Anthony Villani, 60, a soldier in the notorious Luchese crime family, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including racketeering, money laundering, and illegal gambling. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced Villani’s guilty plea on Thursday, shedding light on his role in operating a large-scale illegal gambling operation under the protection of the Luchese family.
As part of his plea agreement, Villani agreed to forfeit $4 million in assets. His criminal activities centered around an illegal online gambling business known as “Rhino Sports,” which was run with the backing of the Luchese crime family across the New York metropolitan area. The operation, which had been active since the early 2000s, generated millions of dollars in illicit profits annually.
The online gambling platform was hosted on servers located in Costa Rica and utilized local bookmakers to collect and disburse winnings. Villani’s network included members and associates of not just the Luchese crime family, but also other La Cosa Nostra families. At its peak, Rhino Sports regularly took bets from between 400 and 1,300 bettors every week, with the majority of bettors based in New York City.
The department’s investigation revealed that Villani’s co-defendants, including Louis Tucci Jr., 61, and Dennis Filizzola, 61, were tasked with helping to run the business and ensured the collection of at least $1 million annually. Filizzola, specifically, laundered gambling proceeds by purchasing money orders in false names from the U.S. Postal Service and making them payable to one of Villani’s property companies, attempting to disguise the illicit funds as legitimate rental payments.
Villani’s operations have now been brought to an end, but the consequences for his actions remain severe. With the possibility of facing up to 20 years in prison, the case serves as a stark reminder of the serious consequences associated with organized crime and illegal gambling operations.
Villani’s sentencing will take place later this year, marking the end of a long-standing criminal enterprise, but the broader criminal activities of the Luchese family continue to be scrutinized by authorities. The case highlights the ongoing battle between federal law enforcement and organized crime syndicates operating in major cities across the U.S.