Police departments in the United States have recently ramped up their efforts to crack down on illegal gambling operations in the country. Thanks to these recent crackdowns, there are now significantly fewer gambling operations. Other people may eventually move in to fill the void left behind by the illegal gambling kingpins but it will definitely be much hard for them to escape the watchful eyes of the lawmen.
One Person Arrested in Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, some shady individuals have been running a fairly large gambling den in San Fernando Valley. All that came to an end when the area’s police department moved in to dismantle the operation. With the help of the members of the SWAT team, they were able to detain more than a dozen people who were involved in one way or the other. Only one of the people who were detained ended up getting arrested – no details have been released regarding the individual’s involvement with the illegal gambling operation.
This particular crackdown was, in fact, part of an ongoing investigation, and this perhaps why not all details have been released. The LA police have been investigating illegal activities in the area and have previously conducted busts and raids during which they arrested 35 people. These people were involved in illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and prostitution. This might just be an indication that there is a huge illegal gambling ring operating in the underground.
New York’s Illegal Gambling Problems
Unsurprisingly, New York has had to grapple with a few issues pertaining to illegal gambling and extortion among other criminal activities. Recently, New York State Police conducted a crackdown during which they received the assistance of federal authorities. About 20 suspects were arrested on Staten Island in relation to the aforementioned activities.
11 of the people who were arrested are reportedly either members or associates of New York’s Colombo crime family. Among the things they were charges with were racketeering, extortion, loan-sharking, stalking and an attempt to fix a college basketball game.
The attempt to fix the college basketball game was discovered through wiretaps. Benjamin Bifalco, one of the defendants was captured bragging about his plans to offer members of a college basketball team thousands of dollars to throw a game. Bifalco reportedly spent the next few days persuading the players of the team to lose the game by a wide margin. By so doing, the team would not cover the point spread. These plans backfired and Bifalco has since been charged with one count of sports bribery.