S.D. Bookmaking Suspect Freed in L.A.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Tuesday it did not have enough evidence to prosecute a San Diego man and seven others arrested in 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 filed bookmaking charges Tuesday against 12 of the 20 suspects.

But O’Neill said his office did not have enough evidence to prosecute eight people including Chris Petti, 57, of San Diego. Petti is an alleged associate of Anthony (Tony the Ant) Spilotro, the suspected overseer of the Chicago crime syndicate’s interests in Las Vegas. All 20 suspects have been free on $500 bail since their arrests Oct. 28. At that time, Los Angeles police chief Daryl F. Gates told reporters that police had broken up an attempt to establish a $1-million-a-week Mafia bookmaking operation in Los Angeles, Palm Springs and San Diego.

Despite the failure to file charges against 40% of those arrested, prosecutor O’Neill said police claims about the alleged bookmaking scheme were not overblown. He said evidence seized during police raids and information later developed by police were not sufficient to sustain charges against all the suspects.