http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-david-stroj-bookmaking-indictment-2015dec19-story.htmlStakes high for alleged bookie ringleader
Philadelphia ties
The alleged mafia connection surfaced in a 2008 case in Pennsylvania. Authorities arrested 17 people, including Stroj, and accused them of running a gambling enterprise that included a basement casino entered through a steel door, a sports-betting website, and an 800 phone number for people without computer access.
Police estimated the operation took in $1 million a month.
It was run by Nicholas Cimino, aka Nicky the Hat, who in turn paid a monthly “tax” to someone higher up the mafia flow chart: Louis “Bent Finger Lou” Monacello. Both were convicted, and Monacello later became a government witness against other alleged mobsters.
Stroj was described in press accounts as “a former Philadelphia bookmaker” who traveled to Pennsylvania from Chula Vista to pay people involved in the sports bookmaking ring. He pleaded guilty.
His lawyer disputed that Stroj has ties to La Cosa Nostra. “If he was really connected to the mob, how come none of them have been charged in this case?” Low asked. “That’s the kind of thing they say when they want to make it all sound worse than it is.”
Stroj is charged with two counts of conducting an illegal gambling business, one count of conspiracy to launder money, and two counts of transportation for prostitution.
The money-laundering charge carries the steepest potential penalty: a maximum of 20 years in custody and a fine of $500,000. Investigators said bookmaking proceeds were deposited in player accounts at the casinos and then withdrawn as cash or chips.
