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TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that two Philadelphia men were
indicted today on charges they ran a gambling
ring in South Jersey and Philadelphia.
According
to Director Paw, Danilo Starita, 36, and
Edward Wagner, 41, who co-own a home on
South 17th Street in Philadelphia as well
as a condominium on North Coolidge Avenue
in Margate, N.J., were indicted by a state
grand jury in a five-count indictment charging
each man with second-degree conspiracy,
second-degree theft by deception, third-degree
promoting gambling, and third-degree falsifying
records. Starita also was charged in the
indictment with third-degree possession
of gambling records.
The
charges of theft by deception and falsifying
records relate to allegations that the defendants
falsely claimed to be legitimately employed
in order to obtain a $185,250 loan to buy
the Margate condo.
An
undercover investigation by the Division
of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized
Crime Bureau allegedly determined that Starita
and Wagner ran a gambling ring with operations
in Philadelphia as well as Atlantic, Camden
and Gloucester counties in New Jersey. They
allegedly employed agents to accept bets
and collect gambling proceeds for them,
and regularly took in more than five bets
a day totaling more than $1,000.
“These
two men allegedly ran a gambling ring that
operated across state lines and generated
thousands of dollars a week in illegal proceeds,”
Attorney General Rabner said. “We
allege they compounded their crimes by falsely
claiming legitimate income to gain a mortgage
for a vacation condo at the Jersey Shore.”
“These
defendants claimed to have legitimate jobs
in order to obtain a loan to purchase a
condo at the Shore, but we allege that their
real occupation was illegal gambling,”
said Director Paw. “They have been
living the high life, driving luxury SUVs
and splitting their time between a newly
renovated home in Philadelphia and the Margate
condo.”
On
April 3, 2006, the Division of Criminal
Justice – assisted by the Pennsylvania
Attorney General’s Office, the Philadelphia
Police Department, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s
Office and the Margate Police Department
– executed search warrants at the
defendants’ Philadelphia home, a second
location on South 20th Street in Philadelphia
where bets were allegedly processed, and
the defendants’ Margate condo. Investigators
seized alleged gambling records in all three
locations.
The
charges of theft by deception and falsifying
records relate to alleged fraudulent claims
made by Starita and Wagner in their loan
application to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
Both men claimed to work for ITAL-UIL, USA,
Inc., a legitimate business with offices
in various U.S. cities, including Philadelphia,
that assists individuals moving from Italy
to the U.S. with issues such as transferring
financial assets. Starita claimed to earn
nearly $70,000 a year working for the company,
and Wagner, nearly $52,000. Neither man
actually worked for the company. It is alleged
that they claimed to work there as a cover
for their illegal gambling income.
The
case was investigated by State Investigators
Andrea Salvatini and Andrew Schrader and
additional investigators from the Division
of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized
Crime Bureau. The Pennsylvania Attorney
General’s Office assisted in the investigation.
The case was presented to the state grand
jury by Deputy Attorney General Jill S.
Mayer.
Second-degree
crimes carry a sentence of up to 10 years
in prison and a fine of $150,000, while
third-degree crimes carry a sentence of
up to five years in prison and a fine of
$15,000.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendants are presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
The indictment was handed up to Superior
Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg in Mercer
County. The case was assigned to Superior
Court in Atlantic County, where the defendants
will be ordered to appear at a later date.
>>
Starita
and Wagner Indictment (248k pdf) plug-in
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