CHATHAM, NJ — A Chatham man was sentenced to four years in jail after pleading guilty to his role in a Genovese crime family-linked gambling ring, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.

Manuel Rodriguez, 54, of Chatham, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was one of six men, including two others from Morris County, sentenced for their role in the ring on Friday.

The men were accused of helping run a loan shark operation that netted $4.7 million in interest, a multi-million dollar offshore gambling ring, and unlicensed check cashing business that made $9 million and enabled money laundering, and tax fraud and evasion, Grewal said. All of the illegal operations went to fund "tribute" payments that went to those higher-up in the Genovese family chain of command.



"When those involved in traditional organized crime engage in schemes such as loansharking and illegal gambling, they profit at the expense of victims who are struggling with debt, gambling problems, and other issues," Grewal said. "By prosecuting the men who ran these schemes and putting key defendants behind bars, we send a message that we will not tolerate these corrosive criminal activities that harm individuals, families and society as a whole."

The following six men were sentenced today in Morris County superior court: