By Michael V. Cusenza
Salvatore Rubino, also known as “Sal the Shoemaker,” an associate of the Genovese organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court to operating an illegal gambling business associated with the crime family, according to prosecutors.
Previously, on April 5, four co-defendant members and associates of the family—including Agostino Gabriele of Glendale—pleaded guilty to various felony charges stemming from their long-running operation of several lucrative gambling operations in the Eastern District of New York. Carmelo “Carmine” Polito, 64, a Whitestone resident, former acting captain and a soldier within the Genovese crime family, pleaded guilty to racketeering involving the operation of an illegal gambling business and an attempted extortion. Joseph Macario, also known as “Joe Fish,” a soldier within the Genovese crime family, also pleaded guilty to racketeering. Joseph Rutigliano, also known as “Joe Box,” and Mark Feuer, associates of the Genovese crime family, pleaded guilty to felony charges relating to the operation of various illegal gambling businesses also associated with the crime family.
The above mentioned defendants are engaged in plea deals with federal prosecutors.
As detailed in earlier court filings and in facts presented at the guilty plea hearings, members of the Genovese and Bonanno organized crime families operated several illegal gambling operations in the Eastern District of New York—including La Nazionale Soccer Club in Glendale and Glendale Sports Club. Beginning in at least May 2012, the Genovese and Bonanno families jointly operated a lucrative illegal gambling operation in Lynbrook, L.I., called the Gran Caffe. The profits earned through the Gran Caffe and other illegal gambling locations generated substantial revenue, which was then “kicked up” to the crime families’ leaders. Rutigliano and Rubino collected the proceeds for the Genovese crime family and distributed them up to higher-ranking members, including Polito and Macario.
In addition to the Gran Caffe, the Genovese crime family—through Polito, Macario, Rutigliano,
Rubino and others—operated illegal gambling parlors at establishments called Sal’s Shoe Repair and the Centro Calcio Italiano Club.
Rubino told the judge that there were gambling machines installed in his shoe repair shop and card games three nights-a-week. He said his shoe repair business was located on Merrick Avenue and closed in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.
Polito, a former acting captain in the Genovese crime family, also operated an illegal online gambling scheme in which bets were placed on sporting events through a website called “PGWLines.” In connection with his operation of PGWLines, Polito attempted to extort an individual who lost several thousand dollars in bets he placed through the website. For example, in an October 2019 call concerning a delinquent debtor whose “face” Polito had previously threatened to “break,” Polito instructed another individual to relay a new message to the debtor: “Tell him I’m going to put him under the f——g bridge.”
Rubino, 60, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; his estimated sentencing guidelines range is four to 10 months. No sentencing date was set.
“[The] Mafia doesn’t get it that illegal gambling is a losing proposition,” Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said.
