ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Law enforcement agents arrested six Pennsylvanians who allegedly were running a multimillion dollar bookmaking ring out of Caesars Broadwalk Regency Hotel-Casino, authorities said Friday.
The arrests came after a raiding party of 10 FBI agents and state police troopers broke into two luxury suites and found six telephones, gambling records and $12,000 in cash, authorities said.
Agents answering the phones fielded calls from various parts of the country. Based on the volume of calls taken by police Thursday night, State Police Superintendent Col. Cliny n Pagano estimated the operation handled millions of dollars of bets each year.
Those arrested included Augustine Ferrone, 56, of Pittsburgh, who was identified by the FBI and the Pennsylvania Crime Commission as either an associate or a member of the John LaRocca crime family in Pittsburgh.
Also arrested was Andrew Kurta, 61, of Glassport, Pa., identified as an Allegheny County district magistrate; Primo Mollica, 48, and Sidney Mendlowitz, 54, both of Glassport; and Robert Weitz, 30, and Donna Stagno, 36, both of Pittsburgh.
All six were issued summonses on charges of conducting a nationwide gambling operation. A date for a preliminary hearing was not set, but authorities said they would probably present evidence seized in the case to a state grand jury.
Sources close to the investigation said authorities were attempting to determine whether Caesars officials were aware of the operation, particularly since hotel officials likely would have been involved in any requests for the installation of extra telephones in the luxury suites.
Sources also said the rooms were provided by the casino on a complimentary basis, probably because the suspects were high rollers.
A Caesars spokesman had no comment on the raid.
Pagano said the ring, which was allegedly headed by Ferrone, was handling 'layoff action' (overflow bets) on sports from other gambling operations in California, Nevada, Florida and New York.
A total of $12,000 in cash and a variety of gambling records were seized in the raid.
Pennsylvania state Sen. Leonard Bodack, his wife, and his secretary also were in one of two suites at the hotel raided Thursday night. But the three, all from Pittsburgh, were released after authorities determined they were not involved in the operation.
Bodack told a Pittsburgh newspaper he and his wife were in Atlantic City to celebrate their 28th wedding anniversary.
