Twenty arrested in connection with Bonanno crew

Samuel Maull

Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2002 | 9:35 a.m.

NEW YORK -- An investigation into gambling and loan-sharking has led to the arrests of 20 people, including one suspect's 83-year-old mother, in connection with the alleged crimes of a Bonanno organized crime crew.

The defendants, who netted more than $2.5 million a year from their criminal activities, were charged variously with enterprise corruption, loan-sharking, perjury, promoting gambling, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal contempt, said Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.

The 20 defendants were in custody and were to be arraigned Tuesday in Manhattan's State Supreme Court. They face up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the indictment's top count, enterprise corruption, which is the state's anti-racketeering statute.

Morgenthau said the indictments and arrests stemmed from an investigation of cocaine and gun sales in January 2000. He said detectives learned from telephone taps that a target in that case, Fred Kuletsky, was also collecting loan-sharking payments. The cocaine and gun case is pending.

The detectives, posing as hijackers, learned about the gambling operation after Kuletsky invited one of them to the Aquarius Social Club, the Bronx hangout of a Bonanno crew headed by capo Patrick DeFilippo, 63, Morgenthau said.

Kuletsky was indicted in March on enterprise corruption and on drug, gun and gambling counts. He has pleaded innocent and his case is pending.

At the Aquarius, Morgenthau said, an undercover detective met club caretaker Alfio Indiviglia, who ran a bookmaking and numbers business from the site. He said the undercover soon became a partner in Indiviglia's sports betting business.

The undercover's dealings with Kuletsky and Indiviglia led to court-ordered wiretaps on 15 instruments and sites, including regular and cellular telephones and pagers, one suspect's car, and the crew's meeting places. There were no listed telephone numbers for DeFilippo and Indiviglia.

The second gambling operation was run by John Spirito, 43, and Anthony Frascone, 52, Morgenthau said.