A Little League Coach has avoided jail time, in connection with an illegally run poker game in Staten Island, after a Federal Judge sentenced him to two years of probation.
It seems the New York Federal Judges aren’t as crazy as some of the laws they have to abide by.
Little League Coach, Justin Doyle, 39, has avoided jail time for his part in an illegal poker ring operated in the Staten Island area, after a Federal Judge sentenced him to two years probation.
Doyle was one of 15 people arrested in 2011, after Queen’s District Attorney’s office overheard a wire tap where an undercover NYPD Narcotics Officer talked about the game known as the ‘The Press’.
All but two of those arrested were from Staten Island, and most of them have taken plea deals, after their three-year ordeal. According to press reports, the ringleader of the game was a funeral director called Joseph Fumando. The man known as ‘The Undertaker’ was convicted at trial and will be sentenced in March.
Throughout his ordeal Doyle maintained the backing of his Little League President, George Quinn. And after sentencing he had this to say:
“Obviously, we all make mistakes in our lifetime, some bigger than others, but how we respond and recover from those mistakes defines us. Justin, I believe, will continue on this path of nurturing our youth, being very successful at it and he will move forward in making an impact on many young men for many years ahead.”
The occupations of those charged include NYPD detectives, past and present, and members of the NY fire department. One firefighter, Michael Bergen, had his charges dismissed. NYPD detective Richard Palase, and retired NYPD Sgt. Ralph Mastrantonio are the only defendant to not take the plea deal route.
They will have their day in front of court sometime in April.
