BUFFALO, N.Y. – In a brazen display of greed, two men have been arrested and charged with using extortion to collect a $24,000 gambling debt in Buffalo.
Eric Battistoni, 71, of Cheektowaga, N.Y., and Thi Nguyen, 38, of West Seneca, N.Y., are accused of threatening violence if payments were not made on a debt stemming from losses on 2012 professional sporting events.
According to court documents, Nguyen and Battistoni met with the victim at a coffee shop on Bailey Avenue and William Street in Buffalo on May 15, 2013, and demanded payments of $300 a week until the debt was settled.
The indictment carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McCabe is handling the case.
The investigation, a joint effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, has been ongoing for several years and is a testament to the determination of law enforcement to crack down on organized crime.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The charges against Battistoni and Nguyen serve as a reminder that those who engage in extortion and other forms of organized crime will be held accountable for their actions.
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