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Published on
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A U.S. citizen surnamed Villani (60) from Elmsford New York, pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, including racketeering, money laundering and illegal gambling from Costa Rica and the U.S. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, the proceedings were held before District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto. As detailed in the indictment and court filings, for over 25 years, Villani has been involved in significant gambling operations, principally based in the Bronx and Westchester, New York, that were affiliated with multiple organized crime families. Villani owned and operated the gambling business since at least 2004. The business was hosted using servers in Costa Rica and employed Costa Rica's local bookmakers to pay and collect winnings. As part of the scheme, Villani employed trusted individuals, including defendants, surnamed Tucci (61) and Filizzola (61), to assist in operating the business and collecting at least $1 million annually. Records obtained from the gambling business’s website indicated that Villani’s illegal gambling operation regularly took bets from between 400 and 1,300 bettors each week, most of whom were based in New York City and the metropolitan area. At Villani’s direction, Filizzola took proceeds from the gambling business and used them to purchase U.S. Postal Service money orders in false names, which were then made payable to one of Villani’s property companies to appear as legitimate rental payments. As part of Villani’s plea agreement, he will pay $4 million in forfeiture. His co-defendants have agreed to pay an additional approximately $1 million in forfeiture.
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