Illegal NYC Sports Gambling Ring Brought In $11M, DA Says

BROOKLYN, NY — Six men were busted in Brooklyn Supreme Court this week for running an illegal online gambling scheme that brought in more than $11 million in less than a year, prosecutors said.

The six men, four from Staten Island and two from New Jersey, were arraigned Wednesday on gambling charges after taking illegal sports wagers from clients throughout New York City and New Jersey, prosecutors said.

The schemes brought in more than $11 million between September 2018 and April of this year, some of which the men laundered, prosecutors said.

“Illegal gambling is not a victimless crime, but an unlawful conduct that is often connected to loansharking, money laundering and to organized crime," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "These defendants are charged with allegedly running lucrative gambling operations that took in millions of dollars in bets. We have now shut down their enterprises and will seek to hold them accountable.”

The men include 40-year-old Ross Branca from Freehold, N.J., 56-year-old Stephen Barone from Jackson, N.J. and 45-year-old Bryan “Faith” Kelly, 60-year-old Petrit “Pete” Lusha, 58-year-old Joseph “Joe Brooklyn” Melfi and 73-year-old Anthony Sclafani, all from Staten Island.

Branca, who ran the most lucrative of the schemes, faces second-degree money laundering charges in addition to the gambling charges.

From September 2018 to March of this year, Branca was the "Master Agent" and oversaw Barone, Kelly and Lusha, who each had their own set of clients. They took in about $9 million in wagers either online or over the phone, sometimes using the website "www.Gameday365.ag," which is run out of Costa Rica, prosecutors said.

Branca laundered more than $100,000 of the gambling proceeds from one of his betters and also sought advice from Sclafani, prosecutors said.

During another scheme around the same time, Melfi was the "Master Agent" and brought in about $1.92 million in wagers using the website "www.playbig365.com," prosecutors said.

All six men were released without bail and ordered to return to court on March 9, 2020.