Ex-Detective on Trial for Mafia Collusion, Alleged Bonanno Crime Family Cohort Disrupts Rival Genovese Gambling Ops in Long Island Sting

The trial of Hector Rosario, a former Nassau County detective accused of colluding with the Bonanno crime family, began this week. According to prosecutors, Rosario orchestrated a fake police raid on a gambling parlor run by a rival mafia faction, the Genovese crime family approximately a decade ago. The raid took place in a back room of a Long Island shoe repair shop known as Sal's Shoe Repair, as detailed by Gothamist.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Karamigios in her opening statement yesterday, emphasized the betrayal of public trust by Rosario, proclaiming that "He chose the crime family over the public he swore to protect." In the staged raid, Rosario and others, dressed as officers, shattered a gambling machine to send a clear warning to their rivals. The Bonanno family aimed to disrupt the operations of the Genovese, with whom they were locked in territorial disputes over the lucrative illegal gambling operations, which could rake up to $10,000 a month. Rosario, who was later terminated from his position in 2022, is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison on the obstruction of justice charge along with up to five years on charges of lying to the FBI. This was clarified after a correction regarding Rosario's potential sentence was issued by Gothamist.

The prosecution's allegations do not only rest on the staged raid. They also point to Rosario's purported attempts to obstruct justice by tipping off Bonanno associate Damiano Zummo about an ongoing investigation, and providing the address of a potential cooperator to Salvatore Russo, another associate of the crime faction, according to the New York Daily News. When questioned by the FBI in January 2020, Rosario allegedly lied to federal agents about his connections to the mafia and his knowledge of the gambling operations.

Louis Freeman, Rosario's defense attorney, challenged the credibility of the prosecution's witnesses, underscoring their criminal backgrounds and potential motives to fabricate evidence. He asserted that one witness in particular, “Sal Russo made up information about Hector Rosario to get one more notch on his belt.” The idea for the Sal's Shoe Repair raid was claimed to have originated from Salvatore Russo, a friend of Rosario, and had the approval of Bonanno made member Damiano Zummo, New York Daily News reported. Despite this, the defense aims to outline the incentives these witnesses may have to lie, including reduced sentences for their own crimes.

Notably, Zummo has become a government witness after his arrest in 2017 for selling cocaine to an undercover agent. His testimony includes details about the mob's gambling operations and the delicate balances of power and territory between competing mafia families.