Operating poker games illegally is a crime in New York State and now one mortician faces jail time for operating The Press gambling den. Joseph Fumando was handed a guilty verdict after only a short deliberation by the jury in Brooklyn Federal Court last week for his part in the gambling den of Staten Island.
Joseph Fumando is known by his friends as The Undertaker and was found guilty just 20 minutes after deliberations started. Despite the defense claiming that Fumando was only a participant in the poker gaming, he was found guilty and could face several years in prison, even losing his license as a mortician.
Felix Gilroy, Funamdo’s lawyer, argued that his client was only participating in the poker games and was not the operator. According to the NYDailyNews report, The gaming took place at a former printing business on Victory Boulevard and earned the nickname as The Press due to the former use of the building.
Court documents showed that federal investigators began to look in to the gambling operation back in 2010 after the District Attorney’s office in Queens heard an undercover officer on wiretap talking about an illegal gambling club located in Staten Island. An investigation soon began and after a year of infiltration, officers raided The Press and took in 13 people including Fumando.
Deborah Berardi worked as a dealer for the illegal card games and was able to cut a deal by providing information and testifying against Fumando. According to Berardi, the game would take place and offer prizes, hot food would be present and a waitress was on hand to provide shoulder massages. After the guilty verdict, Fumando could now spend as much as 12 to 16 months in prison for his involvement in the operation and may very well lose his license to operate as a mortician on top of the government charges.
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