Major Organized Crime Gambling Bust Nets Seventeen In Pa.

Police have been cracking down on illegal gambling operations around the country, but most are just average people trying to make a few extra bucks. That is not the case in the latest sting by police in Pennsylvania.

State police held a news conference on Tuesday morning to announce the details of charges that have been brought upon seventeen people in Pennsylvania. A majority of the people arrested have ties to organized crime.

The main charge were gambling related, bookmaking, but there also were charges of drug violations, and loansharking in the bust. The gambling operation was not small time, according to the police.

Authorities have documented gambling activity of over $220,000 in a one week period back in 2004. The investigation has been ongoing for six years since a man arrested on bookmaking charges began to co-operate with police.

Folsom was the site of much of the illegal gambling. The operation had an illegal casino running there. They would take bets on horse races, and also hold illegal high stakes poker games.

The leader of the group, Nicholas Cimino, also known as "Nicky The Hat", turned himself in with his girlfriend on Monday. Authorities have wire taps and informers to back their case up against the crime group.

July 22, 2008
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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