Sun-Times Media
Federal prosecutors have charged an ex-Melrose Park police officer for his role in a gambling ring run by a bookie with mob ties who was sentenced last week to more than two years in prison.
John Amabile, 33, is charged with running an illegal sports bookmaking operation. The charge stems from the same investigation that led to last week’s sentencing of Gregory Paloian, of Elmwood Park, a source confirmed.
Reached earlier this year after abruptly resigning from the Melrose Park Police Department amid rumors that he was in trouble with federal investigators, Amabile declined to speak in detail with a reporter.
Sun-Times file
Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to hand a stiff prison sentence to a bookie with purported mob ties, insisting he tried to sell a “fantasy” to the judge about a fun and fair gambling ring that, while illegal, aimed never to exploit anyone.
In reality, Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry Kinney wrote in a court filing Wednesday that Gregory Paloian and his agents hounded gamblers for payments as they lost tens of thousands of dollars, and even prompted one gambler who couldn’t pay his debts to “burst into tears.”
Kinney wrote that Paloian and his agents referred to gamblers in the ring as “goof, goofball, idiot, ‘f &#%g little pu$%y’, little c&% sucker and other descriptive monikers.” Paloian also allegedly referred to one gambler as “an annuity,” a “dumb f#%k” and “an idiot and he pays.”
CBS News
Federal judges call for increased security after threats jump 400% and one judge s son is killed
Judge Esther Salas was in her New Jersey home when a gunman targeting Salas opened fire on her family, killing her son and wounding her husband. Now she s fighting for better protection of judges. Bill Whitaker reports. 2021 Feb 21
Half the time someone is unhappy with a judge s ruling. The normal recourse is an appeal. But in the caustic atmosphere of today s politics, there s a real chance the disgruntled party will threaten the judge. In the last five years, threats of federal judges have jumped 400% to more than 4,000 last year – many of them death threats, sometimes ending in violence. Now, judges are breaking with tradition and publicly calling on lawmakers to provide more protection. One of the strongest voices is federal judge Esther Salas. This past July, she was at home in New Jersey, in the basement with her son Daniel, cleani
U.S. District Judge Esther Salas speaks out for first time after her son was killed and her husband was shot. She believes she was targeted by a madman because of her position as a federal judge.
Just six months since a disgruntled attorney allegedly showed up at federal court Judge Esther Salas New Jersey home, fatally shooting her son and wounding her husband, the grieving jurist recalled the extent to which her son’s killer went to track her family – as it is revealed that he was doing the same for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, according to a recent interview.
Bookie with history of alleged mob links pleads guilty to new federal gambling charges chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.