Alleged City Online Gambling Ring Topples
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Authorities announced today that 30 people were indicted in a half-billion-dollar gambling operation allegedly based in the city that involved organized crime.
Some of the suspects allegedly belonged to the Gambino crime family, including Joseph Fafone, seen above, who was arrested yesterday at an airport in Rochester, N.Y. while boarding a plane to Panama with $23,000 in cash on his person.
The alleged gambling ring made about $23 million a month on websites including BetAllSportsHere.com, BetMSG.com and BetOnline.com. While the ring was run in the city, the websites' computer servers were based in Panama.
After conducting more than two years of investigation, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that all but three of the suspects were arrested.
"The principal in this case, Gambino associate Joseph J. Fafone, personally delivered $553,000 in winnings to one of the gamblers," said Kelly. "Most proceeds were seized soon thereafter [in Long Island] when the [gambler] was stopped by the police for driving while using a cell phone."
About 8,000 people placed bets on the websites.
"It's highly addicting and easy to get hooked on," said Brown. "In this case, I believe that we will make a significant dent in the illegal gambling nationwide."
Of the three suspects at large, two are believed to be in Panama.
All 30 suspects face up to 25 years in prison for enterprise corruption.