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A mobster with ties to the Gambino crime family - the syndicate involved in a wide-ranging NBA-tied rigged-betting scandal - has been denied bail over concerns of his past behavior in other criminal cases.
Angelo Ruggiero Jr, age 53, was denied a requested $5million bond insured by family and friends during a hearing at a federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
Judge Joseph Martuollo sided with the prosecution against granting bail, citing Ruggiero's past behavior in other mob-related cases.
Specifically, there were fears that Ruggiero - the son of late Gambino mobster Angelo 'Quack Quack' Ruggiero Sr. - would tamper with witnesses.
The court noted that while he was incarcerated in a past case, Angelo had threatened to kill a witness and was subsequently convicted of tampering.
'He made his hand in the shape of a gun and said, "You know how we take care of rats up close and personal,"' the judge noted.
A mobster arrested in the FBI's operation which snared dozens of people tied to rigged betting and gambling involving NBA players has been denied bail (above: FBI Director Kash Patel)
Angelo Ruggiero Jr, a Gambino family mobster who was alleged to rig card games at 80 Washington Place (above), was denied due to his prior conviction of witness tampering
The games at that location were frequented by Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups
This hearing is the most recent update in a stunning number of federal indictments with ties to mob-related sports gambling and poker rigging schemes - which involved NBA coaches and players.
Ruggiero played on cheating poker teams at 80 Washington Place - a Greenwich Village townhouse in Manhattan where some of New York City's most powerful crime families allegedly used advanced technology to fix games in their favor.
To attract high rollers, the crooks enlisted Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones as 'face cards' to bring in gamblers.
One victim, who was scammed out of $1million, claimed that a former NFL player also acted as the front man during a game he had lost.
Other alleged conspirators in this case were arraigned on Tuesday afternoon. Curtis Meeks, one of the arrested members, was in court in New York and is free on a $250,000 bond.
An arraignment date for Billups has not yet been set, the Department of Justice told Daily Mail Sport. Jones is set to be arraigned on November 6.
A date has not yet been set for another NBA player arrested by the FBI, Terry Rozier. Rozier's case involves him fixing sports betting wagers where he would underperform or leave contests injured so that 'under' prop bets would hit.
