Gambino Scion, Alleged NBA Betting Fixer Among Four to Plead Guilty in Mafia Poker Cheating Case

Four people admitted to their involvement this week in an alleged Mafia-backed poker cheating network, including the son of a notorious Gambino crime family captain and a gambler connected to several basketball corruption investigations.

Angelo Ruggiero Jr., 53, of Howard Beach, N.Y., Nicholas Minucci, 39, of East Northport, N.Y., and Shane Hennen, 41, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty Tuesday (July 28) to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

A day earlier, Joseph Lanni, 54, of Staten Island, N.Y., pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business.

The men were among 31 defendants charged last October in an alleged scheme that used concealed technology and coordinated teams of players to fleece victims at illegal high-stakes poker games.

Crooked Games

According to the indictment, the games were hosted in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Las Vegas and featured former NBA players Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones, whose presence helped lend legitimacy to the operation, according to prosecutors.

Ruggiero is the son of the late Angelo “Quack Quack” Ruggiero, a Gambino captain and close associate of former family boss John Gotti.

Hennen is a convicted drug dealer and former pool hustler who later reinvented himself as a sports-betting influencer on social media.

Prosecutors allege he supplied the concealed technology used to cheat wealthy players at high-stakes poker games operated by members and associates of the Gambino and Genovese crime families.

The equipment could identify the value and sequence of cards as they were shuffled before transmitting the information to an offsite operator. That operator then relayed the details to a player at the table through a designated “quarterback” using covert signals, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say Hennen also took part in the games as a member of the cheating team.

He is alleged to be the common thread between the Mafia poker ring and two sports betting cheating cases.

NBA, NCAA Cheating

Separately, he faces federal charges alleging he helped orchestrate a far-reaching point-shaving scheme involving NCAA Division I basketball and China’s top professional league, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Prosecutors allege he played a central role in the operation by recruiting players to manipulate games and coordinating bets placed using advance knowledge of the fixes.

They further allege he participated in a betting scheme involving former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter, placing under prop bets before January and March 2024 games after receiving inside information that Porter would deliberately limit his performance.

Fifteen of the 31 defendants charged in the poker case have now pleaded guilty. Several others, including alleged Bonanno crime family member Ernest Aiello, alleged Genovese member Matthew Daddino, and former NBA player Chauncey Billups, continue to fight the charges.