United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

EAST HAVEN MAN SENTENCED FOR GAMBLING OFFENSE

Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BIAGIO MARTINELLI, age 67, of 111 Messina Drive, East Haven, Connecticut was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Alan H. Nevas in Bridgeport for conspiring to engage in an organized crime-controlled sports bookmaking business. The offense stems from a joint federal, state, and local prosecution of illegal gambling businesses in Connecticut. Judge Nevas, in view of MARTINELLI's Crohn's Disease, departed from the Sentencing Guidelines and placed MARTINELLI on three years of probation, the first six months of which he must spend under home confinement. During the supervision period, MARTINELLI is prohibited from gambling or entering any gambling facility, either legal or illegal.

On February 18, 2004, MARTINELLI pleaded guilty, admitting that he participated in the illegal sports bookmaking business. As disclosed during earlier court proceedings, federal investigators working with state and local law enforcement had conducted court-authorized electronic surveillance from late 1999 to early 2000 as part of an organized crime investigation. During this period, the FBI intercepted conversations that a New Haven based sports bookmaking business accepted more than $2,300,000 in illegal wagers on sporting events like football, baseball, and basketball. The investigation determined that the sports bookmaking business operated year-round from at least 1996 to March 2000, accepting wagers on other sporting events and accepting layoff wagers from other bookmakers. In addition to the sports bookmaking business, law enforcement officers intercepted calls and gathered evidence of the operation of other illegal gambling businesses, including a street numbers business that operated from at least January 1997 to March 2000. The gambling businesses violated various state laws prohibiting gambling.

Previously, the Court ordered MARTINELLI, under a grant of immunity, to testify before the grand jury. MARTINELLI refused to testify and, from March 2000 to February 2001, he was incarcerated for civil contempt.

In addition to this conviction, the following 18 people have been convicted of federal offenses as part of the investigation: Anthony J. Ascenzia Jr., Alphonse Amendola, Carl Apuzzo, Charles Cerreta, Thomas Coppola, James Cretella, Steven Datillo, Kevin Dolan, Mariano Grasso, Ralph Iannuzzi, Michael Lamberti, Angelo Lucifora, Benedetto Minichino, Anthony M. Natalizio, Anthony Notarino, Nicholas B. Onofrio Jr., John Joseph Vitello, and John Zullo.

"This Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to disrupting illegal gambling rings and all forms of organized criminal activity, wherever they exist," U.S. Attorney O'Connor stated.

U.S. Attorney O'Connor explained that the prosecutions are the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Statewide Organized Crime Investigation Task Force of the Connecticut State Police, and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov