OPERATION STRIKE OUT
Thursday, April 30, 2009, 10:34 AM
THE BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
PRESS RELEASE
TO: ALL NEWS MEDIA
FROM: PROSECUTOR JOHN L. MOLINELLI
DATE: APRIL 30, 2009
**************************************** *************************************
“OPERATION STRIKE OUT” RESULTS IN OVER (30) ARRESTS
**************************************** *************************************
Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced today the arrests of over thirty individuals and the execution of approximately twenty search warrants in Northern New Jersey and Westchester County. Law enforcement officers from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, FBI and local jurisdictions executed the arrest and search warrants beginning Tuesday evening. In New Jersey search warrants were executed in Bergen, Essex, Somerset and Monmouth counties. Approximately 1.3 million dollars in United States currency was seized as the result of the search warrants. The arrests and search warrants are related to traditional organized crime activities occurring in and around Bergen County. The arrests are the result of an eight month long investigation by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Special Investigation Squad, under the direction of Chief Joseph Macellaro and the supervision of Captain Steven Cucciniello.
The investigation focused on a group of individuals involved in a large scale illegal sports gambling enterprise operating in the North Jersey area. It began in September 2008 and also focused on the money laundering activities of the ring. Undercover detectives infiltrated the bookmaking operation being run by Thomas Conforti and John “Blue” DeFroscia. DeFroscia is a documented “made” member (soldier) of the Genovese organized crime family (LCN), and Conforti is a high level associate of the same crime family. Each ran separate bookmaking and money laundering enterprises. Both passed a portion of their earnings to the hierarchy of the Genovese Family. Conforti and DeFroscia had a large network of operatives or “agents” that were running gambling “packages” for them. These co-conspirators were paid a “commission” or percentage of the profits being earned by those above them. Mid-level organization members were responsible for numerous gambling packages and would meet with the individual agents or package holders and then pass the proceeds to DeFroscia and Conforti.
The investigation determined that hundreds of bettors utilized a system of code names and passwords to place wagers on various sporting events each week. It was the agents that actually collected losses from or paid winnings to the actual bettors. The wagers were placed via toll free telephone numbers or the internet. The actual “wire room” providing the betting lines and accepting the wagers is located in Costa Rica which is a common practice employed by organized crime families to avoid apprehension of those running the wire room.
The investigation revealed that DeFroscia and Conforti used “middle men” as a buffer between themselves and their agents to insulate themselves from law enforcement detection. In the case of Thomas Conforti, an individual identified as Michael Cirelli helped run the operation for him. John DeFroscia employed Paul “Shortline” Weber and Gerald “Jay” Napolitano, among others, to help run his network of agents. Napolitano would deliver weekly profits to DeFroscia by dropping envelopes of cash at Racioppi’s Taralles, a store on Bloomfield Avenue, Bloomfield, New Jersey. Nicholas “Pigeon” Restaino would temporarily hold the cash at the store until “Blue” (DeFroscia) picked it up.
Weber, Napolitano and other ranking members of this enterprise would meet with co-conspirators surreptitiously in area parking lots, bookstores, diners and on the street to exchange cash. For example, Napolitano was observed on multiple occasions meeting with one of his agents, Louis Orangeo, in various parking lots in Clifton, New Jersey. Orangeo, who is employed as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, would meet with Napolitano while on duty in his mail truck. They would exchange an envelope through the mail truck window as if it were ordinary mail. In addition, Weber, who is employed as a vendor at both CitiField and Yankee Stadium, has been meeting with co-conspirators in each stadium while working. Detectives who conducted physical surveillance of Weber at the stadiums with the assistance and cooperation of Major League Baseball security, observed him exchange cash proceeds from this enterprise with various co-conspirators.
This illegal enterprise placed over one million dollars per week in illegal wagers. Individuals managed gambling packages in New Jersey and New York.
Thursday, April 30, 2009, 10:34 AM
THE BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
PRESS RELEASE
TO: ALL NEWS MEDIA
FROM: PROSECUTOR JOHN L. MOLINELLI
DATE: APRIL 30, 2009
**************************************** *************************************
“OPERATION STRIKE OUT” RESULTS IN OVER (30) ARRESTS
**************************************** *************************************
Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced today the arrests of over thirty individuals and the execution of approximately twenty search warrants in Northern New Jersey and Westchester County. Law enforcement officers from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, FBI and local jurisdictions executed the arrest and search warrants beginning Tuesday evening. In New Jersey search warrants were executed in Bergen, Essex, Somerset and Monmouth counties. Approximately 1.3 million dollars in United States currency was seized as the result of the search warrants. The arrests and search warrants are related to traditional organized crime activities occurring in and around Bergen County. The arrests are the result of an eight month long investigation by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Special Investigation Squad, under the direction of Chief Joseph Macellaro and the supervision of Captain Steven Cucciniello.
The investigation focused on a group of individuals involved in a large scale illegal sports gambling enterprise operating in the North Jersey area. It began in September 2008 and also focused on the money laundering activities of the ring. Undercover detectives infiltrated the bookmaking operation being run by Thomas Conforti and John “Blue” DeFroscia. DeFroscia is a documented “made” member (soldier) of the Genovese organized crime family (LCN), and Conforti is a high level associate of the same crime family. Each ran separate bookmaking and money laundering enterprises. Both passed a portion of their earnings to the hierarchy of the Genovese Family. Conforti and DeFroscia had a large network of operatives or “agents” that were running gambling “packages” for them. These co-conspirators were paid a “commission” or percentage of the profits being earned by those above them. Mid-level organization members were responsible for numerous gambling packages and would meet with the individual agents or package holders and then pass the proceeds to DeFroscia and Conforti.
The investigation determined that hundreds of bettors utilized a system of code names and passwords to place wagers on various sporting events each week. It was the agents that actually collected losses from or paid winnings to the actual bettors. The wagers were placed via toll free telephone numbers or the internet. The actual “wire room” providing the betting lines and accepting the wagers is located in Costa Rica which is a common practice employed by organized crime families to avoid apprehension of those running the wire room.
The investigation revealed that DeFroscia and Conforti used “middle men” as a buffer between themselves and their agents to insulate themselves from law enforcement detection. In the case of Thomas Conforti, an individual identified as Michael Cirelli helped run the operation for him. John DeFroscia employed Paul “Shortline” Weber and Gerald “Jay” Napolitano, among others, to help run his network of agents. Napolitano would deliver weekly profits to DeFroscia by dropping envelopes of cash at Racioppi’s Taralles, a store on Bloomfield Avenue, Bloomfield, New Jersey. Nicholas “Pigeon” Restaino would temporarily hold the cash at the store until “Blue” (DeFroscia) picked it up.
Weber, Napolitano and other ranking members of this enterprise would meet with co-conspirators surreptitiously in area parking lots, bookstores, diners and on the street to exchange cash. For example, Napolitano was observed on multiple occasions meeting with one of his agents, Louis Orangeo, in various parking lots in Clifton, New Jersey. Orangeo, who is employed as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, would meet with Napolitano while on duty in his mail truck. They would exchange an envelope through the mail truck window as if it were ordinary mail. In addition, Weber, who is employed as a vendor at both CitiField and Yankee Stadium, has been meeting with co-conspirators in each stadium while working. Detectives who conducted physical surveillance of Weber at the stadiums with the assistance and cooperation of Major League Baseball security, observed him exchange cash proceeds from this enterprise with various co-conspirators.
This illegal enterprise placed over one million dollars per week in illegal wagers. Individuals managed gambling packages in New Jersey and New York.
