On April 15, the Rhode Island State Police and the Attorney General announced the arrest of 19 men and one woman on charges relating to the management of a statewide criminal gambling organization and a marijuana distribution operation that extended to Costa Rica.

The arrests were the result of an 8-month investigation led by members of the State Police Intelligence Unit and the Office of the Rhode Island Attorney General that resulted in the execution of arrest warrants and search warrants on Tuesday, April 12th by the State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and various other law enforcement agencies across the Ocean State.

The investigation began after receiving information alleging that Thomas J. Pilderian was operating an illegal bookmaking operation from his business, The Cozy Grill Restaurant located at 440 Warwick Avenue, Warwick. The investigation confirmed the information provided and identified Mark Battista, Mark Marinaro, Jason Pilderian, Joseph Brunelle, Eric Glaude, David Disano and Jonny E Lubo as alleged co-conspirators in the operation.

The investigation led to the identification of a second alleged illegal bookmaking operation run by James Petrella and Timothy Moretti. Sean Furney, Brian K. Cipolla, Lewis Silveira, Louis Scaglione Jr., Christopher Costantino and Joseph A. Capelli were identified as alleged co-conspirators with Petrella and Moretti.

Both alleged illegal gambling operations utilized the internet to perform most of the betting and record keeping functions. Pilderian used the betcapri.com website; Petrella and Moretti used the VIPbettors.com website. Both web sites appear to be based in Costa Rica, a jurisdiction where online wagering and sportsbooks are not prohibited. Criminal charges against the co-conspirators relate, in part, to the collection of debts owed to the alleged criminal gambling operations for which the co-conspirators received compensation.

During the investigation, members of the Intelligence Unit received information that Zhen Wu was trafficking large quantities of marijuana. Surveillance over the past few weeks confirmed this information and identified a storage locker Wu visited frequently at 604 Park Avenue, Cranston.

Law enforcement agents conducted raids and executed search warrants at a restaurant, pizzeria, storage unit, and residences located in various townships, including Cranston, Warwick and Narragansett.

The arrests and search warrants listed above resulted in the seizure of:

• Gambling Ledgers

• $311,596 in United States Currency

• 330 pounds of marijuana

• 2015 Ford F-150 pickup

• 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan

• 2010 Chevrolet Silverado pickup

• 10 Computers

• 11 Cellular Phones

• 6 Digital Storage Devices

• 2 Scales

• 2 Money Counting Machines

The information above was published on a press release that is no longer available on the Rhode Island state government website. The original release included the following details on the potential legal consequences the suspects may face if convicted:

A person convicted of Organized Criminal Gambling may be imprisoned for not more than five (5) years and fined not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

A person convicted of Bookmaking may be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisonment not exceeding one year, and upon a second conviction of a violation of this section shall be imprisoned for a period not less than one nor more than five (5) years.

A person convicted of possession with intent to deliver one (1) kilogram to five (5) kilograms of marijuana may be imprisoned for a term up to fifty (50) years and fined not more than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).

A person convicted of possession with intent to deliver over five (5) kilograms of marijuana may be imprisoned for a term up to life and fined not more than one million dollars ($1,000,000).