Ringleader And Son In Mastronardo Bookmaking Operation Plead Guilty
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Mastronardo bookmaking operation is going down in a wave of guilty pleas, and the ringleader and his son have pleaded guilty in federal court.
It was a massive and very lucrative operation. Prosecutor Jason Bologna says actions by law enforcement led to money seizures of over a half million dollars from the trunk of the car and over a million dollars buried in the yard of ringleader Joseph Vito Mastronardo.
Mastronardo is the son-in-law of the late Philadelphia Mayor and Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo.
A source says Mastronardo's wife, Rizzo's daughter, was also charged. But the case against her is expected to be dropped later as part of a plea deal linked to the other cases.
