Mob Boss Ran Illegal Online Casino Operation

by Mira Patel, News Staff Writer

November 12, 2007

If you’ve ever watched The Sopranos, then you might have cultivated the idea that the Mob has its hands in a wide variety of financial interests. Tony Soprano and his familia all but ran the garbage routes in New Jersey, and owned various properties, like a butcher shop and a strip club. While the Mob has long been considered the epitome of a “good ol’ boys club,” you might be surprised to know that organized crime has been keeping an eye on technology, and has taken an unprecedented step into the twenty-first century: namely, online casinos and online gambling. Last week, news broke that a rumored member of the Philadelphia Mob had been arrested on charges of running an illicit internet casino operation.

Per the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General, “Big Vince” Filipelli is currently being held in the city’s Federal Detention Center after being indicted on counts of racketeering and money laundering in the form of an unlicensed online casino. Filipelli, a former bodybuilder, was the target of a joint sting operation by the New Jersey State Police and FBI after rumors began to swirl that he was running an internet casino. With online gambling being illegal in the U.S. currently, this is no minor accusation. Filipelli faces twenty years in prison for his part in the online gambling scheme. The name of the alleged illicit online casino was not released.

Police claim that Filipelli was behind a long-term online casino sports betting website that made a great deal of money. Filipelli was linked to the internet casino by online gambling records found in his home, along with a stash of unregistered weapons and drug paraphernalia. Police sent an informant to meet with Filipelli to discuss a supposed outstanding gambling debt, and managed to record him giving evidence that he owned the site.

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