Carmelo "Carmine" Polito, a 64-year-old former acting capo of the Genovese crime family, received a 30-month prison sentence for operating illegal gambling operations in Long Island. The sentence was handed down on Friday following his April 5 guilty plea.

The illegal operation was run out of Gran Caffé, a gelateria and coffee bar in Lynbrook, as part of a larger gambling network in Nassau County jointly operated by the Genovese and Bonanno crime families. The establishment featured illegal joker poker machines and poker games, generating over $2,000 daily in illicit profits.

The operation, which began around May 2012, involved several key figures:

• Joseph Macario ("Joe Fish") - Genovese family representative
• Anthony Pipitone ("Little Anthony") - Bonanno family representative
• Both families negotiated a profit-sharing arrangement

Polito also admitted to running PGWLines, an illegal online sports betting business. He used violent threats to collect debts, including threats to "break his face" and put debtors "under the f***ing bridge."

The 2022 federal indictment included five individuals on charges of racketeering, attempted extortion, and illegal gambling:

• Carmelo Polito
• Joseph Macario
• Joseph Rutigliano ("Joe Box")
• Salvatore Rubino ("Sal the Shoemaker")
• Mark Feuer

Nassau County Police Detective Hector Rosario was also indicted for allegedly organizing police raids on competing gambling operations in exchange for mob kickbacks. He faces charges of obstruction and making false statements to the FBI, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

FBI Assistant Director James Dennehy stated, "The cards did not favor Carmelo Polito's illicit gambling parlor or his extortionate methods. His illegitimate business and death threats financed the operations of two crime families."

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