Alfred Fea
NEW CITY – Three people have been arrested in Rockland County in connection with an operation of an illegal gambling, sports betting and loan sharking enterprise closely controlled by organized crime, law enforcement officials announced Thursday.
Arrested were husband and wife, Alfred Fea, 43, and Tracey Fea, 40, also known as Tracey Kosierowski, both of Wilson Road in the Town of Wallkill, and Frank Fea, 70, of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. The elder Fea is a Genovese Family associate, authorities said.
Rockland DA Thomas Zugibe said the investigation is continuing.
“This was a very highly sophisticated gambling and loan sharking operation that annually booked millions of dollars on wagers on professional basketball, baseball, football, and basically all professional sports teams,” he said. But, the information the authorities released Thursday was “the tip of the iceberg [and] the best is yet to come.”
The investigation that led to the arrests began in late 2008. On June 9, early morning raids on 11 locations in Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Bergen and Bronx counties led to the arrests.
Seized in the raids were six vehicles including two Mercedes-Benz cars, one Lincoln Navigator, and a 2007 Bentley.
Police also seized 18 weapons, including automatic handguns, several high-powered rifles, and a shotgun. Detectives also confiscated safes, several desktop and laptop computers, electronic poker machines, gambling records and $376,000 in cash. Over $3 million in accounts were frozen, said Rockland Sheriff James Kralik.
Each of the three faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. There each charged with criminal usury in the first degree, money laundering in the fourth degree, promoting gambling in the first degree, possessing gambling records in the first degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, all felonies, and conspiracy in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor.
