Newton Man Charged in Illegal Gambling Ring

NEWTON, MA - A Newton man faces federal criminal charges for his alleged role in an illegal gambling operation.

Investigators say Joseph Yerardi and four other men conducted the business from March 2015 through April of this year. The five men are also accused of extending lines of credit to and collecting from debtors through extortionate means.

Yerardi, 62, and Anthony Corso, 51, of Cambridge, were charged with three counts of conspiracy to make and making extortionate extensions of credit. The two were also charged, along with Winthrop resident Michael Burke, 45, and Robert Conway, 27, of Lynnfield, with various counts of conspiring to collect and collecting extensions of credit by extortionate means from six individuals.

The four men were each brought up on one count of operating an illegal gambling business; Boston resident Michael Habicht, 59, was also charged in running the operation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The five men are scheduled to be arraigned at 11:30 a.m. Thursday morning.