The NBA & The Philly Mob

[Handsome Stevie]

No Whistle-Blowing Here


Published: 09/24/2015 0 Comments Posted |

Local wiseguys aren't taking any bets on whether one of their own will ultimately be incriminated in the NBA's high-profile betting scandal. Invoking omertà, the mobsters are loath to even discuss alleged connections between an NBA referee and local sports bookies. Seems the spotlight is just too hot, as gangsters are nervous that the feds may start looking more closely at them as the story picks up steam.

It's unclear whether there is any connection between the ongoing federal probe into referee and DelCo native Tim Donaghy and a recently completed FBI investigation targeting sports bookmaking and four members of the Philly La Cosa Nostra. (Two targets are said to be "very high-ranking.") A law enforcement source claims the case is ready for a grand jury, but the U.S. Attorney's Office hasn't prioritized it — yet.

One of the alleged bookmakers in the Donaghy case attended the same Catholic high school as Donaghy — Cardinal O'Hara in Springfield — and was arrested by state police in 1998 for bookmaking. James "Baa Baa" Battista is a former restaurant owner and reputed bookie now living in Phoenixville. His attorney, Jack McMahon, says Battista has no organized-crime ties and at least one local investigator agrees: "Battista is nobody. He is small-time."

Several wiseguys and mob associates recently told City Paper that no single member, or even leader, of an organized-crime family can know every single bookie who may be connected to an associate, wannabe or a made guy.

"We're supposed to be a secret," one mob associate explains. "We don't even know the real names of some of the guys we're with."

Sound familiar? It should. Last year, local mobsters were quick to point out that they had nothing to do with a gambling operation allegedly run by former Flyer Rick Tocchet and a N.J. state trooper. Police now admit that, despite initial statements to the contrary, the mob had nothing to do with it. (When CP asked the wiseguys if those bookmakers had to pay off or lay off to the mob, they pleaded the Fifth.)

"Mac," a recent retiree from the large-scale sports-book trade who doesn't want to use his real name, concurs with the investigator's take on Baa Baa, whom he's "never heard of. ... Of course, he could be laying off to a bank that's backed by New York and that's how his name came up."

Conversations about the alleged scheme involving Donaghy and two suburban Philly bookmakers were supposedly captured on a wiretap in Brooklyn during an FBI investigation into the Gambino crew. This makes sense to Mac, who started out working for the Philly Mafia and laid off his gambling action to mob-connected "banks" but eventually grew disgusted when upstart mobster Joey Merlino came to power. (Merlino began to shake down and rip off the very bookmakers he was supposed to be backing and protecting.) So Mac took his action to New York and developed a "business relationship" with a powerful New York loan shark in the Genovese crime family, the most powerful Mafia faction in the land.

"Illegal gambling in Delaware County is splintered," says one retired DelCo law enforcement source. "Up until the 1980s, most sports books were connected to the Philadelphia Mafia. Even black bookies in places like Chester laid off to the mob. Bookies knew the mob would back their action and lend them money when needed. At least they knew it when Angelo Bruno was alive. One of Bruno's main guys, Harry 'the Hunchback' Riccobene, was big in Delaware County with all the bookies."

Back then, several large-scale illegal gambling operations in Clifton Heights, Upper Darby and Springfield were run by connected Italian-American crooks and Greek-American gangsters. DelCo was so important to the Philly Mafia that it had its own capo until 1990; Santo Idone reported to Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo until Idone's racketeering conviction landed him behind bars. That's when things fell apart.

Taking advantage of the power vacuum, a Gambino associate set up shop in DelCo. Black bookmakers turned to drug gangs for financial backing and some sports books went into business with the Pagans motorcycle gang.

Other bookies who traditionally worked with the mob were scared off by Merlino's demands of tribute from them. He also bet with them, and wanted to get paid when he won, but refused to pay when he lost. This helps explain why several suburban bookies testified against Merlino during his 2001 federal racketeering trial.

The former DelCo detective points out, however, that there will always a few wannabes who want mob backing.

"There are several mob associates here in Havertown, Glenolden, places like that. Today, they're running with the guys out of South Philly," he says. "And, there's a few old-timers out here who still run midsize sports books, and are still connected to the Philly mob. But those guys are dying off."

[Wiseguy]

Looks like this article was originally from 2007.

[Chucky]

It was, the Tocchet thing was years ago.

[Handsome Stevie]

I thought it sounded weird but somebody must of changed the date or something cause it said 9-24-2015 when i was reading it