TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni
announced that two men have pleaded guilty
for their roles in a multi-million dollar
sports bookmaking ring that operated inside
the Borgata Hotel Casino poker room.
According
to Director Gramiccioni, Nicholas Caltibiano,
25, of Brigantine, and Matthew Zambanini,
29, of Hockessin, Delaware, pleaded guilty
yesterday before Superior Court Judge Michael
Donio in Atlantic County to third-degree
promoting gambling.
The
state will recommend that each man be sentenced
to a probationary term, conditioned on him
serving 364 days in county jail. Zambanini
is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 13,
and Caltibiano on Feb. 20. Deputy Attorney
General Kerry DiJoseph took the pleas for
the Division of Criminal Justice Major Crimes
Bureau - Casino Prosecutions Unit.
In
pleading guilty, the defendants admitted
that they acted as agents for the gambling
ring, which took in millions of dollars
in bets on college and professional football
and basketball games. The agents admitted
that they brought people into the ring,
accepted bets and settled up with bettors.
The
charges stem from Operation High Roller,
an investigation led by the State Police
and the Division of Criminal Justice which
involved the assistance of 11 other law
enforcement agencies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The investigation revealed that the ring
took in more than $60 million in bets in
20 months. The ring was shut down in November
2007, when more than 20 people were arrested.
On
Dec. 15, the boss of the ring, Jack Buscemi
Jr., 51, of Mullica Hill, pleaded guilty
to second-degree conspiracy to commit money
laundering, and the man who controlled day-to-day
operations of the ring, Andrew Micali, 33,
of Ventnor, pleaded guilty to second-degree
criminal usury. Buscemi and Micali each
face five years in prison under their plea
agreements. Another leader in the ring,
Anthony Nicodemo, 37, of Philadelphia, pleaded
guilty on Jan. 6. to second-degree conspiracy
to promote gambling and launder money. He
faces three years in state prison under
his plea agreement. Twelve other defendants
pleaded guilty previously to third-degree
promoting gambling and face jail terms as
a condition of probation.
# # # |