Friends of Ours

Poker Organizer For Jet Set Gets Five Months

Last April 34 defendants were charged for their alleged roles in a gambling case with suspected ties to the Russian Mafia which took sports bets and ran poker tables for the fabulous people in Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY, and to date federal prosecutors have secured 25 guilty pleas.

The most recent defendant to face his comeuppance was Edwin Tin who was sentenced on Tuesday to five months of hard time and ordered to forfeit $2 million as reported by Daniel Beekman for the Daily News:  "the 42-year-old 'ran what was likely the largest and most high-profile illegal poker (game) in New York City for years,' prosecutors said in a pre-sentence letter," and  "he agreed to carry thousands of dollars in cash from Las Vegas to New York for other figures in the mafia-tinged scheme, the feds said."

Other defendants in the gambling schemes who have pleaded guilty are Bryan Zuriff, the executive producer of the Showtime drama Ray Donovan who got six months of home confinement, and art dealer and spoiled playboy Hillel "Helly" Nahmad who will be sentenced on March 19.

Nahmad is represented by criminal defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman who  previously insisted on his client's innocence as previously reported by Vivian Yee for The New York Times: 

Mr. Brafman, who is representing Mr. Nahmad with another lawyer, Paul Shechtman, said in a statement after the hearing, "We do not believe that Mr. Nahmad has knowingly violated the law." He also said, "We anticipate that he will be fully exonerated."

Apparently Mr. Brafman was wrong about that.

Earlier coverage:

FBI:  Russian Mafia Tied To Gambling Ring For Celebrity Clientele

Jurors Reach Partial Verdict In Philly Trial

A federal jury has reached a partial verdict in the racketeering trial which targeted the alleged gambling and loansharking operations of reputed Philadelphia Mafia boss Joseph Ligambi and his nephew George Borgesi as reported by Jeremy Roebuck for the Inquirer:   "in a note sent to the judge just before 10:30 a.m., the jurors said that they had found unanimity on two of the five counts against the mob figures, but there remained 'a firm difference of opinion on the other three.'"  District Judge Eduardo Robreno instructed the jurors to continue their deliberations after telling them "this was a long trial and there were some complex issues"  but "often with further discussions, jurors are able to work out their differences."  The jurors did not indicate on which two counts they had reached a decision.

Defense Witness Corroborates Government Witness At Racketeering Trial Targeting Philly Mob

The final defense witness in the racketeering trial against reputed Philadelphia Mafia boss Joseph Ligambi and his nephew George Borgesi "didn't do his former [alleged] mob colleagues many favors" as reported by Jeremy Roebuck for the Inquirer.

Francis "Frankie the Fixer" DiGiacomo corroborated the earlier testimomy from government witness Louis "Bent Finger" Monacello that the pair collected debts on behalf of the two defendants:  "'we were doing it for George, and had to take all orders from Joe,' he said."

Closing arguments are set for Monday as reported by William Bender for the Daily News.

Poker Operator Gets Six Months In Gambling Case With Alleged Ties To Russian Mobsters

Kirill Rapoport was among the 34 defendants charged last April for their alleged roles in a gambling case with suspected ties to the Russian Mafia which took sports bets and ran poker tables for the fabulous people in Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY, and now he's been sentenced to six months in a federal prison as reported by Daniel Beekman for the Daily News:  "Kirill Rapoport hoped to avoid jail time when he pleaded guilty to running illegal poker games, but prosecutors reminded the judge of his bringing hired goons to a debtor's home."

Other defendants in the gambling schemes who have pleaded guilty are Bryan Zuriff, the executive producer of the Showtime drama Ray Donovan who got six months of home confinement, and art dealer and spoiled playboy Hillel "Helly" Nahmad who will be sentenced on March 19.

Nahmad is represented by criminal defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman who  previously insisted on his client's innocence as previously reported by Vivian Yee for The New York Times: 

Mr. Brafman, who is representing Mr. Nahmad with another lawyer, Paul Shechtman, said in a statement after the hearing, "We do not believe that Mr. Nahmad has knowingly violated the law." He also said, "We anticipate that he will be fully exonerated."

Apparently Mr. Brafman was wrong about that.

Earlier coverage:

FBI:  Russian Mafia Tied To Gambling Ring For Celebrity Clientele

Federal Prosecutors: Wedding Photo Shows Joe Ligambi With Reputed Mobsters

What's in a photo?

At the racketeering trial against Joseph Ligambi federal prosecutors introduced as evidence a photograph from a wedding which they argue "shows the purported Mafia don alongside his network of loan sharks, bookmakers, and mob enforcers" although "Ligambi's defense maintains that the government has mistaken a simple family gathering for the wedding scene in The Godfather" as reported by Jeremy Roebuck for the Inquirer.

In any case, the man who shot the photo testified that Ligambi did not want him to hand it over to the G-men.

At the racketeering trial earlier this year against Bartolomeo Vernace federal prosecutors introduced a series of FBI surveillance photos purportedly showing the reputed Gambino capo meeting with other supposed wiseguys at a succession of funerals over two decades as reported by Mitchel Maddux for the New York Post:

Attending funerals to remember loved ones or friends allows mobsters to argue that they're just participating in community events that are integral to daily life.  But the feds counter that these gatherings give wiseguys "cover," because meeting in an abandoned warehouse or on a decaying waterfront pier would help the feds accuse them of racketeering.

The mob is infamous for holding sinister meetings in seemingly innocent places.

For example,  when Greg DePalma's son Craig fell into a coma after a botched suicide the Gambino capo placed him in a nursing home, and exploited the tragedy by using his son's room as a place to hold court on the assumption that it wouldn't be bugged.

Those wily rabbits!

No Rangers Game For Felice Masullo

Brooklyn federal judge Pamela Chen has denied a request by reputed Genovese mobster Felice Masullo to attend a New York Rangers hockey game tomorrow night with his wife and kids as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News.  Masullo has a 7 pm curfew following his prison release on a gambling conviction, and his probation officer opposed any break from the condition as a bad precedent.

But mobsters they wanna have fun!

Reputed Mobster Busted In South Philly

Philadelphia cops have charged reputed mobster Ronald Galati with murder solicitation although details are scarce as reported by William Bender for the Daily News: "'we were involved in his arrest. Beyond that, we have no comment,' said Tasha Jamerson, spokeswoman for District Attorney Seth Williams."

Federal prosecutors are in the middle of a racketeering trial against reputed boss Joe Ligambi and his nephew George Borgesi for their alleged roles in the gambling and loansharking operations of the Philadelphia Mafia.

Veteran New York Cop Charged In South Florida Gambling Ring

A suspected gambling ring was busted in South Florida last week by the Broward County Sheriff's Office, and among those charged is veteran cop Christopher Dellacamera from Yonkers, NY as reported by Jonathan Bandler for The Journal News:  "a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office declined to discuss the specific allegations against Dellacamera, who joined the Yonkers Police Department in 1997," although "according to an affidavit for one of the arrest warrants in the case, Dellacamera seemed to have a relatively minor role in the ring."

Earlier coverage:

Gambling Ring Busted In South Florida