Frank Gallipoli III Charged in Lucchese Gambling Case

Frank Gallipoli III, a 57-year-old from Totowa, was charged in April 2025 in the Lucchese crime family gambling case with first-degree racketeering, second-degree conspiracy to promote gambling and money laundering, and a separate third-degree theft count tied to an alleged scheme to steal Home Depot merchandise and use it to renovate flip properties.¹²

His Alleged Role in the Enterprise

Prosecutors identified Gallipoli as a poker-club manager within an illegal gambling operation run for the benefit of the Lucchese Crime Family. In that role, according to the Attorney General’s Office, he collected monetary dues from poker hosts, referred to internally as “rent,” and oversaw employees at the clubs.²

The enterprise operated poker clubs concealed in backrooms behind restaurants in Totowa, Garfield, and Woodland Park, along with at least one unauthorized online sportsbook run through websites based outside the United States.³⁴⁵

The Home Depot Theft and Property-Flipping Allegation

Gallipoli faces a separate third-degree theft by unlawful taking charge alongside Ali Radwan, 53, of Woodland Park. Authorities allege the two engaged in a continuous series of thefts from Home Depot stores, taking at least $22,000 in home improvement merchandise, a figure Home Depot representatives confirmed to investigators.²

According to investigators, the stolen goods were used to renovate flip properties Gallipoli had purchased, and the property flipping itself served as a method to launder and reinvest proceeds from the gambling operation.⁴ Shoplifted materials, on that theory, funded renovations on properties bought with gambling money, and the resale generated ostensibly legitimate income.

Charges and Potential Penalties

The racketeering count is a first-degree offense under New Jersey law and carries a potential sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison.³ The conspiracy count covering gambling promotion and money laundering is second-degree, and the Home Depot theft charge is third-degree.²

Giovanni G. Gallipoli

A second defendant with the same surname, Giovanni G. Gallipoli, 27, also of Totowa, was charged as a poker-club employee in the same enterprise.⁶ He faces the same baseline first-degree racketeering and second-degree conspiracy counts as the other defendants, and he is not named in the Home Depot theft charges. Charging documents and public reporting do not state a family relationship between the two men.

Where the Case Stands

All defendants made initial appearances in New Jersey Superior Court in Morris County on April 10, 2025.² By June 2026, the total number of defendants had reached 42, and 35 had entered guilty pleas before Superior Court Judge Ralph E. Amirata. Seven cases remained pending.⁷

Available reporting on the guilty pleas does not name either Frank Gallipoli III or Giovanni G. Gallipoli among those who have pleaded guilty or among the seven with pending charges, so their individual status is not clear from public sources. Both are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

1
InsiderNJ. Platkin Announces Charges Against 39 Defendants Including Members and Associates of the Lucchese Crime Family
2
WRNJ Radio. Five Morris County Residents Among 39 Charged in Racketeering, Gambling, Money Laundering and Other Offenses
3
ABC7 New York. NJ Councilman Among Dozens Arrested in Illegal Gambling Bust
4
Morris Focus. Attorney General Charges 39 in Major Racketeering and Illegal Gambling
5
News 12 New Jersey. 8 Lucchese Crime Family Members Admit to Racketeering Charges
6
Patch. NJ Councilman Among 39 Charged in Probe Tied to Lucchese Crime Family
7
NorthJersey.com. Eight Guilty Pleas in Roles in NJ Lucchese Gambling Operation