Federal authorities have charged 5 folks with working an unlawful and long-established playing enterprise with suspected ties to the Luchese crime household, the U.S. Division of Justice introduced on Wednesday. The costs had been outlined in an indictment that was unsealed in Brooklyn federal court docket, as 4 defendants had been arrested at their properties in New York, and one other in West Palm Seaside, Florida.
In a information launch, the Justice Division alleged that one individual arrested within the scheme, recognized as 57-year-old Anthony Villani, is a direct affiliate of the infamous Mafia clan that has traditionally performed a major half in New York's organized crime. Additionally charged within the scheme are James Coumoutsos, 59; Dennis Filizzola, 58; Michael Praino, 44; and Louis Tucci, Jr., 59, based on the Justice Division. Coumoutsos, Praino and Tucci had been additionally recognized by their nicknames — "Fast," "Platinum" and "Tooch," respectively.
Villani is dealing with racketeering prices — for unlawful playing, cash laundering and tried extortion — for his alleged connection to a fraudulent on-line playing enterprise known as Rhino Sports activities, which, authorities stated, collected unlawful sports activities bets and reaped hundreds of thousands in earnings over the course of at the least 15 years. Allegedly operated underneath the safety of the Luchese household, the positioning used website hosting servers based mostly in Costa Rica and frequently accepted between 400 and 1,300 bets per week. It employed dozens of bookmakers to pay and gather winnings in money, based on the Justice Division.
Villani is accused of overseeing what the division describes as a "large-scale" unlawful scheme on the helm of Rhino Sports activities' enterprise dealings. He allegedly contracted Filizzola and Tucci as runners whereas "frequently" using members of distinguished Italian-American crime households, together with the Luchese household, to work as bookmakers.
The Justice Division alleged that Villani himself obtained greater than $1 million yearly from Rhino Sports activities. When federal brokers searched his residences in 2020 throughout a probe, they recovered greater than $400,000 in money in addition to brass knuckles and playing ledgers.
"As alleged, this conduct demonstrates how members of La Cosa Nostra proceed to interact in unlawful playing operations and cash laundering money-marking schemes that result in threats of violence in opposition to anybody who stands of their means and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings to the Luchese crime household," stated U.S. Legal professional Breon Peace in a press release included within the Justice Division's Wednesday announcement. "These prices illustrate this Workplace's continued dedication to rooting La Cosa Nostra out of New York."
La Costa Nostra refers to an organized crime syndicate composed of a number of "households" identified for his or her associations with the Sicilian mafia. Again in August, 9 folks had been arrested and charged for his or her alleged connections to a mob-affiliated unlawful playing circuit.