Edison Police Dept. breaks up alleged illegal poker ring
14 arrested during midnight raid; two held on $50,000 bail

EDISON - The police department's Vice and Narcotics Squad raided an allegedly illegal gambling establishment on Brunswick Avenue on June 20, leading to the arrests of nine gamblers and the five alleged ring leaders, officials said.

According to Lt. Joseph Shannon, the Edison police culminated a monthlong investigation into the alleged illegal poker lounge during a midnight raid.

Shannon said two of the men, Joseph Piedilato, 23, of Cambridge, Md., and Timothy J. Fennessey, 23, of Edison, were both charged with promoting gambling, possession of gambling records and maintenance of an illegal gambling resort. Three others were arrested and charged with promoting gambling. They are Alexander Pysniak, 19, of Woodbridge, Brian Gee-Shephard, 29, of New York, and Eric J. Rodriguez, 24, of Metuchen. All three were released on their own recognizance. Piedilato and Fennessey are being held on $50,000 bail with no 10 percent option.

Shannon said the casino was being housed in rented office space at 40 Brunswick Ave., and that police found computers, gambling chips, tables, couches and about $3,000 in cash when they executed the search warrant.

Shannon said the operation would charge a fee for participation in the poker games held there and that a percentage of the winnings would be paid to the house - he speculated around 10 percent. He said the poker ring advertised over the Internet and through word of mouth, but he was not sure how the Vice and Narcotics Squad first caught wind of the alleged operation.

The nine other individuals arrested that night were charged with illegal gambling, a misdemeanor, and were released on their own recognizance, Shannon said. Their offense was for violating a local ordinance prohibiting gambling, Shannon said.

Shannon said the police are continuing to investigate the matter but have not determined if the owner of the rented office space was aware of the operation.

- Tom Caiazza