Nine alleged members and associates of Mafia crime families were arrested in New York on Tuesday, including a Long Island police officer.
The men were allegedly running illegal gambling dens in soccer clubs in Queens, along with a coffee shop and a shoe repair business in Long Island. They were charged in a racketeering case by the US attorney’s office in Brooklyn, which is focusing on illegal gambling parlors, along with money laundering and extortion schemes.
They are allegedly members of the Bonanno and Genovese crime families.
According to federal prosecutors, the operation at the coffee shop alone brought in around $10,000 every week to the family. US attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon S. Peace said that the arrests “demonstrate that the Mafia continues to pollute our communities with illegal gambling, extortion and violence while using our financial system in service to their criminal schemes.”
The arrested police officer, Hector Rosario, had been a member of the Nassau County Police department for more than 15 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is accused of arranging police raids at competing gambling dens in exchange for cash. He is being charged with obstructing a grand jury and lying to the FBI.
The other defendants charged include Carmelo “Carmine” Polito, who is alleged to be a captain of the Genovese family, “Joe Fish” Macario, “Sal the Shoemaker” Tubino, Mark Peuer, Agostino Gabriele, “Little Anthony” Pipitone, and Vito Pipitone.
A ninth defendant, Joseph Rutigliano, remains at large.
Polito allegedly also ran an illegal online gambling website.
Seven of the men who appeared in front of a Federal District Court pleaded not guilty to the charges. They are set to be released on bail, with bonds ranging from $150,000 to $2 million. Their release will come with travel restrictions and monitoring. The eighth defendant was arrested in Florida and has not yet entered a plea.
The detective, Rosario, is set to be released on a $500,000 bond; he has been suspended without pay until he receives a hearing from the department. His lawyer Lou Freeman has not spoken about the case publicly. The Nassau County Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents Rosario, also has yet to comment.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly stated that the case “is further proof that organized crime is alive and well in our communities.”