46 Arrested in Massive Multi-State Gambling Bust: 'Elvis' Among Those Taken Down
- Charges include gambling, money laundering and racketeering
- The business processed tens of millions of dollars per year according to County Procesutor
- Individuals from New York, New Jersey and Florida taken down including teacher, swim instructor, restaurant owners, and ring leader who resembles Elvis Presley
- Several agencies cooperated in the investigation including NYPD, New Jersey State Police and Broward County Sheriff’s Dept
46 individuals from three states have been arrested in what investigators say is a large-scale criminal enterprise involving gambling, money laundering and racketeering.
The ring leader operated from Bergen County, New Jersey and oversaw about 50 agents and 320 bettors, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal. Agents typically collect on gambling losses and pay out on winnings.
"These package holders managed 22 different gambling accounts," Grewal claimed in a statement late Wednesday.
Robert "Elvis" D'Alessio, 62, of Little Falls, ran the operation in conjunction with an unidentified call center based out of Costa Rica. Most such call centers are legal in that Central American nation. D'Alessio, who got his nickname from his uncanny resemblance to Elvis Presley, was arrested ten years ago for running a million dollar sports betting enterprise.
"The entire gambling operation is estimated to have processed tens of millions of dollars in wagers per year," Grewal said.
D'Alessio's former brother-in-law, Esteban "Steve" Cueli, was identified as a key figure in the operation.
Cueli allegedly conspired with a Miami businessman identified as Enrique Larach to launder proceeds from the gambling business.
Robert Beatty of Wayne, Alfonc Pilinci of Franklin Lakes and Dante Monaco of Hackettstown have been charged for their alleged roles as managers within the enterprise, Grewal stated.
In addition to the prosecutor's office, the following agencies assisted in the arrests: New Jersey State Police, Bergen County Sheriff's Office, Broward County, Fla. Sheriff's Department, the Miami-Dade Police Department, and the New York City Police Department.
D'Alessio, Beatty, Monaco, Pilinci and Gregory Farace wer taken to the Bergen County Jail. Others arrested out of state were released on their own recognizance, pending extradition to New Jersey, the prosecutor said.
Scroll Down for List of Those Arrested
Here is a list of the suspects and charges:
1) ROBERT D'ALESSIO
Age: 62
Little Falls, Racketeering
Promoting Gambling
Money Laundering
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unemployed
2) JEFFREY BADAAN
Age: 33
Wayne, Promoting Gambling (3rd)
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Liquor Store Clerk
3) JAMES MIELE
Age: 52
Bridgewater, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unknown
4) ERIC OROZCO
Age: 39
Paterson, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unemployed
5) LOUIS SEMINERIO
Age: 69
Elmwood Park, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Retired
6) CASEY PASSMORE
Age: 35
Boonton, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unemployed
7) ROBERT BEATTY
Age: 40
Wayne, Racketeering
Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Restaurant owner
8) JOSEPH LOFORESE
Age: 30
Little Falls, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unknown
9) FATMIR SALAJ
Age: 45
Matawan, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unknown
10) ALFONC PILINCI
Age: 59
Franklin Lakes, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Restaurant owner
11) LULZIM "LUIGI" CANA
Age: 39
Dover, Promoting Gambling (3rd)
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Restaurant owner
12) GEZIM PILINCI
Age: 30
Franklin Lakes, Obstruction of Justice
Unknown
13) THOMAS D'ALESSIO JR.
Age: 66
Hackettstown, NJ Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Retired
14) IMER DRAGA, A/K/A MICHAEL DOLCE
Age: 47
Staten Island, NY Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Restaurant owner
15) JOSEPH D'ALESSIO
Age: 55
Wyckoff, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Teacher
16) ANTHONY MAGNANI
Age: 43
Harrison, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Bar owner
17) ESTEBAN "STEVE" CUELI
Age: 56
Doral, Fla. Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
Unemployed
18) COREY ARRAJJ
Age: 31
Wyckoff, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy
Salesman
19) JOSEPH GRELLO
Age: 51
Newton, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy
Self-Employed
20) RON KOCERHA
Age: 47
Secaucus, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy
Restaurant owner
21) GREGORY FARACE
Age: 51
Pequannock, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy
Unemployed
22) RALPH GAMBA
Age: 60
Livingston, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy Retired
23) WILLIAM RZUCIDLO
Age: 23
Parsippany, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy
Unknown
24) MARTIN FLANAGAN
Age: 72
Morristown, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Retired
25) BRIAN RUSSO
Age: 41
Verona, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Self-Employed
26) RONNIE FOX
Age: 57
Woodland Park, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Swim Instructor
27) DULO BOLIJEVIC
Age: 43
Dover, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Restaurant owner
28) EDWARD "BUZZ" KELLY
Age: 48
Bronx, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unemployed
29) VICTOR ROMANO
Age: 37
Staten Island, N.Y., Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unknown
30) WILLIAM GUIDO
Age: 67
Waretown, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Self-Employed
31) KENNETH PABON
Age: 62
Staten Island, N.Y., Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Retired
32) JOHN SCHWARTZ
Age: 52
Secaucus, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Facilities Director
33) KEVIN O'LEARY
Age: 24
Secaucus, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Student
34) CHARLES STEINBERG
Age: 40
Coral Springs, Fla., Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unemployed
35) DANTE MONACO
Age: 53
Hackettstown,
Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Racketeering
Unemployed
36) JOSEPH FARRUGGIA
Age: 28
Mount Arlington, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unknown
37) DANTE MONACO JR.
Age: 20
Hackettstown, Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unemployed
38) JAMES MANGANIELLO
Age: 56
Totowa, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unknown
39) ENRIQUE LARACH
Age: 54
Miami, Fla., Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
Money Laundering
Self-Employed
40) STEPHEN GERISCH
Age: 71
Boonton,
Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Retired
41) SADIK "SAL" KOLIC
Age: 56
Randolph, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Restaurant worker
42) This individual has been fully expunged and requested his name be removed from this article
43) NEIL ESKOW
Age: 43
Fair Lawn, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unemployed
44) PALMA PAKULNIEWICZ
Age: 70
Secaucus, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Retired
45) JARED PETRUSKA
Age: 30
Wayne, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Construction worker
46) PAUL JON SILJEE
Age: 26
Wayne, Promoting Gambling
Conspiracy to Promote Gambling
Unknown
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
