NEWARK – According to the federal officials, 4 New Jersey men linked to organized crime were taken into custody in a widespread East Coast bust on Thursday.
46 individuals were taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local police departments for their participation in a long-running racketeering ring that, according to the authorities, was linked to the Genovese, Gambino, Luchese and Bonanno crime families.
According to the U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, Southern District of New York, the below listed individuals are among those taken into custody:
- 49-year-old Daniel Marino Jr. of Short Hills
- 51-year-old Anthony Cirillo of Englewood Cliffs
- 48-year-old Anthony Cassetta of Belmar
- 80-year-old Marco Minuto of Upper Saddle River
It was not confirmed where the New Jersey men were taken into custody.
Authorities said that the New Jersey men were involved in criminal enterprise which commits the offense of loan sharking, gambling, trafficking cigarettes, guns trafficking, extortion, fraud and assault. It is also said that illegal poker and dice tournaments took place at the Yonkers Club. All of the above mentioned offenders are charged with racketeering and they will face up to 20 years in jail.
Individuals who were involved in different crimes and linked to the crime families were taken into custody in Newark, Boston, New York, New Haven, Connecticut, and Miami.
Police told that former Philadelphia mob boss, 54-year-old Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino, was also taken into custody. He was sentenced to more than 20 years in jail on several charges, including racketeering. Now he is a resident of Miami area.
In a statement, Diego Rodriguez, head of the FBI’s New York office, said the indictment “reads like an old school Mafia novel, where extortion, illegal gambling, arson and threats to ‘whack’ someone are carried out along with some modern-day crimes of credit card skimming”.
News Source: www.NJ.com
