Two Genovese Family Members Plead Guilty in Illegal Betting

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Two members of the Genovese organized crime family pleaded guilty yesterday to running an illegal gambling racket in the Bronx, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said.

John Caggiano, 59, and Douglas Maleton, 60, of the Bronx, were subjects of a 17-month investigation that uncovered illegal gambling rings at the New York City Terminal Produce Cooperative Market, at the Hunts Point Cooperative Meat Market, both in the Bronx, and at various other locations in New York County, the district attorney’s office said. Caggiano was the owner of one of the largest wholesalers in the Hunts Point market, C&S Wholesale Produce.

The illegal betting involved both sports bets and “policy” bets, known colloquially as “numbers.” The district attorney’s office said the gambling operations took in about $1 million in bets a year.

A co-defendant, Ralph Balsamo, who was the head of the Hunts Point crime gang and a member of the Genovese crime family, had earlier pleaded guilty to enterprise corruption. Known as the “Undertaker” because his day job involved running a Bronx funeral parlor, Balsamo was sentenced to between 21/2 and 71/2 years in prison, and fined $50,000. Caggiano worked as Balsamo’s lieutenant in the Hunts Point gambling enterprise, authorizing and supervising gambling activities. Caggiano’s father-in-law is Dominick “Quiet Dom” Cirillo, the former acting boss of the Genovese crime family, according to the district attorney’s office.

As part of the two men’s plea bargain, Caggiano pleaded guilty yesterday in the New York State Supreme Court to enterprise corruption, a felony. He will be sentenced in the state supreme court to between 11/2 and 41/2 years in prison November 3, and will be fined $176,000. Maleton pleaded guilty to attempted enterprise corruption, also a felony, and is due to be sentenced to one year in jail October 10.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use