Massachusetts Mob Figure Who Won $1.2M at Bally’s Lincoln Arrested for Cheating

• Investigators allege Manzi used 106 fraudulent Bally’s rewards cards to generate more than $1.15 million in reported slot winnings over 116 days
• Court documents do not allege slot machine manipulation and leave unanswered how the alleged loyalty card fraud produced the extraordinary gambling results
• Manzi previously served prison time in a Springfield racketeering case and was indicted earlier this year in a Chicago Outfit-linked gambling investigation

A Western Massachusetts gangster won $1.2 million playing high-stakes slots at Bally’s Casino Lincoln, R.I., in a manner that has casino bosses scratching their heads and calling “statistically impossible,” according to court documents.

Giuseppe “Little Joe” Manzi, aka “Joe Polozzo,” 51, a reputed associate of the Genovese-aligned Springfield Crew, was arrested along with five accomplices Thursday (June 25). All have been charged with cheating casinos and obtaining property under false pretenses, according to court records seen by MassLive.

They are Antonio Capua, 47, Claudio Cardaropoli, 47, Alfonso B. Lalli, Salvatore Fusco, 23, and Franco “Frankie” Fusco, all from the Springfield area.

The documents do not claim the defendants manipulated slot machines using, for example, electronic cheating devices or software.

‘Statistically Impossible’

Large slot wins are not unheard of, but investigators wrote that casino officials are suspicious of the consistency defendants’ gambling results, although the statistical analysis behind this conclusion is not explained.

After reviewing Manzi’s slot play totals,” one official stated, “it was statistically impossible for Manzi to nearly double his money on such a consistent basis without some type of casino cheating taking place.”

Manzi has long been associated with the Springfield-area organized crime scene. In 2003, he was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to racketeering charges arising from a sweeping investigation into the Springfield faction of the Genovese crime family.

He was released in 2006 after serving about three years, according to federal prison records. His father, Carmine “The Barber” Manzi, was indicted in the same case alongside reputed made members of the Springfield Crew.

Manzi was charged again in April as one of 22 defendants accused of participating in a Chicago Outfit-linked gambling ring based out of restaurants in Northwest Indiana and suburban Chicago.

Chicago Operation

Prosecutors allege the operation used betting websites, text messages, and electronic payment apps, as well as old-school methods such as distributing NFL betting cards in restaurant menus.

The group allegedly waged a campaign of intimidation and harassment with threats of violence against debtors. It’s not clear from court documents what Manzi’s role in the operation is alleged to be.

Mob-watchers said his involvement in the operation was unusual, because it was a Chicago Outfit-linked gambling enterprise, rather than one traditionally associated with New England organized crime.

Manzi was released Friday (June 26) on $50,000 cash bail and is due back in court on Monday (June 29).