A Nassau County police detective was among nine alleged members and associates of the Genovese and Bonanno organized crime families charged in connection with alleged illegal gambling operations in Lynbrook, Valley Stream, Hempstead, West Babylon and Queens , federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
“Today’s arrests of members of two La Cosa Nostra crime families demonstrate that the Mafia continues to pollute our communities with illegal gambling, extortion and violence while using our financial system in the service of its criminal schemes” , U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “The defendants tried to hide their criminal activity by operating from behind the cover of a coffee bar, a football club and a shoe repair shop, but our office and our law enforcement partners exposed their operations illegal. Even more disturbing is the disgraceful conduct of a detective who betrayed his oath of office and the honest men and women of the Nassau County Police Department when he allegedly aligned himself with criminals.”
Hector Rosario, 49, of Mineola, a Nassau County police detective, is charged with obstructing a grand jury investigation and lying to the FBI. Rosario accepted money from the Bonanno crime family in exchange for offering to organize police raids on gambling teams with which they competed, prosecutors said.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the department has been assisting the FBI with the investigation as it was evolving and assigned Rosario a restrictive assignment where he had no interaction with the public.
“In addition, he has been suspended without pay pending an administrative hearing,” Ryder said in a statement. “The Nassau County Police Department continues to have a zero-tolerance approach toward any member of the department who engages in criminal activity.”
The other defendants were indicted on charges including racketeering, illegal gambling, money laundering conspiracy and obstruction of justice, prosecutors said. Show defendants in connection with the illegal gambling operations were: Anthony Pipitone, 49, of Deer Park, who prosecutors said is a captain and soldier of the Bonanno organized crime family of La Costra Nostra ; Vito Pipitone, 40, of Wellington, Fla., who prosecutors said is a Bonanno soldier; Agostino Gabriele, 35, of Glendale, Queens, who prosecutors said is an associate of Bonanno; Carmelo Polito, 63, of Whitestone, Queens, alleged acting captain of the Genovese La Cosa Nostra organized crime family; Joseph Macario, 68, of West Islip, an alleged Genoese soldier; and alleged Genoese partners Salvatore Rubino, 58, of Bethpage, and Joseph Rutigliano, 63, of Commack. He also charged Mark Feuer, 59, of Oceanside.
According to prosecutors, the illegal gambling sites include: La Nazionale Soccer Club, 80-13 Myrtle Avenue, Queens; Glendale Sports Club, 74-03 Myrtle Avenue, Queens; Gran Caffe, 31 Hempstead Avenue, Lynbrook; Soccer Club, 129 Rockaway Avenue, Valley Stream; Sal’s Shoe Repair, 41 Merrick Avenue, Merrick; Club Centro Calcio Italiano, 1007 Little East Neck Road, West Babylon.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Brooklyn.
A Nassau County police detective was among nine alleged members and associates of the Genovese and Bonanno organized crime families charged in connection with alleged illegal gambling operations in Lynbrook, Valley Stream, Hempstead, West Babylon and Queens , federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
“Today’s arrests of members of two La Cosa Nostra crime families demonstrate that the Mafia continues to pollute our communities with illegal gambling, extortion and violence while using our financial system in the service of its criminal schemes” , U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “The defendants tried to hide their criminal activity by operating from behind the cover of a coffee bar, a football club and a shoe repair shop, but our office and our law enforcement partners exposed their operations illegal. Even more disturbing is the disgraceful conduct of a detective who betrayed his oath of office and the honest men and women of the Nassau County Police Department when he allegedly aligned himself with criminals.”
Hector Rosario, 49, of Mineola, a Nassau County police detective, is charged with obstructing a grand jury investigation and lying to the FBI. Rosario accepted money from the Bonanno crime family in exchange for offering to organize police raids on gambling teams with which they competed, prosecutors said.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the department has been assisting the FBI with the investigation as it was evolving and assigned Rosario a restrictive assignment where he had no interaction with the public.
“In addition, he has been suspended without pay pending an administrative hearing,” Ryder said in a statement. “The Nassau County Police Department continues to have a zero-tolerance approach toward any member of the department who engages in criminal activity.”
The other defendants were indicted on charges including racketeering, illegal gambling, money laundering conspiracy and obstruction of justice, prosecutors said. Show defendants in connection with the illegal gambling operations were: Anthony Pipitone, 49, of Deer Park, who prosecutors said is a captain and soldier of the Bonanno organized crime family of La Costra Nostra ; Vito Pipitone, 40, of Wellington, Fla., who prosecutors said is a Bonanno soldier; Agostino Gabriele, 35, of Glendale, Queens, who prosecutors said is an associate of Bonanno; Carmelo Polito, 63, of Whitestone, Queens, alleged acting captain of the Genovese La Cosa Nostra organized crime family; Joseph Macario, 68, of West Islip, an alleged Genoese soldier; and alleged Genoese partners Salvatore Rubino, 58, of Bethpage, and Joseph Rutigliano, 63, of Commack. He also charged Mark Feuer, 59, of Oceanside.
According to prosecutors, the illegal gambling sites include: La Nazionale Soccer Club, 80-13 Myrtle Avenue, Queens; Glendale Sports Club, 74-03 Myrtle Avenue, Queens; Gran Caffe, 31 Hempstead Avenue, Lynbrook; Soccer Club, 129 Rockaway Avenue, Valley Stream; Sal’s Shoe Repair, 41 Merrick Avenue, Merrick; Club Centro Calcio Italiano, 1007 Little East Neck Road, West Babylon.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Brooklyn.
