion.

... All of this is by way of background because the really big game for New Jersey this year will play out in the federal courthouse in Philadelphia where, on Feb. 17, lawyers for the Garden State will try to convince members of the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals to allow bookmaking in the state’s casinos and at its racetracks.

New Jersey has been fighting this battle for more than a decade. This may be its last chance.  At issue is the Sports Wagering Act of 2014, a newer version of the Sports Wagering Act of 2012 that the courts struck down.

You can read the piece via the below link:

http://jerseymanmagazine.com/a-piece-of-the-action/

Leader Of Sports Betting Ring Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Charges

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

Joseph Vito Mastronardo Jr., 63, of Meadowbrook, Pa., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise (RICO), conducting an illegal gambling business, four counts of conspiring to launder money, eight counts of interstate travel in aid of racketeering, transmitting wagering information and aggravated structuring of cash deposits.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Zane D. Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.

The guilty plea stems from Mastronardo’s leadership of the Mastronardo Bookmaking Organization, a multi-million dollar sports betting operation with bettors throughout the U.S.   No sentencing date has been scheduled.

Mastronardo is one of 19 defendants charged in the case.  Three defendants were charged by information and 16 defendants were charged by indictment.   In the indictment, 15 of the 16 defendants were charged with conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise and conducting an illegal gambling business.  With today’s guilty plea, 11 of the 16 defendants charged in the indictment have pleaded guilty.

At its peak, the organization had more than 1,000 bettors and was generating millions of dollars a year.   According to the indictment, between Jan. 1, 2005, and Jan. 1, 2011, the organization used websites ( www.betroma.com and www.betrose.com ) and telephone numbers that allowed bettors to place sports bets on football, baseball, basketball, golf, horse racing and other sporting events.  Residents of Costa Rica staffed the websites and answered the telephones.   In 2006 and 2010, law enforcement seized over $2 million of cash that Mastronardo had hidden in and around his home, including in specially built secret compartments and in PVC pipes that were buried in his backyard.

Mastronardo ran the organization by using the Internet, telephone, Skype, e-mail, U.S. mail, and in-person communication.  The Mastronardo Bookmaking Organization laundered the gambling proceeds by using a check cashing agency, two private bank accounts and numerous international bank accounts.   On occasion, Mastronardo also provided instructions so a losing bettor could pay a gambling debt through a charitable donation.

Mastronardo supervised the agents, sub-agents and office employees and oversaw the websites.   He laundered millions of dollars of betting proceeds, collected debts, and instructed others to collect debts.   Other indicted defendants who have pleaded guilty include: Mastronardo’s son, Joseph F. Mastronardo, who worked as an office employee, collected debts and performed other financial duties; Eric Woehlcke, who worked as an office employee, collected debts and served as a sub-agent; Joseph and Anna Rose Vitelli, who owned J & A Check Cashing, which laundered the gambling proceeds; and Patrick Tronoski, Schuyler Twaddle, Michael Loftus, Michael Squillante, David Rounick and Ronald Gendrachi.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.   It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason P. Bologna of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Kelly Pearson of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.

Philadelphia Cosa Nostra Organized Crime Member Sentenced To 137 Months In Prison

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information today:

Damion Canalichio was sentenced today to serve 137 months in prison for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy involving loan sharking and illegal gambling, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Edward J. Hanko, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.

Canalichio, 43, of Turnersville, N.J., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  In addition to his prison term, Canalichio was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release.

On Feb. 5, 2013, after a four-month trial, a jury convicted Canalichio of conspiring to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra (LCN) Family through a pattern of racketeering activity.  The evidence at trial proved that, in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, Canalichio, as a “made” member, engaged in loan sharking and illegal sports bookmaking activities on behalf of the mob.  Canalichio exploited the violent reputation of the Philadelphia LCN Family in extending usurious loans and collecting payments on the loans, leaving the borrowers in fear of physical harm if they did not pay promptly.  Canalichio also directed and supervised the participation of associates in his crew to carry out these racketeering crimes.

A total of 12 leaders, members and associates of the Philadelphia LCN Family have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury as part of this case. Seven of the defendants, including Canalichio, have been sentenced, and five are awaiting sentencing.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor III and Suzanne B. Ercole of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  Valuable prosecutorial assistance was provided by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, New Jersey State Police, Philadelphia Police Department, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.  Additional assistance was provided by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Philadelphia Cosa Nostra Associate Pleads Guilty To Racketeering Conspiracy

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information today:

WASHINGTON – Louis Barretta, 48, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving loan sharking and illegal gambling, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and George C. Venizelos, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.
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At the plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Barretta pleaded guilty to conspiring to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra (LCN) Family through a pattern of racketeering activity. He admitted to the court that he made usurious loans and collected payments on these loans by using extortionate means, and he conducted a sports bookmaking business in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 26, 2012.
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Barretta was among 14 members and associates of the Philadelphia LCN Family charged with crimes involving racketeering conspiracy, extortion, loan sharking, illegal gambling, witness tampering and theft from an employee benefit plan in a third superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Philadelphia on July 25, 2012. The other defendants charged in the 52-count third superseding indictment included Philadelphia LCN Family boss Joseph Ligambi, Philadelphia LCN Family underboss Joseph Massimino, George Borgesi, Martin Angelina, Anthony Staino Jr., Gaeton Lucibello, Damion Canalichio, Gary Battaglini, Robert Verrecchia, Eric Esposito, Robert Ranieri, Joseph Licata and Louis Fazzini.
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Lucibello pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges on Aug. 2, 2012, and is awaiting sentencing on Sept. 14, 2012. Angelina also pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges on Aug. 8, 2012, and is awaiting sentencing on Sept. 17, 2012.
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The trial for Ligambi, Massimino, Borgesi, Staino, Canalichio, Battaglini, Licata and Fazzini is scheduled for Oct. 9, 2012. The trial for Verrecchia, Esposito and Ranieri has not yet been scheduled. Ligambi, Massimino, Borgesi, Canalichio, Licata and Fazzini are detained while awaiting trial. Staino, Battaglini, Verrecchia, Esposito and Ranieri are free on bond while awaiting trial.
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The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor III and Suzanne B. Ercole of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Valuable prosecutorial assistance was provided by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
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The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. Additional assistance was provided by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.