Eight indicted in clandestine Chicago bookmaking ring

Associated Press

CHICAGO — Eight men were indicted on federal charges of operating a bookmaking ring whose members kept records on water-soluble paper and held meetings in the hush of a suburban cemetery.

William DiDomenico, who pleaded guilty to gambling in 1991 when prosecutors broke up a bookie operation headed by mob boss Ernest "Rocco" Infelice, was named in the indictment, which was unsealed Friday.

DiDomenico, 59, and three others were arrested Friday morning and agents sought a fifth defendant in North Carolina. Three others were to receive summonses to answer the charges.

Each of the defendants was charged with one count of conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling business and one count of conducting an illegal business. The indictment says they accepted bets on college and professional football, basketball and baseball games.

According to the indictment, the ring maintained betting records on rice paper that was water soluble, making them more difficult for the government to maintain as evidence, federal prosecutors said.

The indictment also said that one of the ring members, Natale "Big Nick" Saraceno, 57, repeatedly met an unindicted confederate in a cemetery to discuss gambling.

Under federal law, each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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