18 arrested in illegal gambling ring run out of Borgata

[Dak9885]

Source: 18 arrested in illegal gambling ring run out of Borgata

By BETH DeFALCO | Associated Press Writer
1:41 PM EST, November 14, 2007

TRENTON, N.J. - An illegal sports gambling ring run out of a high-stakes poker room in an Atlantic City casino was busted Wednesday and 18 people were arrested, including four with mob ties, a law enforcement official said.

The four _ affiliated with the Philadelphia mob _ appeared to be the ringleaders, with six employees of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa also among those arrested, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the case.

Details on charges were not immediately available. Five more people were being sought Wednesday.

State Attorney General Anne Milgram scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss the case.

Borgata spokesman Rob Stillwell said the casino did nothing wrong and assisted in the sting that led to Wednesday's arrests.

Stillwell said that the ring involved "rogue employees" and that some "correspondence" took place in the casino. But he said no one was arrested on the casino floor and the integrity of the casino's operations were never compromised.

He said the employees arrested were all in jobs that involved regular contact with customers, but he would not elaborate.

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming Corp. and MGM Mirage.

The state Casino Control Commission was expected to take disciplinary action against the casino workers who were arrested, commission spokesman Daniel Heneghan said.

"I'm certain that any Borgata employees that were arrested, the Division of Gaming Enforcement will file complaints to revoke their licenses," he said.

If the charges are proven, the ring would be among the most serious mob operations under the roof of an Atlantic City casino since the city's first casino opened in 1978.

Fear of organized crime prompted New Jersey to institute tight controls when legal gambling began, but regulations have been loosened over the years.

The anxieties were expressed in a now-famous speech by then-Gov. Brendan T. Byrne when he signed the law authorizing casinos on June 2, 1977: "I've said it before and I will repeat it again to organized crime: Keep your filthy hands off Atlantic City. Keep the hell out of our state!"

Unlike in Las Vegas, there is no legal sports book in Atlantic City, a city where shopping, dining and entertainment have taken off but legitimate gambling revenues have been down this year.

This is the second high-profile sports betting charge in New Jersey in the last two years. In 2006, a state trooper, NHL hockey coach Rick Tocchet and a third man were charged with running a sports gambling ring. All later pleaded guilty in the case.

[DBG]

Post deleted by jman220

[fraac]

Such a backward country.

[Quanah Parker]

[ QUOTE ]
Such a backward country.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought anything goes in Bogotá

[Fishfood4you]

These guys got balls or they are just crazy....

Print 23 Charged In Borgata Gambling Ring Bust
ATLANTIC CITY (AP) ― An illegal sports gambling ring run out of a high-stakes poker room in a posh Atlantic City casino was busted Wednesday and 23 people were charged, including four with alleged mob ties and six casino employees.

Since March 2006, the ring took in $22 million in bets on college and professional football and basketball in the poker room of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, said New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.

The off-the-books exchanges of cash and casino chips were only unraveled when an informant told authorities what to look for using the casino's eye-in-the-sky surveillance cameras, Milgram said.

The alleged ringleader of the operation, Andrew Micali, 32, of Ventnor, is a known associate of Philadelphia mob boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, according to a New Jersey law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the criminal complaints do not mention any reputed mob ties.

In addition, three associates of Micali were arrested on charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and loan-sharking: Vincent Procopio, 41, of Brigantine; Anthony Nicodemo, 36, and Michael Lancellotti, both of Philadelphia.

"They sought to escape detection by enlisting casino employees in their crimes," Milgram said. "I'm pleased to say they greatly underestimated our vigilance and determination to keep organized crime out of Atlantic City casinos."

Milgram said they followed the money in the case from the casino to so-called "wire rooms" in Philadelphia.

Most of the others were charged with promoting gambling or money laundering.

The ring was publicized mainly by word of mouth among illegal gamblers, who were advised who to see in the poker room to place their bets. Two wire rooms in Philadelphia were used to tally the bets and calculate winnings and payouts for the ring.

Authorities said the ring engaged in "massive money laundering" facilitated by casino employees who would not record certain exchanges of cash and gambling chips. This is a common method of money laundering at casinos called "chip washing," Milgram said.

"It involves taking cash, turning it into chips, 'washing' the chips by betting and then turning them in, and taking cash out," she said.

Losing bettors were forced to take out loans from the ring at more than 50 percent interest to cover their losses, authorities said.

In executing search warrants Wednesday, authorities seized more than $40,000 worth of cash and Borgata chips from a safe deposit box Micali maintained at the casino. The state also obtained a court warrant freezing Micali's bank account with more than $200,000 in it.

Authorities said the Borgata cooperated with the investigation, which state police called "Operation High Roller" and let investigators use casino surveillance video.

Borgata spokesman Rob Stillwell said the casino did nothing wrong and assisted in the sting that led to Wednesday's arrests.

Stillwell said that the ring involved "rogue employees" and the integrity of the casino's operations were never compromised -- claims which were confirmed by law enforcement officials Wednesday.

The casino employees charged included poker room supervisors, dealers and a bartender at the Borgata and a supervisor at the Tropicana Casino and Resort.

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming Corp. and MGM Mirage.

The state Casino Control Commission was expected to take disciplinary action against the casino workers who were arrested, commission spokesman Daniel Heneghan said.

"I'm certain that any Borgata employees that were arrested, the Division of Gaming Enforcement will file complaints to revoke their licenses," he said.

The four men with alleged mob ties, along with Borgata supervisor Joseph Wishnick, 42, of Brigantine, were taken into custody Wednesday. Bail was set at $100,000 for Micali and $50,000 for the others. Wishnick was in custody Wednesday at the Atlantic County Jail. It was not immediately clear whether any the others had posted bail or were waiting to be processed at the jail. None could be reached for comment by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The state Attorney General's Office said lawyers had not come forward for any of the 23 suspects.

If the charges are proven, the ring would be among the most serious mob operations under the roof of an Atlantic City casino since the city's first casino opened in 1978.

Fear of organized crime prompted New Jersey to institute tight controls when legal gambling began, but regulations have been loosened over the years.

The anxieties were expressed in a now-famous speech by then-Gov. Brendan T. Byrne when he signed the law authorizing casinos on June 2, 1977: "I've said it before and I will repeat it again to organized crime: Keep your filthy hands off Atlantic City. Keep the hell out of our state!"

This is the second high-profile sports betting charge in New Jersey in the last two years. In 2006, a state trooper, NHL hockey coach Rick Tocchet and a third man were charged with running a sports gambling ring. All later pleaded guilty in the case.

[pocketpared]

Those cwaaazy Borgata employees...

Police: Borgata Employees Gang-Raped Teenager

POSTED: 12:19 pm EDT March 20, 2007
UPDATED: 7:10 pm EDT March 20, 2007
Three employees of a popular Atlantic City casino were arrested on Monday after allegedly raping a 19-year-old woman at a party in January, police said.

Authorities said a bartender and two bar workers were arrested at Borgata Monday in connection with the Jan. 28 rape of an Ocean City, N.J., teenager.

Police said the victim was at a private party inside an Ocean City apartment, and became incapacitated from drinking alcohol before Ever Turicio, 21, of East Thompson Avenue in Pleasantville; Edgard Guerrero, 20, of Cardigan Court in Mays Landing; and bartender Ricardo Garcia, 20, of Tilton Road in Pleasantville sexually assaulted her.

“When you’re taking advantage of a woman, that’s a terrible thing," neighbor Mike Gallo said. "People should have a little respect for other people.”

A representative of Borgata issued a statement saying “as this is a personal and private matter of the individuals involved and has nothing to do with Borgata, we have no comment.”

Ocean City police and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement made the arrests and all three were charged with aggravated sexual assault, a first-degree crime.

Turcios was also charged with supplying underage people with alcohol. His bail was set at $100,000. Guerrero and Garcia were each held on $50,000 bail.

http://www.nbc10.com/news/11307260/detail.html

[PokerHatesMe]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Such a backward country.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought anything goes in Bogotá

[/ QUOTE ]


pretty much aside from the time these 2 lezbo's were munchin on each other right near the cashier's cage

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

[ QUOTE ]
Such a backward country.

[/ QUOTE ]
don't steal, the government doesn't like competition.

[Dave Mac]

i really want to know who it was. i can guess but.

[stephenNUTS]

Any poker players names released?

I havnt seen anything on news/google search regarding those arrested yet