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2 plead to running gambling ring

The operation allegedly accepted thousands of dollars in bets a week in S. Jersey and Phila.

Two reputed mob associates pleaded guilty yesterday to running a gambling ring in South Jersey and Philadelphia, authorities said.

Danilo "Danny" Starita, 36, and Edward Wagner, 41, both of South 17th Street in South Philadelphia, had been accused of collecting thousands of dollars a week in sports bets in Philadelphia and Camden, Atlantic and Gloucester Counties.

Their operation was shut down with raids on several homes in both states on April 3, 2006, the day of the NCAA men's basketball championship game.

Starita and Wagner pleaded to promoting gambling and theft by deception before Judge Michael R. Connor in Superior Court in Atlantic County, said Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

Connor revoked each man's bail pending sentencing May 18. Starita and Wagner face up to 15 years in prison, and each must pay a $10,000 fine, Aseltine said.

Prosecutors said the men had "compounded their crimes" by claiming to have legitimate jobs in order to cover for their gambling income and obtain a $185,000 mortgage for a condominium in Margate, N.J.

On their mortgage applications, Starita and Wagner claimed to work for Ital-Uil Inc., a Rome-based firm that helps businessmen move from Italy to the United States.

According to prosecutors, the company had no knowledge of them.

Contact staff writer Sam Wood

at 856-779-3838 or samwood@phillynews.com.