Former NYPD Officer Charged Among 17 in New York Mafia's Betting and Blackmail Ring
Seventeen individuals have been accused of their supposed role in a Mafia-connected gambling and loansharking scheme in Staten Island, New York, as per an unveiled indictment on Wednesday.
The suspects consist of a past NYPD policeman, a mafia-linked pizza joint proprietor, and various trusted members and colleagues of the Gambino criminal family.
The leaders of this operation, as per the prosecutors, were supposed members of the Gambino gang, John LaForte, Anthony Cinque, and John Matera. Moreover, named in the indictment are alleged Gambino friends Edward LaForte, Frederick Falcone Sr., Giulio Pomponio, Daniel Bogan, and supposed Colombo member Charles Fusco.
Former Cop Turned Gambling Underboss
Falcone's responsibility was to manage the finances, meticulously tracking who owed how much extravagant debt.
Falcone resigned from the police force in 1992. In 1980, his on-duty colleague was Joseph Esposito who later became New York City Police Department's Chief. Esposito passed away in January 2024.
Edward LaForte, John LaForte's brother, supervised the sports gambling business, utilizing an offshore price-per-head website, according to the prosecutors.
Many of the accused served as "sheetholders," whose job involved gathering gambling bets and debts.
When gamblers unlawfully placed their bets through these sheetholders, these individuals would frequently fall into debt. Consequently, the criminals would provide them with usurious loans and charge excessive interest on these loans, making a profit on a gambler who had fallen into debt," the prosecutors said.
The operation processed more than $22.7 million in wagers and earned weekly interest on about half a million dollars of usurious loans. To acquire evidence against the gang, investigators used wire taps, covert surveillance, and warrants for offshore gambling websites.
"Piece of Pizza"
The members would meet to discuss their business at the Eltingville Shopping Center and the Greenridge Shopping Center on Staten Island, according to the prosecutors. Edward LaForte would usually leave the funds from the operation at Frank and Danny's Pizzeria, situated in the Eltingville Shopping Center and owned by Bogan.
"Grabbing a slice of pizza" served as a euphemism utilized by the group for distributing the proceeds, according to the wiretaps.
Illegal gambling and loansharking ploys are among the most traditional mob activities, stated New York Attorney General Letitia James, who recently successfully prosecuted the Trump Organization for fraud.
"Although organized crime may still be present in New York, we are taking several Gambino family members out of business today. These criminal enterprises profited from tens of millions of dollars taken from New Yorkers and trapped many in dangerous amounts of debt," James added.
The charges, detailed in a 84-count indictment, include racketeering, fostering gambling, racketeering and conspiracy.
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