By David Amoruso

The American Mafia is an Italian-American organized crime network with operations in cities across the United States, particularly New York and Chicago. The mafia rose in power through its illicit.

Shenker attempted to open a casino in Atlantic City also called the Dunes Hotel and Casino but it never got completed. Wyman is in the Poker Hall of Fame and ran the gaming operations at Dunes. Wyman was known to be a heavy gambler and this led gaming authorities to pass a regulation that banned casino bosses from gambling in casinos they owned. He was released in November of 2006 and went back to work for his superiors in the New York Mafia. He has now been caught up in what authorities have named “Operation Shark Bait,” a long-term investigation into the Genovese mob crew led by DeMeo that ran lucrative illegal gambling and loansharking operations throughout New York.

When state police raided Iaconi gambling operations in Fitchburg, the bookies were tipped off and evaded arrest. Symbolizing the relationship between law enforcement and mobsters was the attendance at the 1946 wedding of Iaconi’s son of no less a personage than the Sheriff of Worcester County. Meyer Mob was the kingpin of a small group of mobsters who were mainly into grand theft auto, larceny and all sorts of illegal gambling operations. Meyer Mob began this gang when he identified that there was no Jewish gang in his neighborhood like how there was an Italian gang and an Irish Gang.

Thirteen mobsters part of New York’s Genovese crime family were arrested yesterday and charged with running an illegal off-shore gambling operation, loansharking, tax evasion, and selling untaxed cigarettes.

The highest ranking wiseguy in this typical mob bust is Salvatore “Sallie” DeMeo. At age 76, DeMeo has seen it all and is alleged to be an official “made” member of the Genovese family. His criminal pedigree is well-documented and includes arrests for armed robbery in the 1990s.

After going on the lam and featuring on America’s Most Wanted, DeMeo (right) turned himself in and did his time. He was released in November of 2006 and went back to work for his superiors in the New York Mafia.

He has now been caught up in what authorities have named “Operation Shark Bait,” a long-term investigation into the Genovese mob crew led by DeMeo that ran lucrative illegal gambling and loansharking operations throughout New York.

According to the indictment, the illegal off-shore gambling operation was based in Costa Rica and was available online via www.4Spades.org. The website delivered the mob crew millions of dollars’ worth of wagers.

Where people gamble, people tend to both win and lose money. Those who win tend to bet until they lose. When the inevitable loss occurs, these gamblers need money to win. The Mafia is always willing to lend these customers a helping hand by loaning them a nice sum. However, the sum comes at an ever-increasing price.

As Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told the press, “Loan sharks shamelessly saddle their victims with outrageous loan rates that are impossible to repay. These defendants allegedly went to great lengths to trap their victims with exorbitant rates, all while evading our gambling laws and taking off-shore bets.”

Two members of the crew, 62-year-old Gennaro Geritano and 76-year-old Mario Leonardi, both associates of the Genovese family, were also charged with selling over 30,000 untaxed cigarettes in New York.

Get the latest on organized crime and the Mafia at Gangsters Inc.'s news section.

Follow Gangsters Inc. on Twitter and Facebook

If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy reading:

The Man Who Runs New York: Genovese family boss Liborio Bellomo
New tactics needed in hunt for Sicilian Mafia boss Messina Denaro - Prosecutor: 'He's not normal.'
How Meyer Lansky laundered the Mafia's dirty cash - and made them bigger than US Steel
EXCLUSIVE: Gotti film crew gets together, new cast members revealed
Lucky's Luck: How Charlie Luciano got out of jail and passed go
INTERVIEW: Former mob boss John Gotti Junior sits down with Gangsters Inc.

Copyright © Gangsters Inc.

Bugsy Siegel is one of America’s most notorious mobsters that was single handedly responsible for several murders, illegal gambling operations, bootlegging operations and even prostitution rings. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was born in 1906 in Brooklyn, New York and he died at the age of 47 when he was shot at the Beverly Hills residence of his then girlfriend, Virginia Hill.

Siegel was known to be a bit of a good-looking philanderer who wasn’t only easy on the eyes, but also had a charismatic personality. Siegel has his hands everywhere, not only was he a key figure in Jewish mobs, but was also had connections within the Italian – American mafia and even the Italian – Jewish National Crime Syndicate.

During the prohibition, Siegel operated mostly as a big shot bootlegger and dealt illegal booze among other things. However, Siegel stepped into illegal gambling and casinos only after the prohibition was lifted and his boot legging was no more as profitable. Even though he was a mastermind behind many operations and crime rings, Siegel was mostly a hit man who knew his way around guns and did not shy away from violence. In the year 1936, Siegel moved away from New York to California.

He frequented Las Vegas, Nevada where he then took his illegal gambling business to the next level. He invested in and managed many of the original casinos. In fact, the Las Vegas strip as we know it today, was shaped and initially sparked by Siegel and his associates.

During his early days, Siegel’s introduction to crime started off simultaneously as his friendship with Meyer Lansky, also known as Meyer Mob, started to blossom. Meyer Mob was the kingpin of a small group of mobsters who were mainly into grand theft auto, larceny and all sorts of illegal gambling operations. Meyer Mob began this gang when he identified that there was no Jewish gang in his neighborhood like how there was an Italian gang and an Irish Gang.

Siegel became one of Meyer Mob’s very first recruits and he served as the hit man and muscle of the group for the most part. It was this exposure to illegal gambling and other criminal operations which gave Siegel the experience and the knowledge which later manifested into he-himself becoming a big shot kingpin and casino owner who was known and feared all across the country.

Siegel loved the lavish life, loved to be a womanizer, loved the nightlife, flashy clothes, swanky houses and flashy cars. However, he also had a reputation for being downright fearless. In an interview with biographers, one of his fellow mobsters, Joseph “Doc” Stacher, had told biographers that Siegel was one of the most fearless men he knew and on one occasion had even saved the lives of his gang members. While everyone was wondering how to cope with an attack, Siegel supposedly would already be all guns blazing.

It was in the late 30’s that Siegel’s life was really under threat and he moved to the east coast. This is when his involvement with casinos really got some traction. His objective during his Californian years was to develop and strengthen syndicate – sanctioned gambling rackets along with Jack Dragna Md live poker. , a Los Angeles family boss.

In the early forties, Siegel and his bookmaking efforts were said to be pulling in a staggering amount of money in the order of nearly half a million a day, which for the forties is really a ludicrous amount. Seigel also had connections with politicians, businessmen, industrial tycoons, attorneys, accountants and lobbyists. In December 1946 Siegel opened The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino at a cost of $6 million, which was once again, more than an absurd sum in those days.

It was on 20^th June, 1947 that Siegel breathed his last breath. He was in his girlfriend’s residence in Beverley Hills and was accompanied by his associate Allen Smith when an assailant shot him multiple times with a .30 caliber. He took two bullets to the head and several more elsewhere in his body and pretty much died on the spot. To this day, nobody has been charged with his murder and the killing remains an unsolved mystery.

Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal

Frank Lawrence Rosenthal lived a life so eventful that his life was depicted in Martin Scorsese’s film Casino. Rosenthal was many things, a husband, a father, a professional gambler, an entrepreneur

Mob Gambling Operations