$1M a Week Sports Betting Ring Broken Up, NJ Appeals Sports Betting Ban

These are the top gambling news stories here at Gambling911.com Thursday June 27, 2013 (AM EDT). Follow us on Twitter here.

*Arrests in New Jersey Million Dollar a Week Sports Betting Ring - 16 people have been charged with running an illegal sports betting operation out of Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Investigators say they seized more than $500,000 in cash and a dozen vehicles after executing warrants in Monmouth, Somerset, Essex, and Hudson counties and in New York City over the past week.

The investigation, dubbed “Operation Shore Bet” has been going on for the past 18 months.

Members of the gambling ring used Monmouth County banks to launder funds, according to the complaint. Others were tied to the conspiracy to sell prescription drugs on the street such as Oxycodone and Vicodin, in addition to marijuana.

The investigation was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Asbury Park, Deal, Freehold Township, Howell, Marlboro, Ocean, Red Bank and Wall Police Departments.

Charged were:

• Richard Crossan, 54, of Hillsborough - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set $2 million cash only with a bail source hearing required.

• Anthony Gagliardi, 38, Monmouth Beach - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set $2 million cash only with a bail source hearing required.

• Anthony Carlesimo, 40, of Long Branch - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity, and drug distribution and possession. His bail was set at $1 million with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Louis Carlesimo, Jr., 80, of Long Branch - Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. He was released on his own recognizance.

• Anthony Benyola, 43, of Toms River - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling,  Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set at $200,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Jean Pierre DaSilva, 31, of Oceanport - Racketeering Conspiracy and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set at $500,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Thomas Floriani, 68, of Cliffside Park - Racketeering Conspiracy,  Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set at $1 million with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Patrick Martin, 48, of West Long Branch - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity .. His bail was set at $200,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Joseph Mazzarella, 73, of New York City - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set at $1 million with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Anthony Pintabona, 75, of Secaucus - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set at $1 million with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Solomon Saka, 39, of Long Branch - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set at $200,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Christopher Thomas, 40, of the Port Monmouth - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set at $750,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Patrick Yerves, 32, of Sea Bright - Racketeering Conspiracy, Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity. His bail was set at $200,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• William D. Baroska, 54, of Ocean Township - Drug distribution and possession. His bail was set at $100,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Justin Coppola, 43, of West Long Branch - Drug possession and distribution. His bail was set at $100,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Anthony DeBlase, 53, of Colts Neck - Drug possession and distribution. His bail was set at $100,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Steven Demussi, 50, of Dunellen - Drug possession and distribution. His bail was set at $100,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

• Peggy Peduto, 39, of Long Branch - Drug possession and distribution. She was released on her own recognizance.

• Rosemary Sanchez, 53, of Long Branch - Drug possession and distribution. Her bail was set at $10,000 with no 10 percent option with a bail source hearing required.

Three men charged remained at-large Tuesday, though authorities did not say what crimes they have been charged with:

• Edward Cichoski, 60, of Wall

• Pasquale Dellomo, 41, of Miami

• Nuno C. Oliveira, 38, of Asbury Park

*New Jersey Appeals Sports Betting Ban - PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) New Jersey officials cannot put a stop to sports gambling, but they hope to "shine a light" on it by legalizing such betting at casinos and racetracks, a lawyer said in a high-stakes hearing Wednesday before a federal appeals court.

Gov. Chris Christie wants to tap into the multibillion-dollar sports betting industry but must first get around a 1992 federal law that limits sports betting to Nevada and three other states.

The U.S. Justice Department, the NCAA and the four major pro sports leagues oppose the move. And a federal judge this year sided with the challengers, blocking the sports betting law that New Jersey had passed.

The state appealed that judge's ruling, leading to a battle of legal heavyweights Wednesday in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

Former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson, representing the state, said the 1992 law discriminates against New Jersey and 45 other states, much like the Voting Rights Act that was partially struck down Tuesday by the Supreme Court.

The 3rd Circuit judges asked if the leagues didn't have a point in arguing that betting on games has tarnished sports and been the source of various scandals.

"What New Jersey wants to do is shine a light on that activity" by opening the books and protecting potential victims, Olson argued.

Paul Clement, another former U.S. solicitor general who represents the NFL and the three other major sports leagues, argued that the dynamics of sports change when states condone and even participate in wagers on games.

"They're our games, after all, and we have a legitimate interest in controlling whether these games are going to be sporting events and not gambling events," Clement argued.

The U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Paul J. Fishman, argued for the Justice Department. He said Congress had a legitimate reason to grandfather in the four states in 1992 because they wanted to limit the ills of sports betting.

The three-judge panel did not immediately indicate when it would rule.

New Jersey voters passed a sports betting referendum in 2011, and last year the Legislature enacted a law that limited bets to the Atlantic City casinos and the state's horse tracks. Bets wouldn't be taken on games involving New Jersey colleges or college games played in the state.

The NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and the NCAA sued the state last year, and the NCAA has moved several of its championship events out of New Jersey because of the law. In a court deposition, MLB commissioner Bud Selig said he was "appalled" by Christie's actions.

Christie has pledged to take his challenge of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

Former Boxer Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud, Used Money for Gambling Binges - WASHINGTON (Associated Press) — A former professional boxer has pleaded guilty to wire fraud for spending $205,000 in grant money from the District of Columbia government and private entities on personal expenses, including gambling binges in Atlantic City.

Forty-seven-year-old Keely Thompson entered the plea in U.S. District Court Wednesday afternoon. He faces more than two years in prison, although his sentence could be reduced if he provides substantial assistance to federal authorities. Thompson said in court that he was cooperating, but neither he nor his attorney would discuss the details of his cooperation.

Thompson ran a nonprofit that provided at-risk children with physical fitness programs. The center got more than $1.5 million in city government and private grant funds between 2004 and 2010.

Prosecutors have agreed to drop similar charges against Thompson's wife.

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher