Commack Man Among 9 Accused of Organized Crime Roles

Nine men, including a Nassau County detective, were charged Tuesday with racketeering and illegal gambling offenses, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office said.

Eight of the nine men have been arrested; the ninth, Joseph Rutigliano, 63, of Commack, remains at large.

Two indictments accusing the men of being a part of organized crime were unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn.

“Today’s arrests of members from two La Cosa Nostra crime families demonstrate
that the Mafia continues to pollute our communities with illegal gambling, extortion, and
violence while using our financial system in service to their criminal schemes,” said United
States Attorney Breon Peace. “The defendants tried to hide their criminal activity by operating
from behind the cover of a coffee bar, a soccer club, and a shoe repair shop, but our Office
and our law enforcement partners exposed their illegal operations.”

The indictments and court filings, say that members of the Genovese and Bonanno organized crime families operated several illegal gambling operations in the Eastern District of New York. “Beginning in at least May 2012, the Genovese and Bonanno families jointly operated a lucrative illegal gambling operation in Lynbrook called the Gran Caffe. The profits earned through this and other gambling locations generated substantial revenue, which was then laundered through cash transfers to the defendants and through “kicking up” to the crime families’ leaders. Rutigliano and Rubino
collected the proceeds for the Genovese crime family and distributed them up to higherranking members, including Polito and Macario. At times, Gabriele collected the proceeds for the Bonanno crime family and distributed them up to higher-ranking members of that family, including Anthony Pipitone and Vito Pipitone,” court documents said.

“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. The Bonanno crime family—through Anthony Pipitone, Vito Pipitone, Gabriele and others—operated illegal gambling parlors at establishments called the Soccer Club, La Nazionale Soccer Club and Glendale Sports Club.”

The indictments also say that  Hector Rosario, a detective with the Nassau County Police Department, accepted money from the Bonanno crime family in exchange for offering to arrange police raids of competing gambling locations. Rosario is charged with obstructing a grand jury investigation  and lying to the FBI.
The illegal gambling locations include:
• La Nazionale Soccer Club, 80-13 Myrtle Avenue, Queens
• Glendale Sports Club, 74-03 Myrtle Avenue, Queens
• Gran Caffe, 31 Hempstead Avenue, Lynbrook
• Soccer Club, 129 Rockaway Avenue, Valley Stream
• Sal’s Shoe Repair, 41 Merrick Avenue, Merrick
• Centro Calcio Italiano Club, 1007 Little East Neck Road, West Babylon
The charges in the indictments are allegations, and the defendants are
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The defendants are:
JOSEPH MACARIO
Age: 68
West Islip
CARMELO POLITO
Age: 63
Whitestone
SALVATORE RUBINO
Age: 58
4
Bethpage
JOSEPH RUTIGLIANO
Age: 63
Commack
MARK FEUER
Age: 59
Oceanside
AGOSTINO GABRIELE
Age: 35
Glendale
ANTHONY PIPITONE
Age: 49
Deer Park
VITO PIPITONE
Age: 40
Wellington, Florida
HECTOR ROSARIO
Age: 49
Mineola