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TRENTON
- Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal
Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced
that an Essex County man pleaded guilty
today to a charge of promoting gambling
for his role in gambling activity controlled
by the Lucchese crime family. The indictment
alleges members of the crime family also
engaged in acts of extortion, narcotics
distribution, possession of weapons/explosives,
money laundering, theft, and bribery of
public officials, among other offenses.
The gambling activity charged alleges the
enterprise handled billions of dollars in
illegal wagers on sporting events using
a Web site, toll-free phone numbers, and
an offshore wire room to facilitate the
activity.
According
to Director Taylor, Michael A. Maffucci,
25, of Cedar Grove, N.J., pleaded guilty
to a third-degree charge of promoting gambling
before Superior Court Judge David Ironson
in Morris County. In pleading guilty, Maffucci
admitted he conducted and assisted in operations
of the gambling activity within the enterprise
that was operated on behalf and for the
benefit of the Lucchese crime family. Under
the plea agreement, the State and Maffucci
agreed he would be sentenced to three to
five years in state prison. He must also
provide truthful testimony in the ongoing
prosecution.
Supervising
Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades, Chief
of the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs
& Organized Crime Bureau, and Deputy
Attorney General Christopher Romanyshyn
took the guilty plea. Judge Ironson scheduled
sentencing for Maffucci for Dec. 9.
The
charge against Maffucci stems from Operation
Heat, an investigation by the Division of
Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime
Bureau that led to the indictment on May
14, 2010 of two ruling members of the Lucchese
crime family and 32 other members and associates,
including the alleged current and former
top New Jersey capos, Ralph V. Perna and
Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., on first-degree charges
of racketeering and predicate offenses.
Details of the indictment are provided in
the May 14, 2010 press release at www.njpublicsafety.com.
A
second defendant named in the indictment
pleaded guilty on May 20, 2011 to promoting
gambling and possession of gambling records.
Gianni Iacovo, 35, of Elmwood Park, faces
a sentence of probation, conditioned on
his full cooperation in the ongoing case.
In
addition, as a result of the investigation,
Francine Hightower, 53, of Tinton Falls,
pleaded guilty prior to the indictment to
conspiring to launder money. She was charged
in connection with a scheme in which a high-ranking
member of the Nine Trey Gangsters set of
the Bloods and a correction officer allegedly
conspired with members of the Lucchese crime
family to smuggle drugs and pre-paid cell
phones into East Jersey State Prison.
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