AG: Mob-tied gambling ring took more bets than thought

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram upped the ante yesterday against a reputed Philadelphia mob associate and 23 others accused of running a sports betting ring that was busted last fall, say ing it took $40 million more in illegal wagers than initially suspected.

Following a 20-month State Police investigation, Milgram charged the ring last November with ac cepting $22 million in wagers on college and professional football and basketball games from poker players at the Borgata Hotel Ca sino & Spa in Atlantic City.

Further investigation by the State Police and state Division of Criminal Investigation uncovered two websites -- EaglesDP.com and justwagers.com -- used by the ring to accept additional bets.

"This ring took in more than $60 million in illegal wagers on sporting events in 20 months using password-protected websites and a Philadelphia wire room where bets were taken by phone," Milgram said in a statement announcing indictments against 24 people associated with the ring.

Prosecutors said the ring was run by Andrew Micali, 32, of Vent nor and Jack Buscemi, 50, of Mul lica Hill. Micali has been identified by law enforcement officials and news accounts as an associate of the Bruno crime family, a Philadelphia-based mob organization.

They and two others with al leged ties to the Philadelphia mob -- Vincent Procopio, 42, and An thony Nicodemo, 36, both of Philadelphia -- were indicted by a state grand jury on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering and promoting gambling.

A fourth reputed mob associate, Michael Lancellotti, was not indicted yesterday even though he was charged in November with conspiracy to promote gambling, attorney general spokesman Peter Aseltine said. He said the case against Lancellotti was not presented to the state grand jury, but Aseltine did not know if the charge had been dropped.

NJ.com
Friday, April 11, 2008
BY RICK HEPP
Star-Ledger Staff