12 of 20 Seized in Alleged Mafia Move Face Bookie Charges

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office filed charges Tuesday against 12 of the 20 suspects who were arrested last October in what authorities said was an effort to halt Mafia families from muscling in on bookmaking operations in Southern California.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert P. O’Neill said his office did not have enough evidence to prosecute eight others arrested in the five-county sweep.

Among those not charged was Peter John Milano, 59, of Thousand Oaks, who has been identified by police as the chief of organized crime in the Southland.

Others included Milano’s brother, Carmine Milano, 55, who police said acted as a go-between for those who were trying to establish the bookmaking ring, and Chris Petti, 57, of San Diego, an alleged associate of Anthony (Tony the Ant) Spilotro, the suspected overseer of the Chicago crime syndicate’s interests in Las Vegas.

The 12 who were charged face from two to seven counts of violating various sections of the state law against bookmaking, O’Neill said. They will be arraigned Thursday in Los Angeles Municipal Court. The maximum sentence for a bookmaking conviction is three years in state prison.

All 20 arrestees have been free on $500 bail.

Last Oct. 28, the day of the arrests, Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates called a press conference to announce that police had broken up an attempt to establish a $1-million-a-week bookmaking operation in and around Los Angeles, Palm Springs and San Diego. Gates said the 18 men and two women taken into custody were part of the largest attempt in his memory to create an organized crime base in Southern California.

The chief also said the attempt was the first time that members of far-flung crime families had worked together to try to infiltrate the area.

The raids on 22 locations in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and Ventura counties resulted from what Gates said was more than two months of intensive investigation. However, the raids yielded only $24,000 in cash, assorted bookmaking paraphernalia and $20,000 in Las Vegas gambling chips.

Despite the failure to file charges against 40% of those arrested, O’Neill said police claims about the alleged bookmaking scheme were not overblown. In the cases where charges were not filed, the prosecutor said, evidence seized during the raids and information later developed by police simply did not support suspicions outlined in a police affidavit that was filed in support of a warrant to conduct the searches.

Those charged with bookmaking Tuesday are:

Robert D’Agostino, 51, of Encino, two counts; Morton Goodman, 48, of Calabasas, four counts; Eugene Holden, 58, of Pacific Palisades, two counts; John Anzalone, 52, of Burbank, three counts; Arnold Wesley, 54, of Los Angeles, three counts, and Manuel Gould, 68, of Sherman Oaks, four counts.

Also charged were Samuel Traub, 47, of Glendale, three counts; Joseph Bassi, 39, of Long Beach, three counts; Pattee McGuire, 36, of Long Beach, four counts; John Demattio, 47, of Encino, seven counts; Robert Benjamin, 53, of Anaheim, seven counts, and Brandi Dailey, 43, of Los Angeles, four counts.

In addition to the Milanos and Petti, those not charged are Joseph Iacullo, Vincent Caci, Rocco Zangari, Stephen Cino and Robert Zeichick.