Men Connected to Italian Mafia “Out-Mathed” $1.4 Million from Bally’s Casino

Two men accused of cheating a Bally’s Rhode Island casino are arguing that they were simply smarter than the house.

According to MassLive, lawyers representing Alfonso B. Lalli and Salvatore Fusco argued on Monday that their clients “out-mathed” Bally’s Lincoln Casino. The two defendants were among five men who were arrested and charged with cheating last week.

Investigators allege that the men helped steal $1.4 million from the casino.

What is known

Details are still emerging in the case, which involves an unforeseen tie to one of the Five Families, a name given to the five organizations within the Italian mafia based in New York City.  

The authorities have claimed that Lalli, Fusco, and their co-defendants used more than 100 Bally’s reward cards belonging to other individuals to play high-roller slot machines. 116 days of playing time got them their $1.4 million prize mentioned above.

Giuseppe “Little Joe” Manzi, the supposed head honcho of the ring, was single-handedly responsible for $1.2 million of the winnings. One casino official declared in an arrest affidavit that those winnings were “statistically impossible” 

Lalli’s lawyer,Daniel Hagan, took that comment down a different avenue. 

“What they’re accused of here is basically out-mathing the casino,” MassLive reported that Hagan told the judge. “They played within the parameters of the program.”

Hagan’s assertion cannot be disproven by the details of the case, which are still largely unknown. Slot machines do not have a known mathematical approach to consistently beat the system, as there is in card counting in games such as blackjack, meaning that the burden of proof remains on the plaintiffs to show how the accused manipulated the casino’s slot machines.

It runs in the family

Although the court proceedings are still ongoing, the defendants were granted an early victory when the judge reversed his decision to hold Lalli and Fusco without bail. Manzi was released after he posted a $50,000 bail.

Manzi, the alleged leader of the scheme, has longstanding ties to the "Springfield Crew,” a western Massachusetts chapter of the Genovese crime family. This group controls criminal actions in the New England area that include illegal gambling, loansharking, and extortion. 

Manzi had already been arrested in a widespread illegal gambling bust after he was linked to two restaurants in Chicago. He denied involvement in the case.

More than 20 years ago, in 2003, Manzi did three years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to racketeering in connection with the Springfield Crew. His father, Carmine “The Barber” Manzi, was also indicted in the case.

MassLive reported that Fusco’s father, Emilio Fusco, is currently serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison, also for racketeering. His brothers, Franco “Frankie” and Antonio, are under indictment on drug and firearms offenses.

“Frankie” is also wanted in connection with the Bally’s case, but has not turned himself in.