A former Nassau County detective, Hector Rosario, was convicted of making false statements to the FBI about his involvement with the Bonanno crime family. After a seven-day trial in Brooklyn federal court, Rosario was found guilty of protecting illegal gambling operations and aiding an organized crime family in Long Island for personal gain, a betrayal of his oath as a law enforcement officer. His verdict potentially places him in prison for up to five years, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The evidence in the case highlighted that Rosario had been on the Bonanno family's payroll, attempting to shut down rival gambling operations such as conducting sham police raids to benefit the crime family's gambling parlors in coffee shops and sports clubs throughout Queens and Long Island; concurrently, these illegal businesses competed with another crime family's operations, including those out of Sal's Shoe Repair in Merrick, New York, and the Centro Calcio Italiano Club in West Babylon, New York. Rosario's misconduct extends to deceiving federal agents during an investigation into the mafia's racketeering activities by denying his knowledge of or association with the crime families and their gambling businesses in an interview with the FBI in January 2020.
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York John J. Durham condemned the ex-detective's actions in a statement, asserting, "This corrupt detective chose to prove his loyalty to an organized crime family over the public he was sworn to protect," and FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Leslie R. Backschies criticized Rosario's decision to prioritize personal wealth over integrity to his badge. In statutes obtained by the Justice Department's website, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly outlined Rosario's preference for lining his pockets over upholding the law and assured a rigorous stance against corruption within the ranks of Nassau County law enforcement.
Rosario's affiliation with the Bonanno crime family spanned over a decade, covering various illegal acts, including tipping off a mob associate about investigations and looking up the witness's address thought to be cooperating against the crime family, all while he was an active member of law enforcement. Despite being acquitted of obstruction of justice, the jury held Rosario accountable for the falsehoods that shielded the Bonanno's illegal gambling interests and undermined the public's trust in the police; the prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Anna L. Karamigios, Sophia M. Suarez, and Sean M. Sherman with the support of Paralegal Specialist Eleanor Jaffe-Pachuilo.
