5 Plead Guilty to Running Mob-Tied Online Sports Betting Site Rhino Sports

Five Lucchese organized crime family figures have admitted to running a large-scale gambling enterprise that prosecutors say brought millions in illicit profits annually.  Each plead guilty Thursday to racketeering, money laundering and gambling charges, according to prosecutors.

Anthony Villani, a Lucchese soldier, agreed to a plea deal in which he’ll pay $4 million in forfeiture, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.

Prosecutors said that since the early 2000s, the 60-year-old Elmsford resident owned and operated Rhino Sports, an online business that also employed Mafia figures as local bookmakers to pay and collect winnings.

The indicment and filings claimed that, for over 25 years, Villani has been involved in significant gambling operations, that were affiliated with multiple organized crime families.  Villani owned and operated the Gambling Business since at least 2004. 

Villani’s bookmakers included members and associates of the Luchese crime family and other La Cosa Nostra families.  As part of the scheme, Villani employed trusted individuals, including defendants Louis Tucci, Jr. and Dennis Filizzola, to assist in operating the business and collecting at least $1 million annually.  Records obtained of the Gambling Business’s website indicated that Villani’s illegal gambling operation regularly took bets from between 400 and 1,300 bettors each week, most of whom were based in New York City and the metropolitan area. At Villani’s direction, Filizzola took proceeds from the Gambling Business and used them to purchase U.S. Postal Service money orders in false names, which were then made payable to one of Villani’s property companies to appear as legitimate rental payments.  

Much of the business was said to be concentrated in the Bronx and nearby Westchester County with between 400 to 1,300 individuals each week placing bets.  The operation is believed to have collected at least $1 million annually.

John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty pleas.

“These guilty pleas represent a victory for the rule of law over the pernicious activities of organized crime that undermine the safety of our communities,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Illegal gambling businesses require enforcement and protection from mob rivals that carry the persistent threat of violence.  However, the defendants’ luck ran out and, thanks to the hard work of the team of prosecutors and investigators, they will be held accountable for their crimes and pay their debt to society.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy stated: “Our investigations involving members of the Five Families don't make the same headlines as they have historically. However, the men pleading guilty in this case illustrate how entrenched the traditional mafia are in their noxious and familiar criminality. They are less flashy these days - and a lot of that is due to the incredible cunning and tenacity agents and investigators on our FBI New York Westchester Organized Crime Task Force use to pursue members of these organizations.”

In addition to Vililani, the defendants were listed as:

JAMES COUMOUTSOS (also known as “Quick”)
Age:  62
Bronx, NY

DENNIS FILIZZOLA
Age:  61
Cortlandt Manor, NY

MICHAEL PRAINO (also known as “Platinum”)
Age:  47
Lake Worth, Florida

LOUIS TUCCI, JR. (also known as “Tooch”)
Age:  61
Tuckahoe, NY

Villani faces up to 20 years in prison.  Louis Tucci, Jr., pleaded guilty on January 27, 2025 to illegal sports betting and faces up to five years in prison.  Filizzola pleaded guilty on January 21, 2025 to illegal sports betting and money laundering and faces up to five years in prison and up to 20 years in prison on those counts respectively.  James Coumoutsos pleaded guilty on January 21, 2025 to illegal sports betting and faces up to five years in prison.  Michael Praino pleaded guilty on January 10, 2025 to illegal sports gambling and faces up to five years in prison.  A sixth defendant remains at large.