Ex-Philly mayor’s daughter spared in gambling case

By Maryclaire Dale, CDC Gaming Reports Inc.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The daughter of a former Philadelphia mayor is likely to go free in the latest gambling prosecution of her husband, who ran a huge bookmaking operation that took high-dollar sports bets online or through offshore call centers.

Joanna Mastronardo, daughter of the late Mayor Frank L. Rizzo, will have a banking charge dropped if more than a dozen other defendants plead guilty to racketeering and illegal gambling charges, a judge confirmed Tuesday.

Her husband, Joseph “Joe Vito” Mastronardo Sr., and 31-year-old son, Joseph F. “Joey” Mastronardo, pleaded guilty to those charges and money laundering on Friday. U.S. District Judge Jan DuBois pledged Tuesday to drop her case after they are sentenced. No sentencing dates have been set.

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