Lucchese leaders, Scarfo Jr. among 34 indicted

Two leaders of the Lucchese crime family and 32 members and associates - including Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. - have been indicted on first-degree charges of racketeering, conspiracy and money laundering, officials said Friday.

The state Division of Criminal Justice investigation, dubbed Operation Heat, uncovered an international gambling ring that moved billions of dollars in wagers, primarily on sporting events, and relied on extortion and violence to collect debts, according to New Jersey State Attorney General's office.

The indictment charges two members of the three-man ruling panel of the Lucchese crime family: Joseph DiNapoli, 74, of Scarsdale, N.Y., and Matthew Madonna, 74, of Seldon, N.Y. The indictment also charges Scarfo Jr., 44, of Ventnor.

A warrant has been issued for Scarfo's arrest. Most of the defendants were initially charged and arrested in Operation Heat in December 2007; Scarfo, son of Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, Sr., and two other men were charged Friday for the first time in the ongoing investigation.

"The Lucchese crime family allegedly employed sophisticated measures such as electronic record-keeping and offshore wire rooms designed to thwart detection of their illegal gambling activities by law enforcement," said Attorney General Paula Dow. "I'm proud to say that their innovations did not stop our investigators from infiltrating their criminal enterprise and obtaining the evidence needed to indict their alleged top leaders in both New York and New Jersey."