Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York, announced that EUGENE CASTELLE, a/k/a “Boobsie,”
was found guilty of conspiracy to commit racketeering and operation of an
illegal gambling business following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge
Alvin K. Hellerstein.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “For years, Eugene Castelle used intimidation
and threats of violence to line his pockets as a member of the Luchese Family
of La Cosa Nostra. Castelle now stands
convicted of serious federal crimes.
Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to
investigate and prosecute members of the Mafia.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and
the evidence presented in court during the trial:
Between 2012 and January 2018, CASTELLE acted as a soldier
in the Luchese Family of La Cosa Nostra, often referred to as the Mafia. CASTELLE used his position in the Luchese
Family to receive thousands of dollars, over multiple years, from a large-scale
illegal sports betting business operating through off-shore websites in Costa
Rica. CASTELLE protected the business
from other members of the Mafia, used threats of violence to collect debts owed
to the business, and extorted the bookmaker for annual payments of
“tribute.” CASTELLE also committed other
racketeering acts, such as holding a “no show” job as a carpenter at a
construction project where he was paid a carpenter’s wages for many months
without ever settting foot on the jobsite.
*
* *
CASTELLE, 59, of Staten Island, New York, was found guilty
of one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, which carries a maximum
potential sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of operation of an
illegal gambling business, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five
years. The jury acquitted CASTELLE of
one count of attempted extortion. The
maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here
for informational purposes only, as any sentence of the defendant will be
determined by the judge. CASTELLE is
scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Hellerstein on September 20, 2019.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the
Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, the
Department of Labor, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the New York City Police Department, and the Special Agents of
the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Berman also thanked the Kings County
District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and
Organized Crime Unit. The trial in this
case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Hagan Scotten and Jacob
R. Fiddelman.
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