Mafia code of silence could hinder federal gambling case: Ex-mobster

(NewsNation) — Word to the wise from former Mafia underboss “Sammy the Bull” Gravano: Mobsters ensnared in a federal investigation into rigged poker games should think twice about cutting a deal with prosecutors, given the potential stakes involved.

He says squealing on crime family members traditionally has yielded the ultimate punishment: “In the mob, we’d kill them.”

Federal prosecutors say members of four Mafia factions were behind illegal, crooked poker games that used NBA figures to lure suckers to the table. Operators used card-counting machines and other tech to cheat well-heeled players who’d been set up by Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones, according to authorities.

Gravano, who was in the Gambino crime family, said he doesn’t think there’s an incentive for anyone to flip because sentences in this case would be relatively light, maybe just a few years in prison.

“These are small sentences that they’ll plea out. Everybody will pound their chest (and say) they won,” he told “Banfield” on Thursday.

Criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos isn’t so sure.

“There will be a rush for the prosecutor’s door. One of those defendants will roll over, cooperate against someone else, and that will start a domino effect,” he said.

Does the Mafia really use old-school violence?

Besides the rigged poker games, prosecutors laid out a separate conspiracy in which NBA insiders allegedly sold confidential information that accomplices used to make sports bets. Some observers were more fascinated by the alleged Mafia plot, which resembles an "Ocean's Eleven" movie, and accusations that mobsters used old-school intimidation tactics on victims.

Former Colombo family capo Michael Franzese noted the mob’s long success with illegal gambling, even as other enterprises like bootlegging fell away.

“Gambling has been major business in our former lives, forever,” he told “Banfield.” “What happened here, I believe, is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s a major business for the guys. They love it. They’re good at it.”

If there’s an unusual aspect to the gambling case, it’s the purported coordination between four separate crime families, Gravano said: “Usually, it’s separated.”

He said he doubts allegations that Mafia muscle beat up some victims who didn’t pay up after losing.

“There’s no reason to give beatings. … I think government has always turned around and exaggerated cases,” Gravano said.

Athletes lured by 'rush' of gambling: Ex-kingpin

Former USC football player Owen Hanson, a onetime drug and gambling kingpin who was associated with a Mexican cartel before the feds busted his operation, said he's not surprised that athletes, even highly paid ones, could get mixed up in illegal gambling schemes.

“You’re chasing that rush,” he told "Elizabeth Vargas Reports." “I remember I started booking bets at 22 years old, and it just wasn’t enough. The next thing you know, I’m booking bets for the cartel and laundering money for them.”

During his career as a bookie, Hanson said, athletes commonly placed bets with him.

“I had a professional athlete in every sport gambling with me,” he said. “I’ve taken these guys golfing, and I’ve had dinner with them. … It’s that competitiveness, wanting to win.”

Reformed mobster: Blame greed for gambling scheme

Former Gambino family member Robert Borelli, who today is a minister and inspirational speaker, said illegal gambling managed by the Mafia goes back at least a century in the U.S.

“Before they did the lottery, before they did OTB betting, people came to us to gamble when they couldn’t go to the racetracks,” he told “On Balance.”

Asked why well-paid sports figures would risk their legitimate livelihoods to get involved in a mob-backed gambling ring, Borelli said greed is to blame.

“The love of money is the root of all evils. No matter how much you make, a little bit more and a little bit more never hurts,” he said.