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Online Gambling Bust involving Mafia and Costa Rica Wire Room

August 7, 2009 written by: Kenneth Weitzner

If you are looking to open up an online gambling establishment in the United States, New York is clearly not the best State to try and circumvent the law.

Once again, an 86-count indictment was filed in Queens, New York against 11 individual, with one of the defendants still believe to be a fugitive located in Costa Rica.

One of the main defendants, James Rossi, 49, is believed to has mafia ties to the Genovese crime family.

The operation took in over 13 million dollars in wagers over a 10-month period by accepting sports wagers, primarily football, basketball, baseball and hockey. They set up a flimsy wire room in Costa Rica to try and circumvent the wire act through a website whose URL was called www.perfectwager.com. Customers were able to dial into a toll free number to place bets.

All of the defendants were charged with the violating the RICO act, money laundering, conspiracy, just to name a few.

One of the defendants namely Joseph R. Sofia, 63, is a retired New York city police officer, one of New York's Finest--NAWT!

Between September 25, 3007 and April 10, 2009, the defendants accepted wagers ranging from $200 to $4,000 on a game.

There was nearly $400,000 dollars seized in cash in Long Island and North Carolina. The group was also dumb enough to leave behind thousands of pages of gambling records.

Among those arrested Wednesday are the following individuals:

Alleged BOOKMAKERS

Michael Mildenberger, 71, 4 Green Ash St., Baiting Hollow

James A. Rossi, 49, 69 Salamander Court, Staten Island

Alleged CONTROLLER

Carmen V. Cicalese, 77, 467 Longhill Drive, Short Hillls, NJ. (Not in custody, believed to be in Costa Rica)

Alleged AGENTS

Anthony Acierno, 50, 118 Amsterdam Ave., Staten Island

Michael M. DÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢Angelo, 37, Whisper Lane, Wantagh

Peter P. DÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢Angelo, 37, 72 Anchor Lane, Levittown

William E. Jennings, 55, 1380 N. Middleton Drive, NW, Calabash, NC.

Robert E. Degiacomi, 28, 70 Sommer Ave., Staten Island

John J. Marino, 31, 330 East 63rd St., Apt. 5D, New York

Gene Panariello, 74, 557 Central Ave., Apt. 9B, Cedarhurst

Joseph R. Sofia, 63, address withheld. 8-5-09

YOUR LINK TO THE SHRINK:

Virtually everyone involved in online gambling remembers the paramount Internet gambling case back in 1998 when Jay Cohen and over 20 others were indicted for violating the "Wire Act" by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

While everyone else copped a plea, Jay Cohen returned to New York from Antigua to take on the US government, but he lost a courageous fight. And at least his well known gambling establishment, the World Sports Exchange (www.wsex.com), was and is actually licensed to conducted business in Antigua.

Such was not the case here.

More alarming is the fact that organized crime members are entering the realm of online sports betting, which was not the case a decade ago when I traveled abroad to meet many of the pioneers and icons who helped put online sports betting on the map.

With the UIGEA scheduled to be enforced this December, many involved in online gambling are concerned if more arrests will be forthcoming.

To them I say the following:

If you are a gambler, I don't believe you have anything to fear.

If you are taking bets in a licensed Country abroad, I would not take the chance on returning to the United States in the near future.

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