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Bookie tells how defendants ruined his racket
By KITTY CAPARELLA
[email protected]
In 26 years, Michael Casolaro took action on whatever sport was in season - football, basketball, baseball, hockey - every day of the year.
He did so well, he bought a house, a car and was socking money away. And in all that time, he was arrested only three times for bookmaking. Not a bad career for a once-independent illegal sports bookie.
Then, the mob made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
In 1997, reputed mob soldier John "Johnny Chang" Ciancaglini told Casolara that he wanted to become "partners" in his sports- betting business.
"Since 1997, my life's been hell," testified Casolara yesterday in the mob racketeering trial.
"I really didn't want to do it," he added. But Ciancaglini insisted, 'You gotta or you gotta move.'"
Then, mob underboss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino wanted a $15,000 loan to open a mob sports book. Casolara soon realized the loan would never be repaid.
"As soon as I started that day, I knew this day would come," said Casolara. "I told John I was not going to jail for those guys."
Ciancaglini and then-consigliere Steven Mazzone told Casolara to manage Ciancaglini's book and to pay the bettors' winnings from the books of Ciancaglini, Mazzone, George Borgesi and Martin "Marty" Angelina, all defendants on trial with Merlino.
Not only did Casolara have to collect bets and make payouts, he also had to come up with the mob's annual "Christmas package," or extortion payment of $5,000, even though he was managing the mob's sports book.
By Christmas 1998, the mob sports book was in the red more than $200,000. And Angelina was demanding a $10,000 Christmas package, he said.
Wracked with debt, Casolara appealed to Ciancaglini, who told him, "There's nothing I can do." He turned to then underboss Merlino for a break.
"No," Merlino told Casolara. "When are you going to pay the money? Go and pay it. That's the last time I'm going to tell you."
By then, Casolara had liquidated most of his assets to pay off bettors and had to borrow the $10,000 to pay off Angelina.
Four months later, Casolara heard loud banging on his door, so he flushed all his "work" - sports bets on rice paper - down the toilet, and waited for the cops to arrest him. But his neighbors told him it was Angelina outside with a baseball bat looking for him.
Casolara asked Ciancaglini to straighten out the problem with Angelina.
It turned out to be "a comment I never made" about Angelina, Casolara said.
So when his apartment was raided and his gambling paraphernalia seized on Dec. 19, 1999, he wasn't surprised, he said.
"I was affiliated with the mob."
Under questioning yesterday by Angelina's attorney, Jack McMahon, Casolara testified that he sold his video store and another business acquired as a result of his sports business.
"That's money laundering," charged McMahon.
When did you last make book?
"Last night."
You going to book bets tonight?
"Probably not."
The next day?
"Depending . . ." *
By KITTY CAPARELLA
[email protected]
In 26 years, Michael Casolaro took action on whatever sport was in season - football, basketball, baseball, hockey - every day of the year.
He did so well, he bought a house, a car and was socking money away. And in all that time, he was arrested only three times for bookmaking. Not a bad career for a once-independent illegal sports bookie.
Then, the mob made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
In 1997, reputed mob soldier John "Johnny Chang" Ciancaglini told Casolara that he wanted to become "partners" in his sports- betting business.
"Since 1997, my life's been hell," testified Casolara yesterday in the mob racketeering trial.
"I really didn't want to do it," he added. But Ciancaglini insisted, 'You gotta or you gotta move.'"
Then, mob underboss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino wanted a $15,000 loan to open a mob sports book. Casolara soon realized the loan would never be repaid.
"As soon as I started that day, I knew this day would come," said Casolara. "I told John I was not going to jail for those guys."
Ciancaglini and then-consigliere Steven Mazzone told Casolara to manage Ciancaglini's book and to pay the bettors' winnings from the books of Ciancaglini, Mazzone, George Borgesi and Martin "Marty" Angelina, all defendants on trial with Merlino.
Not only did Casolara have to collect bets and make payouts, he also had to come up with the mob's annual "Christmas package," or extortion payment of $5,000, even though he was managing the mob's sports book.
By Christmas 1998, the mob sports book was in the red more than $200,000. And Angelina was demanding a $10,000 Christmas package, he said.
Wracked with debt, Casolara appealed to Ciancaglini, who told him, "There's nothing I can do." He turned to then underboss Merlino for a break.
"No," Merlino told Casolara. "When are you going to pay the money? Go and pay it. That's the last time I'm going to tell you."
By then, Casolara had liquidated most of his assets to pay off bettors and had to borrow the $10,000 to pay off Angelina.
Four months later, Casolara heard loud banging on his door, so he flushed all his "work" - sports bets on rice paper - down the toilet, and waited for the cops to arrest him. But his neighbors told him it was Angelina outside with a baseball bat looking for him.
Casolara asked Ciancaglini to straighten out the problem with Angelina.
It turned out to be "a comment I never made" about Angelina, Casolara said.
So when his apartment was raided and his gambling paraphernalia seized on Dec. 19, 1999, he wasn't surprised, he said.
"I was affiliated with the mob."
Under questioning yesterday by Angelina's attorney, Jack McMahon, Casolara testified that he sold his video store and another business acquired as a result of his sports business.
"That's money laundering," charged McMahon.
When did you last make book?
"Last night."
You going to book bets tonight?
"Probably not."
The next day?
"Depending . . ." *