A Staten Island man was sentenced to nine years in prison after he admitted his involvement in a massive bookmaking operation with its roots in Queens.
The highly sophisticated ring stretched from Queens County west to Nevada and south to Florida and Costa Rica.
Criminal proceeds were collected and distributed throughout the United States from the illegal sports gambling enterprise that utilized sports betting websites to manage numerous gambling accounts.
The Queens DA’s office took down ‘Operation Crown Sports One’ and successfully convicted 24 of 26 individuals charged, recovering more than $2.7 million in illegal proceeds that was forfeited by the defendants.
“Illegal sports betting reaps millions of dollars in cash profits.These are not victimless crimes. …Participants often use threats, intimidation and even physical force to collect debts,” said DA Richard Brown. “We will continue to work closely with the NYPD … to close down such gambling operations. When it comes to illegal gambling in Queens County, all bets are off.”
Charles Cicalo, 49, of 31 Oakley Place in Staten Island, pleaded guilty to first-degree promoting gambling and agreed to forfeit $1,371,000 in unlawful profits and financial gains. Sentencing will take place on September 6.
Cicalo had been named in an enterprise corruption indictment filed in Queens County Supreme Court back in April 2010, which charged that he and 25 other individuals were involved in non-traditional computerized wire rooms in Costa Rica and engaged in a criminal enterprise that promoted illegal gambling activities and generated illegal wages.
According to the charges filed at the time, Cicalo worked as a bookmaker and utilized two sports gambling websites—crownsports.com and jazzsports.com.
He also employed a number of “super agents”—and agents who were responsible for soliciting new bettors to the organization, maintaining bettor relationships and meeting with players to collect gambling losses and payout winnings.
Other charges target one of Cicalo’s super agents through whom he directed gambling proceeds. Michael Flynn III, is charged with serving as both a bookmaker and banker and allegedly often transferred accounts from website to website charging percentages to accommodate bookmakers and agents using the website.