4 men sentenced for roles in gambling ring prosecutors say spanned Western Pa.

Three members of a Western Pennsylvania numbers-running and sports-betting network pleaded guilty Monday in Westmoreland County to their roles in what state prosecutors contend was a major gambling ring with ties to organized crime that generated millions of dollars.

Deputy Attorney General Mark Serge said the men were “low-level” operators in the criminal organization led by Robert Iannelli and his son, who are charged in connection with an investigation that included five wire taps over a six-month period between late 2016 and early 2017.

“This was a very cash intensive business and very profitable,” Serge said.

Harry Ronald Stetson, 72, of Sharpsburg, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of conspiracy and bookmaking and was sentenced by Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio to serve six months on probation.

Floyd A. Panella, 69, of Beaver County, and James Roger Martorella, 71, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty to summary disorderly conduct charges and each were fined $300.

Arden Metcalfe, 64, of Monongahela, was sentenced to serve six months on probation for two counts of bookmaking. Metcalfe did not plead guilty. He was admitted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Program for first-time, non-violent offenders. He can have his record expunged after completing probation.

The judge ordered all four to repay the state more than $39,000 in restitution for costs associated with the wire taps of phones and fax machines that were part of the investigation.

Serge said plea negotiations are ongoing with Robert “Bobby I” Iannelli, 90, of Wexford, and his son, Rodney “Rusty” Iannelli, 60, of Pittsburgh. Prosecutors contend the Iannellis operated the gambling ring that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars each week by taking bets on state lottery numbers and sporting events.

Robert Iannelli was identified as an associate of Pittsburgh’s former LaRocca-Genovese organized crime operation in a 1990 Pennsylvania Crime Commission report. Prosecutors said Iannelli has gambling-related arrests that date back to the 1950s and was prosecuted for his involvement in multi-million dollar illegal sports wagering operations in the 1970s and 1990s.

In all, 13 people were charged in February 2019 as part of the state Attorney General’s Office investigation.

Charges are pending in Westmoreland County against seven others linked to the alleged gambling ring that Serge said operated throughout the region over the last several years, including from two homes in North Huntingdon where some of the bets were processed.