Staten Island man sentenced to probation, $4M asset forfeiture for role in gambling ring
Published: Tuesday, May 29, 2012
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Willowbrook man who was a top clerk in his father's multimillion-dollar online betting scheme run out of a Castleton Corners strip mall was sentenced today to five years' probation.
Joseph Stentella was busted in May of last year as cops, federal agents and the district attorney's office raided Pawz and Clawz Pet Supplies, the Manor Road shop that authorities said served as the operation's home base.
But Anthony Stentella and his father, Joseph Stentella, must also surrender about $4 million in assets, which consist of homes, rental properties and classic cars, said a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.
In March, Anthony Stentella, 30, pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court St. George, to a felony count of attempted enterprise corruption, stemming from his role in his dad's gambling operation. The younger Stentella is a first-time felony offender, said authorities.
His lawyer, Jeffrey Tomei of St. George, declined comment today on the sentence.
The Stentellas were busted in May of last year as cops, federal agents and the district attorney's office raided Pawz and Clawz Pet Supplies, the Manor Road shop that authorities said served as the operation's home base.
In all, there were 28 arrests in the borough, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, related to the ring, officials said. At least 12 suspects were Islanders.
At its height, the operation raked in $100,000 a week, especially during football season, Donovan said.
As late as April of last year, the elder Stentella had as many as 600 people placing bets through his sprawling scheme. Gamblers wagered on horse races, football, basketball, hockey and mixed martial arts, according to federal documents.
So sharp was his gambling acumen that Joseph Stentella once boasted that he should have been in charge of the failed city Off-Track Betting agency.
The ring maintained a "wire room" in Meiers Corners, and a backup in Willowbrook before shifting the wire room to Costa Rica.
Authorities seized up to $5.7 million in assets, including the strip mall, three homes, rental property Joseph Stentella owns in Costa Rica and 14 classic cars, along with $50,000 in cash.
The elder Stentella kept the stable of pricey "muscle cars," worth about $100,000 each, in a Fredericksburg, Pa., showroom, the district attorney said.
The other seized assets were either used to facilitate the organization or purchased with its proceeds, authorities said.
The district attorney said detectives began investigating the activities at the former Monte's Video in March 2009 based on a tip. Joseph Stentella operated the shop, which is in the strip mall at 921-933 Manor Rd.
Officials said Stentella and associates took bets inside the storefront, which, earlier last year, was converted to a pet shop called Pawz and Clawz Pet Supplies.
Officials said the ring charged interest rates of 4 percent per week, or more than 200 percent per year.
In March, Joseph Stentella pleaded guilty to enterprise corruption, the top count against him. He is slated to be sentenced July 20 to a minimum of one year to a maximum of three years behind bars, plus the asset forfeitures, said Donovan's spokesman.
Assistant District Attorney David Frey is prosecuting the case.
Joseph Stentella was busted in May of last year as cops, federal agents and the district attorney's office raided Pawz and Clawz Pet Supplies, the Manor Road shop that authorities said served as the operation's home base.
But Anthony Stentella and his father, Joseph Stentella, must also surrender about $4 million in assets, which consist of homes, rental properties and classic cars, said a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.
In March, Anthony Stentella, 30, pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court St. George, to a felony count of attempted enterprise corruption, stemming from his role in his dad's gambling operation. The younger Stentella is a first-time felony offender, said authorities.
His lawyer, Jeffrey Tomei of St. George, declined comment today on the sentence.
The Stentellas were busted in May of last year as cops, federal agents and the district attorney's office raided Pawz and Clawz Pet Supplies, the Manor Road shop that authorities said served as the operation's home base.
In all, there were 28 arrests in the borough, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, related to the ring, officials said. At least 12 suspects were Islanders.
At its height, the operation raked in $100,000 a week, especially during football season, Donovan said.
As late as April of last year, the elder Stentella had as many as 600 people placing bets through his sprawling scheme. Gamblers wagered on horse races, football, basketball, hockey and mixed martial arts, according to federal documents.
The ring maintained a "wire room" in Meiers Corners, and a backup in Willowbrook before shifting the wire room to Costa Rica.
Authorities seized up to $5.7 million in assets, including the strip mall, three homes, rental property Joseph Stentella owns in Costa Rica and 14 classic cars, along with $50,000 in cash.
The elder Stentella kept the stable of pricey "muscle cars," worth about $100,000 each, in a Fredericksburg, Pa., showroom, the district attorney said.
The other seized assets were either used to facilitate the organization or purchased with its proceeds, authorities said.
The district attorney said detectives began investigating the activities at the former Monte's Video in March 2009 based on a tip. Joseph Stentella operated the shop, which is in the strip mall at 921-933 Manor Rd.
Officials said Stentella and associates took bets inside the storefront, which, earlier last year, was converted to a pet shop called Pawz and Clawz Pet Supplies.
Officials said the ring charged interest rates of 4 percent per week, or more than 200 percent per year.
In March, Joseph Stentella pleaded guilty to enterprise corruption, the top count against him. He is slated to be sentenced July 20 to a minimum of one year to a maximum of three years behind bars, plus the asset forfeitures, said Donovan's spokesman.
Assistant District Attorney David Frey is prosecuting the case.
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