WISEGUYS BUSTED FOR GAMBLING RACKET
FIVE wiseguys secretly ran a multimillion-dollar illegal gambling ring for at least 16 years — under the protection of the notorious Lucchese organized crime family, prosecutors charge.
The feds fingered Anthony Villani — an alleged Lucchese soldier — as the ringleader of the racket.
Authorities say Villani,
57, with associates Louis “Tooch” Tucci Jr., 59, Dennis Filizzola, 58, James “Quick” Coumoutsos, 59, and
Michael “Platinum” Praino, 44, operated Rhino Sports, which was hosted online using servers in Costa Rica and employed Big Apple bookies to pay winners and squeeze cash from losing suckers.
According to a recently unsealed indictment, the busted biz engaged as many as
1,300 bettors weekly in the New York metro area — with a network of La Cosa Nostra muscle managing the money.
The five men face multiple federal charges — including racketeering, money laundering and extortion.
“One thing these criminals can bet on — the FBI will continue our pursuit,” vows G-man Michael J. Driscoll.