NEW YORK SPORTS BETTING ACCUSEDS TOP 50 (Update)

6 April 2007

Former Assemblyman charged

The total of persons charged in what is probably New York's largest sportsbetting bust yet (see previous InfoPowa reports) has topped 50 with the prosecution of a former New Jersey Assemblyman this week.

The arrests took place recently across New York, New Jersey and Connecticutt and several media reports are now claiming that the gambling ring took as much as $500 million in wagers since 2005 for a Costa Rican based sports betting website. Over 300 police personnel were involved in the operation, code-named Thunderbird which raided more than 70 addresses belonging to everyone from restaurant and strip club owners to legal secretaries.

The operation was the culmination of months of surveillance and investigation with teams well briefed and equipped with search warrants and orders to freeze assets, seize evidence and arrest those suspected of working within the sports gambling enterprise.

Authorities have estimated that during monitoring between August 2005 and February of this year, over $500 million in bets were placed and over $35 million was lost to the operation.

Former Assemblyman Raul Garcia (43) a Union City resident and its former mayor, became the 51st defendant charged when he surrendered to authorities. Garcia made an initial appearance before Superior Court Judge Paul Chaiet before the weekend on four charges related to his alleged role promoting gambling and collecting bets.

At a March 28 press conference in Freehold, Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin detailed the workings of the operation, which was based out of a "wireroom" in Costa Rica. Bettors were able to place wagers by logging on to Web sites with a user name and password or by calling toll-free phone numbers.

Although the operation's Internet presence was maintained overseas, dozens of employees in New Jersey known as managers, agents, controllers and runners were used to take bets and make collections, sometimes using the threat of force, Valentin said. No individual bettors have been charged in the sting, he said.

"Illegal gambling is a quality-of-life crime that may seem harmless, but is often perpetrated by organised and sometimes violent, criminal enterprises," State Police Lt. Col. Gayle Cameron said in a press release. "This racketeering operation had no government oversight and paid no taxes. It took from society without returning anything."

In New Jersey, three men alleged to have been the principals in the operation were charged with financial facilitation of criminal activity, a first-degree crime that carries a maximum of 20 years in jail and up to $200 000 in fines. The Prosecutor's Office identified the three partners as Joseph Pasquale (50) of Brick, Richard Crossan (48) of Hillsborough, and Ralph Santoro (50) of Bridgewater.

Over $2 million in cash, 32 firearms and 14 vehicles were seized in the raids, as well as another $300 000 from frozen banks accounts. All of the searches took place without incident.

Pasquale felt the brunt of the sting harder than any other suspect, since $1.5 million of the total $2 million in cash seized in the sting reportedly came from his home. In addition, authorities seized his 28-foot Thunderbird yacht (the inspiration for the name Operation Thunderbird) named "Risky Business", and placed a forfeiture order on his bayfront home. His wife, Carol (56) was also charged in the investigation.

Most defendants were charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit financial facilitation of criminal activity, second-degree crimes that carry a maximum 10-year sentence and up to a $150 000 fine. Some face charges of promoting gambling, a third-degree crime that carries five years and up to $35 000 in fines.

Bail was set at $100 000 for each of the defendants except Crossan, Santoro and Joseph Pasquale, whose bail was set at $1 million.

Valentin said that although his office had struck a "powerful blow" at the heart of the gambling enterprise, the investigation was ongoing and there were more arrests to come.

"We're not done by any stretch," he said.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa

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