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

Four people pleaded guilty this week for their roles in an illegal Mafia-backed poker operation, including the son of a Gambino crime boss and a key figure in recent NBA gambling scandals.

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. Earlier in the week, 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. Prosecutors allege the ring featured former NBA player Damon Jones and current Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups as “face cards” whose presence helped lend legitimacy to the operation. (Jones has since pleaded guilty, while Billups has denied the charges and is awaiting trial.)

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 Hennen supplied the concealed technology used to cheat wealthy players at games operated by members and associates of the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno crime families. The equipment identified the value and sequence of cards as they were shuffled, transmitting data to an offsite operator.

That operator relayed details to a player at the table designated as the “quarterback” using covert signals. Prosecutors say Hennen also played in the games and served as a common thread across multiple gambling corruption probes.

NBA, NCAA Cheating

Separately, Hennen faces federal charges alleging he orchestrated point-shaving schemes involving NCAA Division I basketball and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Prosecutors also link him to an NBA insider-trading betting scheme involving former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, where wagers were placed using non-public information about player availability and 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, are currently scheduled to go to trial.