Reputed Mobster from Little Egg Harbor Faces Prison for Racketeering

A suspected member of the Genovese crime family who calls Little Egg Harbor home awaits sentencing for his role as in a massive illegal sports-betting operation that federal agents exposed more than a year ago.

John Breheney, 49, also known as "Fu," pleaded guilty in Newark to conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, according to information from the office of New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. He was arrested along with 11 others in May 2012.

At his February 2014 sentencing, Breheney faces a prison term of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000 for the racketeering charge. The tax-evasion count carries a possible sentence of up to five years and fines also as high as $250,000.

Breheney admitted profiting off the venture as an associate of the Lascala Crew, and filing false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service to keep $101,166 in taxable income hidden.

The Genovese subset headed by Joseph Lascala, 81, of Monroe, engaged in cargo theft, interstate trafficking of stolen goods, illegal gambling, extortion, and strongarm debt collections, investigators say.

Crew members arranged the gambling enterprise through the operators of an offshore website, say authorities. Gamblers avoided using credit cards to access the site, pay debts or receive winnings, paying cash to crew "agents."

Breheney is characterized as one of the agents, who routinely added skyrocketing and extorted the debts out of hapless players.

Prosecutors say the Lascala Crew also ran social centers around the state, setting up card games and games of chance for profit, as well as hijacking cargo and selling stolen goods across state lines.

Breheney, say investigators, admitted owing the IRS about $30,982 in taxes by hiding $101,166 in 2007. He was ordered to forfeit $400,000, representing the estimated amount he gained in the scheme.