Daijiworld Media Network – New Jersey

New Jersey, Apr 12: An Indian-origin municipal councillor from New Jersey, Anand Shah, has been charged in connection with a large-scale, mafia-run gambling operation, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced on Friday. Shah, 42, was one of 39 individuals charged with racketeering, gambling offences, money laundering, and other criminal activities.

Shah, who was serving his second term as a municipal councillor in Prospect Park, a suburb of New York, was allegedly involved in managing illegal poker games and an online sportsbook linked to the notorious Lucchese Crime Family, a feared Italian-American mafia group. According to Platkin, the operation involved significant criminal activity, including betting on sports tournaments and running illegal gambling venues from social clubs and legitimate businesses such as restaurants. The total value of the operation was estimated at $3 million.

Alongside Shah, another individual of Indian descent, Samir S Nadkarni, 48, from Longwood, Florida, was also charged as a “sportsbook sub-agent/poker host.”

Platkin expressed concern over the breach of public trust, stating, "The arrest of a sitting council member only adds fuel to that fire" of public distrust of elected officials. He emphasized the grim reality of such criminal operations, saying, "It’s about breaking the laws the rest of us follow and, ultimately, it’s about money, control, and the threat of violence.”

The charges were filed after raids were conducted at 12 locations across New Jersey, including four poker clubs. Authorities stated that the gambling operation was being run behind the facade of legitimate businesses, further complicating efforts to curb illegal activities.