Apr 8, 2008 10:36 pm US/Eastern
Police Bust Violent Underground Gambling Ring
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Alleged gambling ringleader Jesus Reynoso (left) and his alleged enforcer, Victor Rosado.
WBZ
Police say they executed more than two dozen warrants Tuesday and broke open an underground gambling ring that is estimated to have taken in about $1 million per year.
Officers from all over the state were involved in a 15-month investigation into the organized gambling syndicate that officials say involved franchises in a dozen Massachusetts businesses.
The alleged ringleader, Jesus Reynoso, 44, and his alleged enforcer, Victor Rosado, 39, were arrested Tuesday after their vehicles were tracked by hidden GPS devices.
"Make no mistake, this is not a harmless neighborhood lottery or sports book," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said. "It was a gambling enterprise where the game was rigged in favor of the ring and it was fraught with violence and corruption. Every dollar that went into this ring was a dollar stolen from the Commonwealth and its residents. Not only did its principals deprive the state of tax revenue on more than a million dollars a year, they regularly deprived players of their winnings when it suited their purposes."
Reynoso, who also goes by the name Marcos, and Rosado each face 15 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
Arrest warrants were issued at businesses in Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Roxbury, Lawrence, Leominster and Worcester.
One store that is allegedly connected with the gambling ring is La Fama Barbershop in East Boston. Police raided the shop and say it is one of many fronts to register bets and possibly to launder drug money.
Police said they used hidden GPS devices inside Reynoso and Rosado's vehicles to help create a map of the storefronts.
According to police, each business allegedly served as a front for Reynoso and Rosado's ring, with individual operators allegedly paying 60 percent of their gambling profits to the ringleaders.
Police said the investigation led to the largest seizure of electronic evidence in the state's history, including lap tops and printers that Reynoso and Rosado gave their franchises to take record wagers.
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