What's the world coming to when wiseguys are ratting on corrupt cops? Even more embarrassing for LCN, it's a soft gambling case, not even a case with a pile of bodies. Details below:

A mobbed-up Nassau cop working behind-the-scenes for the Bonanno Family staged a fake raid to shut down a gambling parlor run by rival Genovese gangster Salvatore “Sal the Shoemaker” Rubino, federal prosecutors charge in new court filings.

Now-fired Nassau County Police Department Detective Hector Rosario allegedly had a side gig working for the Bonanno Family — and the Bonannos considered Rubino’s gambling den in his Merrick, L.I. shop, Sal’s Shoe Repair, the competition, the feds say.

So in 2013 or 2014, two Bonanno members paid Rosario to shut the place down and Rosario got to work, according to a January filing by federal prosecutors.

The two Bonannos who gave the order are expected to sing at Rosario’s trial in Brooklyn Federal Court next month. Neither are named in the court filings.

One of the informants, a Bonanno associate, is expected to testify he was in the room when Rosario and his “associates” barged into Rubino’s shoe repair shop, broke one of the gambling machines and demanded Rubino tell them where he could find Joseph “Joe Box” Rutigliano, a Genovese associate who collected the gambling proceeds, according to the feds.

The Bonannos also paid Rosario to shut down at least two Gambino gambling spots, according to prosecutors. The bent detective also provided a “tip” to his Nassau cop colleagues about the existence of a betting parlor the Bonannos saw as competition, the feds allege.

Rosario, who was fired from the Nassau County Police Department in August 2022,  is set to go on trial next month in Brooklyn Federal Court for obstructing a grand jury investigation and lying to the FBI.

Rosario and the Bonanno associate became close friends around 2008 and the gangster enlisted the detective into a life of crime, the feds allege. Rosario used a law enforcement database to look up a possible government cooperator for his Bonanno buddy in 2018 to determine if they were a snitch, according to the feds.

He also visited his Bonanno friend’s marijuana grow house, offered to transport the pot, helped the gangster obtain heroin and discussed a plot to conduct a fake raid on a drug dealer in Hempstead, the feds allege.

The gangster introduced Rosario to the second cooperator, a made member of the Bonnano family, as a “dirty cop” and Rosario lived up to the label, even going as far as warning the made man not to talk on his cell phone because he was under criminal investigation, the feds say.

Rosario is charged with rattling off a string of lies in a January 2020 interview with the feds where he claimed he didn’t even recognize Sal the Shoemaker’s photo and had never stepped foot in a gambling spot. He remains free on $500,000 bond.

In a Jan. 10 motion, Rosario’s lawyer asked the trial judge to bar prosecutors from mentioning the mafia at all.

“References to organized crime are unnecessary to make the determination of whether Mr. Rosario was truthful in his statements to the FBI, ” defense lawyer Louis Freeman wrote. “There is simply no need to introduce the Five Families at Mr. Rosario’s trial in order for the jury to make factual determinations of guilt as to the crimes charged. Such explosive evidence would inevitably taint the trial, as it would be introduced only to show Mr. Rosario’s propensity for criminality.”

Freeman did not return a message seeking comment.

Rosario was busted in August 2022 along with eight other men as part of a federal takedown of Genovese and Bonanno gambling operations. The suspects were charged with running gambling dens out of cafes and sports clubs in Queens and on Long Island.

Rubino and four other Genovese gangsters pleaded guilty in the case in April. Carmelo “Carmine” Polito, a former acting captain and soldier in the Genovese Family, was sentenced to 30 months behind bars in December, while the other four await sentencing.

I don't know about you guys. On one hand, it shows that the mob is still very much active in NYC. On the other hand, to have goodfellas flipping over gambling and other minor charges is beyond pathetic. It matters not that LCN rarely kills anymore, you have guys flipping anyway rather they're facing murder or not. When the 2 Bonannos testify against the corrupt cop, the cop is going to look more gangster than them.

Just saw a comment where someone said that the CW, who was an associate, is Salvatore Zummo, and the CW, who was a Bonanno member, is Damiano Zummo.

In regards to the mob not being dead, someone commented on Reddit: It’s not dead, but breaking up each others card games isn’t really high stakes compared to all the other shit moving through these cities.

That's a retarded commented. You'd be a fool to think that they're not also involved in bigger things. I'm no genius, but I've been reading about them long enough to know that there's no crime too big or too small for the mob.

If they are "Bonanno associates" then they are not Bonannos, and the term associate can mean anything. This sounds like low level workers at a cadd game who had other things going without Bonanno knowledge.

Prosecutors are putting a shoemaker in prison for letting his back room be used for a poker game.

No, one was an associate, the other a made man. And if it turns out that it's the Zummos, well, we've been knowing about them, so case closed.

If you say so your majesty.

You two dolts are arguing about something that's been known for over a year now.

The article clearly states that one was an associate, the other was a made man. If they're both informants, then they both most probably admitted as much. Sounds like some people are having a hard time swallowing the fact that a corrupt cop is staying more true to omerta than the wiseguys he was working for. Repulsive I know, but it's true.

Known for a year now? Yeah sure, but this article just came out yesterday.

The article just coming out is irrelevant.

LI cop on mob’s payroll led fake raid on rival family’s backroom casino: feds
By Published Jan. 27, 2025, 2:51 p.m. ET
His luck finally ran out.

A Nassau County police detective allegedly moonlighting for the Bonanno crime family held “at least one” phony raid on rival gambling operations run by a Genovese associate, according to federal court documents.

Ex-cop Hector Rosario is accused of targeting and breaking equipment in Salvatore “Sal the Shoemaker” Rubino’s backdoor casino inside his Long Island store, Sal’s Shoe Repair. The Merrick business served as a front for poker games three times a week and computerized gambling machines.

Former Nassau PD detective Hector Rosario is accused of working with the Bonanno crime family by staging fake police raids on rival gambling operations. Alec Tabak
Rubino and associates pleaded guilty to charges last April.

Rosario, who was first busted in 2022 and released on a $500,000 bond, was allegedly put on the payroll by two members of the Bonanno family to target Rubino’s betting parlor in 2013 or 2014.

Sal’s Shoe Repair in Merrick was being used as a backdoor casino, according to federal documents. Google Street View
He also went after at least two Gambino family-run gambling sites and, in May of 2014, tipped off Nassau police about a gambling operation run by the family, according to January court filings.

The men who put the crooked cop to work have flipped and are expected to testify in Rosario’s Feb. 24 trial for obstructing justice when he allegedly lied to the FBI during interviews in 2020.

The former cop apparently also took his side hustle to heart. One of the witnesses said he saw Rosario “break one of the gambling machines” and shook down the location to find money man Joseph “JoeBox” Rutigliano, who also pleaded guilty in the spring.

The casino was in use from 2012 until the pandemic forced the store’s closure in 2021, the feds said.

The exterior of Gran Caffe in Lynbrook, a location feds say was used as a casino by the Bonanno and Genovese crime families is shown. 3

Gran Caffe in Lynbrook was being used as a jointly owned casino between the Bonanno and Genovese crime families, according to federal papers. Gran Caffe Gelateria / Facebook

Rosario, with the help of one of the witnesses, had also planned a phony police raid on a Hempstead drug dealer, court docs show. That same witness also used Rosario’s access to police databases to see if an associate had become a snitch in 2018.

Meanwhile, the Bonnano and Genovese families also “jointly operated a lucrative illegal gambling business” for 10 years within Lynbrook gelato shop Gran Caffe, the papers added.

The “substantial revenue” from this and other locations became the “lifeblood” of the syndicates’ big shots.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/27/us-ne...d-on-rival-familys-backroom-casino-feds/

Because as I said this isn't new. The defendant Hector Rosario was indicted back in August 2022 with the Bonannos and Genovese. We've known for years that Salvatore Russo flipped after he was indicted in 2017. It's also been known Damiano Zummo flipped following his arrest in 2017 too and had since been wearing a wire.

You and Jace want to argue about who these CWs are and if they're member sort not when it's been known years.

You guys should just sit back and listen when you're told something because more often than not you're wrong.

Liggio don't reply while being ever so confident and then delete it

Well, my apologies then. I don't know why it's being written as if it just happened.

You are the dolt. I guess you believe anything that comes out in a story. As I stated, they call everyone an associate, and I do not (Like you and others) fall for the naming of people as members until there is enough proof.

This also shows how stupid and gullible people are:
Rubino and four other Genovese gangsters pleaded guilty in the case in April. Carmelo “Carmine” Polito, a former acting captain and soldier in the Genovese Family, was sentenced to 30 months behind bars in December, while the other four await sentencing.


Polito has been identified as an associate, then a captain, then a soldier. Who know what his rank is, and why is anyone in America getting 30 months for gambling. I guess you are a fool or in LE and think by saying words like "Enterprise" will scare the public into thinking a card game in the back of a store is a threat to America's well being.

Who made you God? No one has to sit back and listen to you fool.

It's not. There was a recent hearing and the trial starts in February. It's newsworthy that a cop was on the pay of the Mafia.



Showing how far behind you are again. The government and other cooperating witnesses have identified Salvatore Russo as a Associate and Damiano Zummo as the former Acting Captain of Anthony Pipitone's crew. Carmine Polito has been identified as a former Acting Captain and current Soldier.

Unlike you Jace I know what I'm talking about. If you weren't so ignorant you could learn something.

Interesting Zummo is also linked to Canada.

These writers are slacking. If it's already known who the CWs are, they should've named them. And most importantly, don't present it as if it just happened.