Published on: June 30, 2026, 06:16h.
Updated on: June 30, 2026, 06:16h.
- Defense attorneys contended that the accused leveraged Bally’s rewards system rather than engaging in deceit, arguing they adhered to the casino’s established guidelines.
- A judge overturned a previous ruling to deny bail after considering arguments that the purported scheme was an instance of advantage play, not fraud.
- The alleged mastermind, reputed mob figure Giuseppe “Little Joe” Manzi, is also facing charges in an unrelated gambling case in the Chicago area.
Two individuals charged with assisting in a $1.4 million fraud against Rhode Island’s Bally’s Lincoln Casino asserted on June 29 that they merely “out-smarted” the establishment, as reported by MassLive.
Alfonso B. Lalli and Salvatore Fusco were among five individuals arrested last week, facing charges related to casino cheating and fraudulent acquisition.
The accused are alleged to have utilized over 100 Bally’s rewards cards registered to different individuals to engage in high-stakes slot play, reportedly amassing $1.4 million over 116 days.
Giuseppe “Little Joe” Manzi, claimed to be the ringleader, won an impressive $1.2 million, with a casino official labeling the situation as “statistically impossible,” according to an arrest affidavit.
When the House Loses
However, Lalli’s attorney, Daniel Hagan, maintained at the bail hearing on Monday that the defendants simply outsmarted the casino and asserted that their gameplay was legitimate.
What they are accused of is fundamentally outsmarting the casino. They adhered to the guidelines of the program,” Hagan stated to the judge, as per MassLive.
This legal strategy invites scrutiny, as many aspects of the purported scheme remain ambiguous. Unlike games such as blackjack, slot machines don’t rely on mathematical tactics to overcome the house advantage.
Moreover, using player rewards cards under different names, as alleged, does not conform to the accepted practices of a casino’s loyalty program. Prosecutors have yet to clarify how the misuse of over 100 loyalty cards facilitated the group’s earnings.
The Springfield Crew
The defense’s arguments were persuasive enough for the judge, leading to the reversal of the initial bail hesitations for Lalli and Fusco. Manzi, known for his connections to the “Springfield Crew,” a faction of the Genovese crime family based in New England, was released on Friday after securing a $50,000 bail.
Previously, Manzi was arrested in April, accused of participating in a comprehensive illegal gambling operation linked to two restaurants in the Chicago area, charges he denies.
Manzi has an extensive history with law enforcement; in 2003, he received a federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to racketeering during a major investigation into the Springfield Crew. He was released in 2006 after approximately three years in custody, according to federal prison archives.
His father, Carmine “The Barber” Manzi, faced indictment alongside several alleged crew members in a related case.
Fusco is the progeny of Emilio Fusco, who is currently serving a 25-year federal prison sentence for racketeering, according to MassLive. Additionally, his older brother, Franco “Frankie” Fusco, faces indictments in Hampden Superior Court alongside another sibling, Antonio, on various drug and firearms offenses.
The elder Fusco is also being sought in connection to the Bally’s case and remains at large.