NJ councilman banned from public office for role in illegal gambling ring tied to Lucchese crime family

A New Jersey politician has been permanently barred from holding public office after he admitted to his role in an illegal gambling ring tied to the Lucchese crime family, where he pocketed nearly $1 million – a majority of which he used to fund his political campaign.Prospect Park Councilman Anand Shah pleaded guilty to racketeering, money laundering, and official misconduct and faces up to 10 years in prison for the scheme, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Friday.Shah, 44, was a sportsbook agent and poker manager in the gambling ring that operated across restaurants in the Garden State’s Morris, Passaic, and Bergen counties between January 2017 and August 2023.The local politician, who served as the Finance & (Economic Development) Insurance councilmember for the Borough of Prospect Park, hosted the illegal poker rings, operating with subagents and collecting “rakes” that profited him $900,084.Shah admitted that he would forgive outstanding balances to those who owed him money if they contributed to his campaign fund.“Public officials have a special duty to ensure that they follow the law,” Davenport said. “The defendant not only broke the law, but he then used criminal proceeds to fund his political campaign.Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that no one is above the law.”The Lucchese family oversaw the poker games before officials charged 42 people in connection with the backroom games.Police had raided four illegal poker clubs connected to the family in April 2025, where they uncovered more locations connected to the ring.The years-long investigation into the gambling ring uncovered $4.79 million in suspected criminal proceeds, where mobsters would use shell corporations and businesses to hide the proceeds, Davenport’s office said.“Traditional organized crime remains a real problem in New Jersey,” said NJ Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa L.

Hilton said. “Even with a variety of legal gambling...