Federal gambling case shows ‘watered down’ Mafia: Ex-mobster

(NewsNation) — A former enforcer for the Bonanno crime family says this week’s federal indictment alleging Mafia-rigged poker games is an exaggerated attempt by the government to convince people La Cosa Nostra is as bad as ever.

In reality, Gene Borrello said, the “clown show” of a case really shows how far the mob has fallen, at least compared to its fearful heyday.

“There’s no more killings and bodies being buried and real Mafia stuff. It’s all watered down. It’s like a college fraternity just doing some sports,” Borrello, who spent 13 years behind bars, told “Banfield” on Friday.

Federal prosecutors say several members from four crime families used NBA celebrities to lure wealthy players to high-stakes poker games. There, high-tech devices were allegedly employed to cheat people of more than $7 million. If losers couldn’t pay up, they were threatened. In at least one instance, a player was punched in the face, authorities said.

“When we see these indictments, we laugh at them,” Borrello said. “It’s not a real mob case. There’s no violence, there’s just a threat of it, and nothing’s even happening. The old mob cases are murder, torture, kidnapping, armed robbery, arson, assault.”

The new case centers on fixed gambling, Borrello said, yet prosecutors are crowing about “the notorious Bonanno family.”

“There’s nothing notorious about them no more. They don’t even commit violence,” he said. “Nobody will get more than 15 months on this case. Nobody.”

Borrello said he knows some of the defendants, including Nicholas “Fat Nick” Minucci, but isn’t sure why the feds label him as being mobbed up. Minucci, Borrello said, was cast out of his organization. He said another acquaintance of his, Angelo Ruggiero Jr., “is actually the tough one on the indictment.”