One person tended bar in East Rutherford. Another sold real estate in Carlstadt. One was a nanny in Rutherford. Others included a plumber, a carpenter, a municipal public works employee and a Bergen County parks department worker. One was even the athletic director of a Hudson County high school.

What these disparate individuals have is common is that they are now all under arrest. In a series of raids that began at 5 a.m. on March 25, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, working in conjunction with the New Jersey State Police, the East Rutherford Police Department and other area law enforcement personnel, arrested 45 people accused of participating in a $1 million-a-month gambling ring, as well as drug distribution. In the process, authorities also executed 24 search warrants that resulted in the seizure of more than $5 million, five vehicles and at least five pounds of marijuana at locations in Bergen, Hudson, Monmouth and Ocean counties. Four of the five reputed leaders of the illegal gambling network, who have all been charged with racketeering, promoting gambling, and conspiracy to promote gambling, have been described as "associates" of the Genovese organized crime family.

These arrests may seem shocking to those who associate southern Bergen County more with barbecues and ballgames rather than bookies and bundles of illegal narcotics. But after a seven-month investigation, local law authorities were ready to unveil and undermine a seamier side of southern Bergen life.

Molinelli makes his case

At a press conference held at the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office in Hackensack following the early morning arrests, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli named Mark Iafelice, 49, of Edgewater, Brian DiGuilmi, 48, of Emerson, James W. Skinner, 69, of Allenwood, and his son James J. Skinner, 40, of Hazlet as the reputed Genovese crime family associates who led the operation. Another suspected leader of the gambling ring, Bernard Duffy, 63, of Hasbrouck Heights, was named as a "mid-level manager" in the ring. All five men pleaded not guilty of gambling and second-degree racketeering charges at a March 26 hearing in state Superior Court in Hackensack. The investigation, known as "Operation Off-the-Hook," was so named due to the fact that the Skinners lived in towns just south of Sandy Hook, according to law enforcement officials.

Molinelli explained that the arrests were the final product of an investigation that began in August 2007, when a confidential informant provided authorities with information about illegal gambling activities in and around Bergen County. The ensuing investigation, which included the use of at least one undercover officer, eventually revealed the involvement of the alleged Genovese crime family associates.

The betting ring used an offshore wire room located in the Dominican Republic. Bookies then utilized a password to place bets. A runner subsequently collects fees from bookies for using the service. The runner gives a percentage of the money to ranking members of the organized crime family involved, in this case allegedly the Genovese organization. The bookie then collects from or pays off bettors, depending on their luck.

"This was a lot of street work, a lot of behind-the-scenes work, a lot of hard-core financial reporting and investigation," explained Molinelli. "I’m pretty confident that the racketeering charges that we have filed against the top four individuals are substantial and sound based upon our information."

Molinelli went on to examine the links between the gambling and drug distribution arrests.

"A lot of the arrests made today are based upon a relationship between Skinner Jr., who used to live in East Rutherford, and Paul Pierantoni, who is a significant drug supplier in southern Bergen County," he said. According to Molinelli, Pierantoni, 44, of Carlstadt, worked closely with Darren Howard, 46, of Carlstadt, Anthony Salernitano, 55, of East Rutherford, Nando Sgro, 40, of East Rutherford and Anthony Vitti, 51, of Carlstadt to distribute primarily crack cocaine and marijuana in southern Bergen County, along with other lower level distributors.

Some locals shrug, others sigh

The relatively high number of Carlstadt and East Rutherford residents allegedly involved in both the illegal gambling and drug businesses was a topic of interest around these towns. One of the reputed low-level drug distributors arrested is Penny Kaminsky-Preli, an employee of JR Higgins Realty in Carlstadt. Kaminsky-Preli, 41, of Carlstadt, has been charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance (CDS). In a conversation with Hackensack Chronicle, realty owner Janet Higgins spoke about Kaminsky-Preli, who has been suspended from her position pending the outcome of the case.

"She’s a sweet kid," she said. "We want to wait and see what happens. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty."

At the nearby Candlewyck Diner in East Rutherford, Lyndhurst resident Frances Cascio seemed less than shocked by the arrests.

"I’m not surprised," said Cascio, 60, an administrative assistant at a hospital data center in Secaucus. "Over the years, there has been a lot of that type of activity going on in the area. We’re between New York and Newark, and there’s just a lot going on. We’re in an area where it’s easy to move goods around."

"Gambling and drugs go hand in hand, and the organized crime families have always been involved in these things," Cascio continued. "The crime families could not survive if they did not get ordinary people involved. Its fingers branch out. Sometimes to get ahead, people will shrug their shoulders and do a little bit of something that they shouldn’t on the side. People become cynical, even when they look at what some local politicians do, and then they rationalize what they do themselves. They get caught up in a web, and then they can’t get out. It’s tragic. But it’s still about morals."

Let the Bergen bettors beware

For Molinelli, "Operation Off-the Hook" hits close to home.

"I grew up in southern Bergen County," he said. "What happened here is not a reflection on these communities. They are terrific communities. At least for southern Bergen County, this will definitely put things on hold for a while in terms of illegal gambling operations. This a major hit for such a small, compact area in terms of both illegal gambling and drug distribution."

In response to a question from Hackensack Chronicle regarding whether the operation will help place the ultimate hit on organized crime activity not just Bergen County but in all of New Jersey, Molinelli stepped back and looked at the broader picture of the ongoing war against organized crime.

"To break the Mafia’s back is a big question that I don’t think can even be answered by a case like this," he said.

"But it takes a large office like ours to do more and more cases like this to do it. You have to keep working. Even if I sit here and say we’ll never going to break the back of organized crime, that doesn’t mean we will ever stop doing these cases. And the more that we keep doing them, maybe we can get through to the person who places the bet."

Molinelli offered a final warning to those who choose to place bets with certain bookies.

"Individuals in this business, particularly individuals associated with the Genovese crime family, don’t usually give you a lot of time to come up with the money that you owe," he said. "And often when you have to pay, you have to pay with a rather exorbitant rate of interest. You place a bet with somebody and if you don’t pay, it could be dangerous for yourself, for your family and for your children."