A Nassau County cop alleged to be moonlighting for the Bonanno crime family was found guilty of making false statements to the FBI by a federal jury in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
Prosecutors alleged that Det. Hector Rosario, 51, was on the Bonannos’ payroll to protect its illegal gambling operations, which were run for over 10 years inside coffee shops and sports clubs throughout Queens and on Long Island.
During the same time, the Genovese family allegedly operated illegal gambling businesses out of their own locations in Queens and Long Island, including Sal’s Shoe Repair in Merrick and the Centro Calcio Italiano Club in West Babylon, according to court documents.
According to prosecutors, the Bonannos paid Rosario to attempt to shut down rival gambling parlors, in one instance, by conducting a fake police “raid” on the Genovese-run gambling spot inside Sal’s Shoe Repair. It was also alleged that he provided a tip about another rival gambling spot to a fellow detective, and that he warned a Bonanno associate that he was under investigation. Rosario was also accused of using a law enforcement database to look up the address of a federal witness he believed was going to snitch on the Bonannos.
Rosario, who was fired from the Nassau County Police Department in 2022, was charged with lying to FBI agents during a 2020 interview when he stated that he had no information about the Mafia or illegal gambling spots. He also denied knowing the identity of the mob associate he had warned and said he wasn’t familiar with the gambling business inside Sal’s Shoe Repair, prosecutors said.
The verdict came following a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano, the former Staten Island Assemblyman. Rosario was acquitted of obstruction of justice, but faces up to five years in prison when sentenced on the false statements charge.
“This corrupt detective chose to prove his loyalty to an organized crime family over the public he was sworn to protect,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham. “When police officers exploit their positions for personal gain, it erodes public trust in law enforcement.”