Will Pennsylvania’s New Gambling Law Let Joseph Ligambi Walk Free?
Defendant in federal trial says things have changed.
The Inquirer reports that Joseph Ligambi may make the case that Pennsylvania’s new gambling law—which allows bars to host small games of chance—makes legal what his client, an accused mobster, is accused of doing illegally.
The Inky notes: “Illegal gambling is just one of the accusations federal prosecutors have lodged against Ligambi, the reputed head of the Philadelphia mob, and (George) Borgesi, his purported consigliere. And both men face federal, not state, charges.”
Still, the paper adds: “in a state that has increasingly embraced gambling as way to fund public initiatives, are these charges worth a 13-year investigation? Ligambi’s attorney, Edwin Jacobs Jr., put that query to jurors during his opening statement this month.”
