Copyright 2004 The Hartford Courant Company  
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
November 5, 2004 Friday, 5 NORTHWEST CONNECTICUT/SPORTS FINAL
SECTION: MAIN; Pg. A17

LENGTH: 495 words

HEADLINE: MAN GETS 3 YEARS IN RACKETEERING CASE

BYLINE: EDMUND H. MAHONY; Courant Staff Writer

BODY:
The man who ran a multimillion-dollar illegal sports betting operation in Greater New Haven for the Providence-based Patriarca organized crime family was sentenced to more than three years in prison and fined $25,000 in federal court Thursday on charges of racketeering and tax fraud.

Anthony Ascenzia, a bulky, made member of New England's dominant criminal organization, was charged as part of a law enforcement crackdown on multiple Patriarca family gambling rackets in Connecticut. The investigation took off when a rookie police officer spotted two Ascenzia associates engaged in what looked like suspicious activity in an East Haven parking lot about a week before Christmas in 1999. After stopping to inquire, the officer noticed gambling records and cash.

The investigation showed that, over one four-month period, Ascenzia's bookmaking operation collected more than $2.3 million in illegal bets on football, basketball and baseball. In addition, he ran a numbers, or illegal street lottery, business. Investigators charged that court-authorized wiretaps showed Ascenzia supervised the gambling businesses from at least 1997 to March 2000.

Law enforcement sources said that for at least part of the time Ascenzia was in the mob's gambling business, he reported to reputed Providence-based Patriarca capo Matthew Guglielmetti, who collected the family's share of the New Haven gambling proceeds.

About a year ago, someone tried to blow up automobiles driven by Ascenzia and one of his associates. Authorities said no charges have yet been filed in the destruction of the cars.

When pleading guilty to tax and racketeering charges, Ascenzia pointedly refused to acknowledge that he had taken an oath of loyalty and silence to become a soldier or made member of the Patriarca mob.

"As far as being a member of some organization, I'm not going to acknowledge that at all," Ascenzia told U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly Fitzsimmons during a court hearing in May.

But he did admit claiming only $23,239 in income in 1999, when he earned at least $194,125. And he admitted lying when he claimed on his tax forms to be a sundry salesman.

In addition to imposing a jail sentence and fine, Senior U.S. District Judge Alan H. Nevas on Thursday ordered Ascenzia to pay more than $100,000 in back taxes, penalties and interest. Also, Ascenzia agreed to give up about $140,000 in confiscated cash, property and gambling proceeds.

Twenty-one others were convicted of crimes as a result of the Ascenzia investigation. They are Alphonse Amendola, Carl Apuzzo, Charles Cerreta, Andrew Colavolpe Jr., Thomas Coppola, James Cretella, Steven Datillo, Kevin Dolan, Anthony Fry, Dominic Vincent Gentile, Mariano Grasso, Ralph Iannuzzi, Michael Lamberti Sr., Angelo Lucifora, Biagio Martinelli, Benedetto Minichino, Anthony M. Natalizio, Anthony Notarino, Nicholas B. Onofrio Jr., John Joseph Vitello and John Zullo.

Ascenzia is scheduled to report to prison on Nov. 29.