Chatham Man Guilty In Mob Gambling Scheme: NJ AG

CHATHAM, NJ — Five men, including one from Chatham, have pleaded guilty in connection to a gambling and money laundering scheme connected to the Genovese crime family, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.

Manuel Rodriguez, 53, of Chatham, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy to commit money laundering. The state will recommend a sentence of four years in prison.

The five men were charged, in varying combinations, in connection with a loan shark operation that netted $4.7 million in interest, a multi-million dollar offshore gambling ring, and unlicensed check cashing business that made $9 million and enabled money laundering, and tax fraud and evasion, Grewal said. All of the illegal operations went to fund "tribute" payments that went to those higher-up in the Genovese family chain of command.

"When those involved in traditional organized crime engage in schemes such as loansharking and illegal gambling, they profit at the expense of victims who are struggling with debt, gambling problems, and other issues," said Grewal. "By prosecuting the men who ran these schemes and putting key defendants behind bars, we send a message that we will not tolerate these corrosive criminal activities that harm individuals, families and society as a whole."

The remaining four men have pleaded guilty are:

• Domenick Pucillo, 61, of Florham Park, pleaded guilty to first-degree conspiracy to commit money laundering. The state will recommend a sentence of 10 years in prison.
• Robert Spagnola, 71, of Morganville, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal usury. The state will recommend a sentence of five years in prison.
• Vito Alberti, 60, of Morristown, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal usury. The state will recommend a sentence of five years in prison.
• Vincent Coppola, 42, of Union City, pleaded guilty to third-degree promoting gambling. The state will recommend a sentence of 180 days in jail and a term of probation.

All five will be sentenced on Sept. 20.

The arrests were a part of "Operation Fistfull," a multi-state effort to crack down on crime. The New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, the New York and Queens County District Attorney's Offices were some of the involved agencies.

The defendants were charged, in varying combinations, with running the following criminal schemes, which allegedly generated “tribute” payments up the Genovese chain of command:

• a massive loansharking operation that yielded about $4.7 million in illegal interest (Pucillo, Spagnola, Alberti, Tuzzo [charges pending against Tuzzo]);
• an illicit multi-million dollar offshore sports gambling enterprise (Coppola, Jerry Albanese [charges pending against Albanese]);
• an unlicensed check-cashing business that made $9 million in fees in four years, while enabling customers to launder funds and evade taxes by skirting federal reporting requirements (Pucillo,
• Abel J. Rodrigues [charges pending against Rodrigues], Rodriguez);
• tax fraud and evasion (Alberti, Spagnola, Coppola, Rodrigues and Rodriguez).

“This case presents yet another instance of the Waterfront Commission’s concerted efforts with its law enforcement partners to disrupt the influence of organized crime in the metropolitan area,” said New Jersey Commissioner Michael Murphy of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. “The Genovese Crime Family has historically exerted its influence on the Port of New Jersey. Disruption of its profits from gambling, loansharking and money laundering weaken that family’s grip.”

Katie Kausch contributed to this report.

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