North Jersey Councilman Banned From Office For Role In Mob-Associated Gambling Ring: AG

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Prospect Park councilman who was involved in a gambling ring with ties to the Lucchese crime family pleaded guilty to racketeering on Friday, officials said.

He even told people who owed gambling debts that they could donate to his campaigns instead of paying up, officials say.

Anand U. Shah, 44, of Prospect Park, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Ralph Amirata in Morris County to first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, and second-degree official misconduct, said the state Attorney General's Office.

Under the plea agreement, Shah is barred from holding public office for life.

The state will also recommend a sentence of 10 years in state prison, of which 85 percent must be served before he's eligible for parole, said the state.

Crimes In Three Counties

Shah was a sports book agent/poker manager in the gambling operation, officials said.

At his plea hearing, he admitted that he "committed repeated acts of gambling and money laundering in Morris, Passaic, and Bergen Counties," said state officials.

Among those acts, Shah admitted that people who owed him gambling debts were told they could contribute to his political campaigns instead of paying the debts.

Shah helped earn $900,084 for the operation, using "dozens of subagents" between 2017 and 2023, officials said.

“Traditional organized crime remains a real problem in New Jersey,” said State Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa Hilton.“Even with a variety of legal gambling options, illegal gambling rings run by organized crime continue to operate in backrooms and online."

“The defendant not only broke the law, but he then used criminal proceeds to fund his political campaign," noted Attorney General Jennifer Davenport.

Shah's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 4.

Shah is one of42 people who have been indicted after a two-year investigation into illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, and money laundering tied to the Lucchese crime family.

Eight of them pleaded guilty to gambling and other crimes earlier this year. READ MORE: 8 Lucchese Crime Family Members, Associates In NJ Plead Guilty To Gambling, More: AG