4 days ago
23
(NewsNation) — A erstwhile enforcer for the Bonanno transgression household says this week’s national indictment alleging Mafia-rigged poker games is an exaggerated effort by the authorities to person radical La Cosa Nostra is arsenic atrocious arsenic ever.
In reality, Gene Borrello said, the “clown show” of a lawsuit truly shows however acold the mob has fallen, astatine slightest compared to its fearful heyday.
“There’s nary much killings and bodies being buried and existent Mafia stuff. It’s each watered down. It’s similar a assemblage fraternity conscionable doing immoderate sports,” Borrello, who spent 13 years down bars, told “Banfield” connected Friday.
Federal prosecutors accidental respective members from 4 transgression families utilized NBA celebrities to lure affluent players to high-stakes poker games. There, high-tech devices were allegedly employed to cheat radical of much than $7 million. If losers couldn’t wage up, they were threatened. In astatine slightest 1 instance, a subordinate was punched successful the face, authorities said.
“When we spot these indictments, we laughter astatine them,” Borrello said. “It’s not a existent mob case. There’s nary violence, there’s conscionable a menace of it, and nothing’s adjacent happening. The aged mob cases are murder, torture, kidnapping, equipped robbery, arson, assault.”
The caller lawsuit centers connected fixed gambling, Borrello said, yet prosecutors are crowing astir “the notorious Bonanno family.”
“There’s thing notorious astir them nary more. They don’t adjacent perpetrate violence,” helium said. “Nobody volition get much than 15 months connected this case. Nobody.”
Borrello said helium knows immoderate of the defendants, including Nicholas “Fat Nick” Minucci, but isn’t definite wherefore the feds statement him arsenic being mobbed up. Minucci, Borrello said, was formed retired of his organization. He said different acquaintance of his, Angelo Ruggiero Jr., “is really the pugnacious 1 connected the indictment.”
