TRENTON — A Buffalo man accused of running the Lucchese crime family's online gambling operation was arrested this month at Buffalo International Airport, New Jersey officials revealed today. Brian Ronald Cohen, 61, is charged with money laundering and gambling promotion, officials said. According to authorities, the gambling operation, which processed wagers of $2.2 billion in a 15-month period, routed...
Brian R. Cohen, who is thought to be the head of the Lucchese family's online gambling operation was arrested at Buffalo International Airport on May 16.TRENTON — A Buffalo man accused of running the Lucchese crime family's online gambling operation was arrested this month at Buffalo International Airport, New Jersey officials revealed today.
Brian Ronald Cohen, 61, is charged with money laundering and gambling promotion, officials said. According to authorities, the gambling operation, which processed wagers of $2.2 billion in a 15-month period, routed bets through a "wire room" in Costa Rica, where Cohen also lives.
The May 16 arrest adds another defendant to the growing criminal prosecution of the Lucchese crime family. Two days before Cohen was arrested, officials unveiled a 34-count indictment against 34 alleged members and associates of the organization.
Included in that indictment were the alleged current and former leaders of the Lucchese crime family's New Jersey operations, as well as two top New York leaders. Cohen was not named in the indictment, and his arrest marked the first time he's faced charges in New Jersey for his alleged role in the Lucchese gambling operation.
“This arrest represents another significant milestone in our major prosecution of this New York-based crime family,” said Stephen Taylor, director of New Jersey's Criminal Justice Division. “We have indicted the top echelon of this criminal organization in both New York and New Jersey, and we continue to charge key players in their multi-billion dollar gambling operation.”
Cohen was transported to New Jersey Wednesday night and made his first appearance in Superior Court in Morris County on Thursday. He posted $100,000 bail, and the judge ordered him to surrender his passport, officials said.
The May 16 arrest of Brian Ronald Cohen adds another defendant to the growing criminal prosecution of the Lucchese crime family. Two days before the arrest, officials unveiled a 34-count indictment against 34 alleged members and associates of the organization.
Previous Coverage:
• Philadelphia mobster's son charged in N.J. gambling bust gets $350K bail
• N.J. authorities indict 34 in Lucchese crime family bust from 'Operation Heat'
• Harold Ackerman, federal judge in Newark who presided over Lucchese crime family trial, dies at 81