Bookies Plead Guilty In Niagara County

Attorney General Spitzer today announced that five people have pled guilty to felonies arising from their involvement in a gambling operation.

Charges against the five were contained in two Niagara County grand jury indictments returned in April 1998, which resulted from a joint investigation by the Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force, the Niagara Falls Police Department, and the State Police Special Investigations Unit. Multiple wire taps led to six search warrants executed on Superbowl Sunday in January 1998, and the seizure of gambling records and $8,000 cash.

"These guilty pleas testify to the quality of the joint state and local investigation and the case built against the defendants," Spitzer said. "I commend all those involved and vow to aggressively pursue prosecution of all types of gambling rings."

The defendants in this case, all from Niagara Falls, are:

• Vincent Palmeri, 59, pled guilty to three counts of Promoting Gambling in the first degree, a Class E felony, nine counts of Possession of Gambling Records, a class E felony, two counts of Possession of a Gambling Record, a misdemeanor, and one count of Conspiracy in the fifth degree;
• Michael Palmeri, 36, pled guilty to one count of felony Promoting Gambling and one count of misdemeanor Conspiracy;
• Angelo R. Plumeri, 62, pled guilty to two counts of Promoting Gambling in the first degree and one count of Conspiracy;
• Anthony Alterio, 49, pled guilty to first degree Promoting Gambling; and
• Peter J. DeLoreto, 49, pled guilty to first degree Promoting Gambling.

A sixth defendant in this case, Robert Zankowski, 61, pled guilty in August 1998 to misdemeanor Possession of Gambling Records.

Vincent Palmeri and Angelo R. Plumeri, must be sentenced to jail time due to prior felony gambling convictions. Vincent Palmeri, Michael Palmeri and Angelo Plumeri all pled guilty to all counts for which they were indicted.

The six men will be sentenced in Niagara County Court on July 12 by Judge Amy J. Fricano.

This case was handled by Assistant Deputy Attorney General Douglas E. Rowe of the Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force.