Lucchese Mobster Anthony Villani Locked Up for Rhino Sports Racket
Posted on: July 10, 2025, 07:06h.
Last updated on: July 11, 2025, 08:23h.
- Villani oversaw illegal gambling ring for 16 straight years
- Rhino Sports used offshore servers and mob-style enforcement
- Operation earned millions, laundered through shell companies
A Lucchese crime family capo was sentenced to 21 months in a federal prison on Wednesday for running an illegal sports betting operation that prosecutors said generated millions for the Mob.
US District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto handed Anthony Villani, 58, of Elmsford, NY, a 21-month prison term for overseeing the long-running online gambling racket known as Rhino Sports. Villani was one of over a dozen wise guys caught up in a federal indictment unsealed in 2022.
The operation ran for 16 years until 2020 and was used by up to 1,300 gamblers each week, according to court documents. It employed a network of more than 60 bookmakers who took bets through the Costa Rica-based website www.betsrus777.com.
Profits Funded Organized Crime
The aptly named Villani has a history of gambling-related arrests dating back to 1988. He collected around $1 million a year from Rhino Sports, funneling some proceeds back to the Lucchese family, according to prosecutors.
As well as prison time, the alleged mobster was ordered to forfeit $4 million and two properties, including a residence in Westchester County and a Florida condo.
The indictment described Rhino Sports as a “large-scale illegal gambling business” that used traditional mob muscle and modern technology to rake in profits from sports bettors across the US.
The site, based in Central America to avoid US scrutiny, allowed agents to handle bettors while keeping Villani isolated from day-to-day operations.
Court filings showed Villani laundered profits through shell companies and cashed checks via a Bronx-based plumbing business.
Threats, Intimidation
In August 2023, co-defendant Louis “Tooch” Tucci, a Lucchese soldier, pleaded guilty to comanaging the operation. Tucci admitted in court that he and his codefendants used threats and intimidation to enforce debts.
Three others, Robert Mancino, Dennis Filizzola, and Louis Gigante, were also indicted. They were accused of acting as bookmakers or collectors.
Villani pleaded guilty in December 2023 to one count of conducting an illegal gambling business. At the time, his attorney described him as a “family man” who had “put his past behind him.”
Prosecutors begged to differ. Villani will begin serving his sentence immediately.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the term of the prison sentence. This has been corrected.
Last Comments ( 2 )
It's 21 months, Anon. -- thanks for the catch!
Did Villani get 21 months as it says in the first paragraph or 78 months as it says in the second paragraph?