TRENTON
- Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal
Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor today
announced the arrest of a Buffalo, N.Y.,
man on charges he ran the gambling Web site
and Costa Rican “wire room”
where the Lucchese crime family transacted
billions of dollars in illegal wagers on
sporting events.
According
to Director Taylor, the Division of Criminal
Justice charged Brian Ronald Cohen, 61 (DOB:
5/30/48), of Buffalo, N.Y., by complaint
warrant with money laundering (2nd degree)
and promoting gambling (3rd degree). It
is alleged that Cohen ran the Lucchese crime
family’s offshore gambling operation,
including its gambling Web site "www.bigactionsports.com"
and its wire room in San Jose, Costa Rica,
where up to 20 people worked at a time,
taking bets by phone and processing wagers.
Cohen
was brought before Superior Court Judge
Thomas V. Manahan in Morris County for a
first appearance on the charges yesterday
afternoon. Supervising Deputy Attorney General
Mark Eliades, head of the Division of Criminal
Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau,
represented the state.
Cohen
was arrested by detectives of the Gangs
& Organized Crime Bureau on May 16 at
Buffalo International Airport as he returned
to the U.S. Cohen has residences in Buffalo
and Costa Rica. He waived extradition and
was brought to New Jersey on Wednesday night
(May 26). Judge Manahan set bail for Cohen
at $100,000, which he posted. The judge
ordered Cohen to surrender his U.S. passport.
“We
allege that this man was the primary facilitator
for the Lucchese crime family’s offshore
gambling operation,” said Attorney
General Dow. “He allegedly oversaw
the acceptance and settling of billions
of dollars in wagers and ensured that the
Web site through which those bets were placed
remained up and running.”
“This
arrest represents another significant milestone
in our major prosecution of this New York-based
crime family,” said Director Taylor.
“We have indicted the top echelon
of this criminal organization in both New
York and New Jersey, and we continue to
charge key players in their multi-billion
dollar gambling operation.”
The
charges against Cohen stem from Operation
Heat, an investigation by the Division of
Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime
Bureau that led to the indictment on May
14 of two ruling members of the Lucchese
crime family and 32 other members and associates,
including alleged current and former top
New Jersey capos Ralph V. Perna and Nicodemo
Scarfo Jr., on first-degree charges of racketeering,
conspiracy and money laundering.
Details
of the indictment are provided in the May
14 press release.
Second-degree
money laundering carries a maximum sentence
of 10 years in state prison and a $150,000
fine, while third-degree promoting gambling
carries a maximum sentence of five years
in state prison and a $35,000 fine.
The
criminal complaint is merely an accusation
and the defendant is presumed innocent until
proven guilty. Because indictable offenses
are charged against Cohen, the allegations
will be presented to a grand jury for potential
indictment.
The
Division of Criminal Justice Gangs &
Organized Crime Bureau has been assisted
in the investigation by the New Jersey State
Police Intelligence Section.
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