An investigation into illegal gambling in a small Raritan Borough social club resulted in the arrests of dozens of people yesterday, including operators of a $1 million-a-year sports betting operation and a Somerset County drug dealer, police said.
A yearlong investigation by the State Police and Somerset County Prosecutor's Office into the Raritan Post War Social Club on Colfax Street led to the arrests of 51 people, who face charges ranging from possession of cocaine with intent to distribute to promotion of gambling.
Mark D'Alessio, 34, of Bridgewater is accused of selling cocaine to Anthony Scaffidi, 59, of Readington, who police say has links to the Genovese crime family in New York and ran the illegal video poker operation at the club.
D'Alessio also allegedly sold drugs to brothers Raymond and Richard Killough, operators of a sports betting operation out of a home in Middlesex Borough.
The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office already had D'Alessio in its sights from previous alleged illegal drug activities, and it joined forces with the State Police when troopers linked him to the social club. A joint investigation netted the four and a host of their friends, relatives and others, rounded up on lesser charges in a sweep that began Monday night and continued into the next day.
One suspect was stopped in his car by arresting officers, while others were roused out of their beds.
Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest said it had not yet been determined whether any of those arrested were members of the club.
The members-only social club was shuttered after investigators armed with search warrants marched in, removed gambling records, an undisclosed amount of cash and the video poker terminals.
"That's quite a shock," said George Melitsky, a bartender at Espo's restaurant, which is within walking distance of the club. Businesspeople, residents and local officials said they had not been aware of illegal activities taking place in the makeshift casino.
"I went there to help set up golf outings or to watch TV on New Year's Day," said Somerset County Sheriff Fank Provenzano, a former member about six or seven years ago.
The social club sits on a quiet side street lined with tidy brick homes, two-family houses and a small electrical supply firm. An American flag still flew outside the low-slung, white-aluminum-sided building yesterday, where a large sign proudly states the organization's 1946 charter date.
Only a handwritten note on the door offered a hint of the club's current situation.
"Club is closed till further notice. Do not enter (this includes all members)."
Organized crime investigators from the State Police said they had first zeroed in on Scaffidi over the past year, suspecting he was connected to the mob and using the club as a base of operations for gambling.
"Anthony Scaffidi is identified as a soldier in the Genovese family out of New York. He's running his own crew out here," said State Police Lt. Mark Doyle.
At the same time, detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office were following D'Alessio's alleged drug activities in the Raritan Borough and Bridgewater Township area.
A link was made to the club when investigators said they discovered D'Alessio was a regular, who went often to play on the gambling machines and supply cocaine to Scaffidi and others.
Among D'Alessio's customers were the Killough brothers, thus linking the club to a bookmaking operation that took in $20,000 a day in bets and profits of more than a $1 million a year. Wagers were placed by phone and over the Internet and handled out of Richard Killough's home in Middlesex.
The roundup executed nine search warrants, catching Scaffidi and an associate in the club just after 8 p.m. Monday. Scaffidi had approximately a gram of cocaine in his pants pocket, said investigators, and was charged with third-degree counts of drug possession and conspiracy to possess drugs.
He and three others were also charged with fourth-degree gambling counts that included maintaining a gambling resort.
Also nabbed were D'Alessio and the Killoughs on second-degree counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute.
Investigators said D'Alessio's alleged drug dealings and taste for lady luck had been the undoing of an operation that was out of place in a small town, and inside one of its longtime proud organizations.
"It's a social club. We did charity stuff. It was a fun place to hang out," said past president Anthony Ianniello. "I think there were some bad apples using the club for their own purposes."