Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Associate Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison
| U.S. Department of Justice July 12, 2013 |
WASHINGTON—Gary Battaglini was sentenced today to serve 96 months in prison for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy involving loan sharking and illegal gambling, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Edward J. Hanko, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.
Battaglini, 52, of Sewell, New Jersey, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In addition to his prison term, Battaglini was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release.
On February 5, 2013, after a four-month trial, a jury convicted Battaglini of conspiring to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra (LCN) family through a pattern of racketeering activity. The evidence at trial proved that, in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, Battaglini, as an LCN Family associate, engaged in loan sharking and illegal sports bookmaking activities on behalf of the mob. Battaglini exploited the violent reputation of the Philadelphia LCN family in extending usurious loans and collecting payments on the loans, leaving the borrowers in fear of physical harm if they did not pay promptly.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor, III and Suzanne B. Ercole of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Valuable prosecutorial assistance was provided by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
A total of 12 leaders, members, and associates of the Philadelphia LCN family have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury as part of this case. Six of the defendants, including Battaglini, have been sentenced, and six are awaiting sentencing.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, New Jersey State Police, Philadelphia Police Department, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. Additional assistance was provided by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.