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FBI Files Tie Casino, Mob

ILLINOIS – As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times: "Two closely held FBI memos that played a central role in the rejection of the Emerald Casino project in Rosemont were revealed in court Wednesday, giving a glimpse of the alleged organized crime ties dogging the project.

"The memos, according to court testimony, detail the alleged mob links of two men tied to the casino project and, for the first time, injected allegations of a Sicilian mafia connection.

"The FBI prepared the confidential memos for the Illinois Gaming Board in November of 2000 after former FBI organized crime supervisor Jim Wagner was hired by the board. Wagner recognized the names of two men whose family members bought casino shares -- Nick S. Boscarino and Vito Salamone -- and asked the FBI for information about them, according to testimony by Sergio Acosta, the gaming board's administrator in 2000.

"…The FBI memos, copies of which were not released, were partially read into the record by Acosta during an Emerald license-revocation hearing despite repeated objections by Emerald's attorneys. Those lawyers argued the 'multiple hearsay' information could be unreliable, and noted parts of the memos warned the data 'may or may not be corroborated.'…"

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