Vincent Basciano Jr.: Sports Betting and Marijuana Case Sentencing

Vincent Basciano Jr. is the eldest son of former Bonanno crime family boss Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano, and he has been charged in two significant criminal cases: a 2012 New York state indictment tied to a multi-million-dollar illegal sports betting ring, and a 2013 federal marijuana trafficking conspiracy in the Southern District of New York that ended with a 24-month prison sentence in December 2014.

Who He Is

Basciano Jr.’s father led the Bonanno family before being convicted on murder and racketeering charges and is now serving two life sentences at a federal Supermax facility in Colorado.¹ Vincent Jr. and his two younger brothers, Stephen and Joseph, have each faced their own charges, but Vincent Jr.’s cases are the ones that have drawn the most sustained attention.

The 2012 Sports Betting Indictment

On October 25, 2012, Basciano Jr. was one of 25 people indicted in connection with an illegal nationwide sports betting operation that prosecutors said generated more than $50 million in profits over roughly 18 months. The ring took wagers on professional and college sports and horse racing through offshore gambling websites running on servers in Panama and Costa Rica.²

Listed as a Bronx-based bookmaker, Basciano Jr. was charged under New York State’s Organized Crime Control Act with enterprise corruption, first-degree money laundering, first-degree promoting gambling, and fifth-degree conspiracy. Each defendant faced up to 25 years in prison on conviction. The underlying NYPD Organized Crime Investigation Division probe began in February 2011 and relied on physical surveillance and court-authorized wiretaps; investigators seized more than $7.6 million in cash and gambling chips along with real property, and defendants were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court.² The available record does not indicate the final resolution of Basciano Jr.’s state charges.

The Federal Marijuana Case

Less than a year later, Basciano Jr. faced a more consequential prosecution. On September 18, 2013, he was arraigned alongside his brothers Stephen and Joseph in Manhattan federal court on narcotics conspiracy charges.³ The superseding indictment, brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York’s Organized Crime Unit, alleged a conspiracy to transport hundreds to thousands of pounds of marijuana from California to New York for distribution.⁴

Prosecutors said Vincent Jr. personally ran a marijuana route in the Bronx that served roughly 300 customers and moved about two pounds a week.⁵ The charged conspiracy period ran from August 2009 to April 2013, though Judge Richard Sullivan noted that evidence suggested Basciano Jr. may have been operating a route in the East Tremont section of the Bronx as early as 2008.⁶

He initially pleaded not guilty and was released on a $500,000 bond. His defense attorney, Murray Richman, filed a motion to suppress wiretap evidence in January 2014 but later withdrew it.⁶

Guilty Plea and Sentence

On March 26, 2014, Basciano Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of the superseding indictment.⁷ Before the plea, he had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison and $1 million in fines; the plea guidelines called for 46 to 57 months.

On December 3, 2014, Judge Sullivan sentenced him to 24 months in federal prison, well below the guideline range. The court also imposed three years of supervised release, with the first 12 months to be served under home confinement with electronic monitoring, and ordered a $2 million forfeiture. Judge Sullivan recommended that the Bureau of Prisons house him at FCI Otisville or FCI Fort Dix to facilitate visits with his son, and recommended enrollment in the 500-hour Residential Drug Abuse Program.⁶

Why the Sentence Came in Below the Guidelines

Judge Sullivan said he shaped the sentence to allow Basciano Jr. to care for his young son, who has autism-related special needs.⁵ The child’s condition came up at several points in the case. Richman filed a March 2014 letter requesting bail pending sentencing because of childcare responsibilities tied to the son’s autism-related disability, and in July 2014 he successfully sought to delay his client’s surrender date, citing the child’s upcoming surgery and the need to arrange replacement care. Judge Sullivan granted that request, acknowledging the “exceptional circumstances” of the child’s condition. During the subsequent home-confinement term, Basciano Jr. was permitted to leave for employment, medical appointments, religious observances, and the care and transportation of his son.⁶

His Brothers’ Outcomes in the Same Case

Stephen and Joseph Basciano entered their pleas in February 2014. Joseph, described as less involved, was sentenced to six months in jail in July 2014. Stephen received 42 months in August 2014, with Judge Sullivan noting that the marijuana enterprise “went on for years” and was not a one-time venture.⁸ At Stephen’s initial detention stage, prosecutors had argued he should be held in custody, citing a “demonstrable history of violence” and recordings in which he allegedly boasted about owning weapons.³

1
New York Post. Crime Boss’s Sons Busted in Pot Ring
2
FBI. Twenty-Five Individuals Indicted in Multi-Million Dollar Illegal Nationwide Sports Betting Ring
3
Bronx Times. Feds Bust Bronx Mobster’s Sons on Pot Rap
4
U.S. Department of Justice. Manhattan US Attorney Charges Seven Additional Members and Associates of Genovese and Bonanno Organized Crime Families
5
New York Daily News. Son of Vinnie Gorgeous Basciano Gets Two Years for Marijuana Trafficking
6
CourtListener. United States v. Larca, 1:13-cr-00340
7
New York Post. Mobster Vinny Gorgeous Third Son Pleads Guilty in Weed Business
8
New York Daily News. Stephen Basciano Gets 42-Month Sentence for Role in Reefer Ring