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Suffolk authorities have busted three separate gambling operations, potentially restricting the flow of cash to organized crime, Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota said Thursday.
"Gambling fuels organized crime's other operations, and that's why we place such emphasis on illegal gambling," Spota said at a news conference in Hauppauge. He spoke from behind a table piled with cash, gambling records and seized computers.
"There's a lot of other criminal activity that's attached to this," Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said.
Spota said police working for his office seized more than $350,000 in cash, two houses, several cars and two boats. Police also seized a copy of "Underboss," a biography of hit man Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.
The largest of the three operations was a sports gambling ring, which Spota said was run by Thomas Ambrose, 58, of 23 Birch Lane in New Hyde Park. He was charged with first-degree promoting gambling, a felony punishable by up to 1-1/3 to 4 years in prison on conviction. The ring was run from a wire room in a Douglaston basement, he said.
Deputy Inspector James Burke, chief of the district attorney's squad, said police waited until after the Super Bowl to make arrests to gather more evidence. Detectives listening on wiretaps heard the defendants trying to lay low before the Super Bowl, a time when law enforcement often tries to make gambling arrests.
"They thought they were out of the woods" afterward, Burke said.
Assistant District Attorney James Chalifoux said the operation had about 100 consistent customers, most of whom placed large bets every week.
Spota said some evidence seized in the raids suggested Ambrose was involved in loan-sharking. He said police are investigating that and possible ties to organized crime.
Ambrose's attorney, Dennis Lemke of Mineola, denied the allegations and said his client, a manager for a stock firm, was a family man with no criminal record.
"We look forward to the vindication of Thomas Ambrose," Lemke said.
The investigation began during the summer, Spota said. Ambrose's operation took bets on football, baseball and hockey, and took in more than $7 million a year, Spota said. In one 16-day period, the operation collected more than $500,000 in illegal bets, he said.
Others facing the same charge in the alleged ring are Joseph Cachia, 53, of 232 Home St., Valley Stream; Ralph Viviano, 57, of 144 N. 10th St., New Hyde Park; Robert Hachemeister, 33, of 379 Birch Rd., Kings Park; Melvil Bloncourt, 68, of 299 Pearl St., Manhattan; and Corey Lonergan, 25, of 58 Garfield Ave., East Rockaway. All are free on bail.
Another of the alleged gambling operations was an illegal lottery run in the Brentwood area. Spota said Jose Dejesus, 56, and Eusebia Caceres, 63, both of 1737 Fifth Ave., North Bay Shore, took bets based on numbers drawn in the legitimate Santo Domingo lottery in the Dominican Republic. They solicited bets mostly in Brentwood, Spota said.
They are charged with possession of gambling records, a felony also punishable by up to 1-1/3 to 4 years. Their attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.
The third operation was run out of Cafe Venezia, a social club in Shirley, where police seized five video poker machines, Spota said. Salvatore Rubino, 45, of 310 Main St., Center Moriches, was charged with second-degree promoting gambling. Carmello Morabito, 40, of 106 Hampton Ave., Mastic, was charged with obstructing governmental administration. Both are misdemeanors.
"Gambling fuels organized crime's other operations, and that's why we place such emphasis on illegal gambling," Spota said at a news conference in Hauppauge. He spoke from behind a table piled with cash, gambling records and seized computers.
"There's a lot of other criminal activity that's attached to this," Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said.
Spota said police working for his office seized more than $350,000 in cash, two houses, several cars and two boats. Police also seized a copy of "Underboss," a biography of hit man Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.
The largest of the three operations was a sports gambling ring, which Spota said was run by Thomas Ambrose, 58, of 23 Birch Lane in New Hyde Park. He was charged with first-degree promoting gambling, a felony punishable by up to 1-1/3 to 4 years in prison on conviction. The ring was run from a wire room in a Douglaston basement, he said.
Deputy Inspector James Burke, chief of the district attorney's squad, said police waited until after the Super Bowl to make arrests to gather more evidence. Detectives listening on wiretaps heard the defendants trying to lay low before the Super Bowl, a time when law enforcement often tries to make gambling arrests.
"They thought they were out of the woods" afterward, Burke said.
Assistant District Attorney James Chalifoux said the operation had about 100 consistent customers, most of whom placed large bets every week.
Spota said some evidence seized in the raids suggested Ambrose was involved in loan-sharking. He said police are investigating that and possible ties to organized crime.
Ambrose's attorney, Dennis Lemke of Mineola, denied the allegations and said his client, a manager for a stock firm, was a family man with no criminal record.
"We look forward to the vindication of Thomas Ambrose," Lemke said.
The investigation began during the summer, Spota said. Ambrose's operation took bets on football, baseball and hockey, and took in more than $7 million a year, Spota said. In one 16-day period, the operation collected more than $500,000 in illegal bets, he said.
Others facing the same charge in the alleged ring are Joseph Cachia, 53, of 232 Home St., Valley Stream; Ralph Viviano, 57, of 144 N. 10th St., New Hyde Park; Robert Hachemeister, 33, of 379 Birch Rd., Kings Park; Melvil Bloncourt, 68, of 299 Pearl St., Manhattan; and Corey Lonergan, 25, of 58 Garfield Ave., East Rockaway. All are free on bail.
Another of the alleged gambling operations was an illegal lottery run in the Brentwood area. Spota said Jose Dejesus, 56, and Eusebia Caceres, 63, both of 1737 Fifth Ave., North Bay Shore, took bets based on numbers drawn in the legitimate Santo Domingo lottery in the Dominican Republic. They solicited bets mostly in Brentwood, Spota said.
They are charged with possession of gambling records, a felony also punishable by up to 1-1/3 to 4 years. Their attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.
The third operation was run out of Cafe Venezia, a social club in Shirley, where police seized five video poker machines, Spota said. Salvatore Rubino, 45, of 310 Main St., Center Moriches, was charged with second-degree promoting gambling. Carmello Morabito, 40, of 106 Hampton Ave., Mastic, was charged with obstructing governmental administration. Both are misdemeanors.