Anybody here have any experiences with Catalina or Data Wager? It's hard to tell from the story whether they are owned by the mob of just doing business with them. Either way it is bad news because it gives Senator Kyl and his cronies more fuel for their fire.
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Dozens arrested as authorities break up sports betting ring
12/2/2004 10:43:56 AM
When an undercover detective ordered an espresso at the Caffe Roma in East Rutherford one evening last year, he was more than a little surprised at what his server offered next -- not the gelato, but rather a chance to bet on a football game, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said.
Yesterday, authorities busted what they called a major illegal sports gambling network linked to organized crime families that used offshore operations to lure 12,000 bettors a week from northern New Jersey to as far away as Florida and California.
"Were not talking about $2 bets," Molinelli said. "Our investigators have listened to millions and millions of dollars changing hands."
Dubbed Operation Jersey Boyz,the probe was "one of the most comprehensive criminal investigations into area organized crime in recent memory," Molinelli said. Bergen County authorities and State Police have arrested at least 37 of the 43 people wanted in connection to the ring and have seized $1 million in cash and 25 guns, he said.
Molinelli said Caffe Roma, a popular Park Avenue eatery, was being used by a faction of the Genovese crime family as a base in New Jersey, and that the sports bets -- illegal in New Jersey -- were transmitted by phone or e-mail to two "wire rooms" in Costa Rica, where sports betting is legal.
"It should be noted that while these wire rooms were operated by certain members of the Genovese crime family, the use of the wire rooms was subleased or sublet out on a per-fee basis to certain members of the Lucchese crime family as well as the Bonanno family," Molinelli said.
Calls yesterday to Caffe Roma were not returned.
Investigators used extensive electronic and physical surveillance, as well as long-term undercover operations. Some suspects were allegedly involved in theft, loansharking, extortion and drug distribution, Molinelli said.
In one case, the prosecutor said, a debtors car was torched. In other instances, debtors were charged whats known as a "vig," or interest thats added to losing wagers. Some interest rates were as high as 156 percent, Molinelli said.
Among those arrested was 60-year-old Joseph "The Eagle" Gatto, a reputed capo for the Genovese crime family who has served time for running lucrative illegal gambling enterprises.
Gatto, of Paterson, is accused of helping to run one of the wire rooms in Costa Rica called "Catalina Sports," where bettors and their bookmakers could place wagers and check lines and figures via computer. He was formally charged with racketeering, promoting gambling and conspiracy to promote gambling, and faces 20 years in prison.
"Of course hes not involved in sports betting. Absolutely not," said William DeMarco, the lawyer for Gatto. "This case will come to court and well see what will happen. I think theres a lot of fluff here."
The other wire room in Costa Rica that prosecutors said was a base of operation was called "DataWagers," and was allegedly run by Carmen Cicalese of Short Hills, who authorities believe is still in Costa Rica.
Molinelli said the gambling ring had all the makings of organized crime and followed a strict structure: Bettors, who placed wagers on anything from football to baseball to soccer to badminton games, would go through "agents" who, using an assigned code number, would call in bets to a wire room using a toll-free number.
Bettors would pay a weekly fee -- $25 or $30 -- to obtain a code number, a practice that brought in about $300,000 a week, Molinelli said.
A gents would collect the money received for bets and pay the winners. Runners would collect the weekly fee, Molinelli said.
A break in the case came when one of the defendants, Anthony Carnevale, 26, of Staten Island, was stopped on the Garden State Parkway on Oct. 15. Authorities seized $38,000 in cash he was holding, Molinelli said. Carnevale was stopped again on the Parkway on Nov. 22, when another $60,000 was seized, the prosecutor said.
Investigators had learned that Carnevale routinely dropped off cash at Cicaleses home and they later seized another $10,000 in cash there, Molinelli said.
State Police Lt. Mark Doyle said the use of offshore operations has become "very common."
The probe also uncovered a truckjacking theft ring that was stealing millions of dollars of merchandise from Best Buy, Target and Home Depot stores.
No debtors were arrested, but Molinelli issued a warning to them:
"The danger is that someone who picks up the phone and makes a bet can get easily sucked into an enterprise that is dangerous to themselves and their family. If youre going to gamble, do it legally."
The bust comes at a time when some New Jersey lawmakers are pushing to legalize sports betting.
Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden), who first proposed sports betting as a way to raise funds for hospital subsidies, said yesterdays bust underscores the benefits of legalizing sports betting at casinos.
"I think its pretty clear if you go down to the casinos and lose, theyre not burning your car in the parking lot," Greenwald said. "I think theres a greater benefit of safety by legalizing it and putting it under regulatory controls."
Greenwald said legalizing sports bets can let the state tap into billions of dollars. "Illegal activity is happening, and taxpayers are not only not getting a benefit but its costing law enforcement and our society," he said.
edit link by admin:
Dozens arrested as authorities break up sports betting ring
12/2/2004 10:43:56 AM
When an undercover detective ordered an espresso at the Caffe Roma in East Rutherford one evening last year, he was more than a little surprised at what his server offered next -- not the gelato, but rather a chance to bet on a football game, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said.
Yesterday, authorities busted what they called a major illegal sports gambling network linked to organized crime families that used offshore operations to lure 12,000 bettors a week from northern New Jersey to as far away as Florida and California.
"Were not talking about $2 bets," Molinelli said. "Our investigators have listened to millions and millions of dollars changing hands."
Dubbed Operation Jersey Boyz,the probe was "one of the most comprehensive criminal investigations into area organized crime in recent memory," Molinelli said. Bergen County authorities and State Police have arrested at least 37 of the 43 people wanted in connection to the ring and have seized $1 million in cash and 25 guns, he said.
Molinelli said Caffe Roma, a popular Park Avenue eatery, was being used by a faction of the Genovese crime family as a base in New Jersey, and that the sports bets -- illegal in New Jersey -- were transmitted by phone or e-mail to two "wire rooms" in Costa Rica, where sports betting is legal.
"It should be noted that while these wire rooms were operated by certain members of the Genovese crime family, the use of the wire rooms was subleased or sublet out on a per-fee basis to certain members of the Lucchese crime family as well as the Bonanno family," Molinelli said.
Calls yesterday to Caffe Roma were not returned.
Investigators used extensive electronic and physical surveillance, as well as long-term undercover operations. Some suspects were allegedly involved in theft, loansharking, extortion and drug distribution, Molinelli said.
In one case, the prosecutor said, a debtors car was torched. In other instances, debtors were charged whats known as a "vig," or interest thats added to losing wagers. Some interest rates were as high as 156 percent, Molinelli said.
Among those arrested was 60-year-old Joseph "The Eagle" Gatto, a reputed capo for the Genovese crime family who has served time for running lucrative illegal gambling enterprises.
Gatto, of Paterson, is accused of helping to run one of the wire rooms in Costa Rica called "Catalina Sports," where bettors and their bookmakers could place wagers and check lines and figures via computer. He was formally charged with racketeering, promoting gambling and conspiracy to promote gambling, and faces 20 years in prison.
"Of course hes not involved in sports betting. Absolutely not," said William DeMarco, the lawyer for Gatto. "This case will come to court and well see what will happen. I think theres a lot of fluff here."
The other wire room in Costa Rica that prosecutors said was a base of operation was called "DataWagers," and was allegedly run by Carmen Cicalese of Short Hills, who authorities believe is still in Costa Rica.
Molinelli said the gambling ring had all the makings of organized crime and followed a strict structure: Bettors, who placed wagers on anything from football to baseball to soccer to badminton games, would go through "agents" who, using an assigned code number, would call in bets to a wire room using a toll-free number.
Bettors would pay a weekly fee -- $25 or $30 -- to obtain a code number, a practice that brought in about $300,000 a week, Molinelli said.
A gents would collect the money received for bets and pay the winners. Runners would collect the weekly fee, Molinelli said.
A break in the case came when one of the defendants, Anthony Carnevale, 26, of Staten Island, was stopped on the Garden State Parkway on Oct. 15. Authorities seized $38,000 in cash he was holding, Molinelli said. Carnevale was stopped again on the Parkway on Nov. 22, when another $60,000 was seized, the prosecutor said.
Investigators had learned that Carnevale routinely dropped off cash at Cicaleses home and they later seized another $10,000 in cash there, Molinelli said.
State Police Lt. Mark Doyle said the use of offshore operations has become "very common."
The probe also uncovered a truckjacking theft ring that was stealing millions of dollars of merchandise from Best Buy, Target and Home Depot stores.
No debtors were arrested, but Molinelli issued a warning to them:
"The danger is that someone who picks up the phone and makes a bet can get easily sucked into an enterprise that is dangerous to themselves and their family. If youre going to gamble, do it legally."
The bust comes at a time when some New Jersey lawmakers are pushing to legalize sports betting.
Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden), who first proposed sports betting as a way to raise funds for hospital subsidies, said yesterdays bust underscores the benefits of legalizing sports betting at casinos.
"I think its pretty clear if you go down to the casinos and lose, theyre not burning your car in the parking lot," Greenwald said. "I think theres a greater benefit of safety by legalizing it and putting it under regulatory controls."
Greenwald said legalizing sports bets can let the state tap into billions of dollars. "Illegal activity is happening, and taxpayers are not only not getting a benefit but its costing law enforcement and our society," he said.
