If you thought that mafia families profiting from illegal gambling, for example, were a thing of the past, you are mistaken. We've got a fresh case for you, made public by the New Jersey police.
The Lucchese Mafia family is an Italian-American crime group and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activity in New York and New Jersey as part of the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. The "Five Families" include the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families.
Illegal poker games
On Friday, the New Jersey Police Department held a press conference to inform us that it had succeeded in breaking up a network of illegal poker rooms. These were located in the backrooms of various restaurants in the Totowa, Garfield and Woodland Park areas, for example.
In addition to the illegal poker rooms, the police also discovered the operation of online sports betting through websites outside the US. The police further stated that the entire investigation took 2 years and led to the discovery of proceeds of crime amounting to more than $3 million.
The illegal poker games were run by several "high-level executives" who were behind the running of the poker clubs. The next level was the "lower level managers" who oversaw the games and took "rent" from the "hosts". They were responsible for attracting players to the game, covering the players' bets, providing food and drink, and also provided the dealers who took a "rake" from each game. If a player failed to pay his debts, he could work them off as a dealer on other poker games.
Among those accused was a politician
The Lucchese mafia family is alleged to be behind the whole illegal gambling network. The police have arrested a total of 37 people and charged 39. Among those arrested are prominent Lucchese family names such as George "Georgie Neck" Zappola (65), Joseph R. "Big Joe" Perna (56), John Perna (47) and Wayne Cross (75). Zappola is listed as a member of the family's "government panel," Joseph Perna as the family's "captain," and the other two as Lucchese family "soldiers."
The defendants also include a member of the Prospect Park City Council, 42-year-old Anand Shah, who allegedly ran an illegal poker game and an online sportsbook. According to police, he is not a member of the Mafia family, but is allegedly an associate. He has not been charged with using his office to carry out the alleged crimes, and his term is due to end this year.
All 39 defendants have been charged with racketeering and conspiracy to promote gambling and money laundering. Some of the defendants also face charges of criminal usury and other offences. If proven guilty, they face a prison sentence of 18 months to 20 years. In addition, they also face fines ranging from $10,000 to $200,000.
"I am keenly aware of the public's perception of New Jersey's elected officials and the lack of trust that many have in their public officials and government institutions. The arrest of a City Council member only adds fuel to the fire," said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
Sources - aol.com, casino.org, vip-grinders.com, whec.com, wikipedia, abc7ny.com, nypost.com
