Anand Shah, an Indian-origin municipal councillor from Prospect Park, New Jersey, has been charged with racketeering, illegal gambling, money laundering, and other offences in connection with a $3 million criminal enterprise tied to the Lucchese crime family.
Anand Shah, 42, is serving his second term on the Prospect Park Borough Council, where he holds responsibility for finance, economic development, and insurance.
He was among 39 individuals named in charges announced Friday by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
The two-year investigation, led by the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice, uncovered a sprawling illegal gambling operation involving underground poker clubs, offshore online sportsbooks, and money laundering networks operating throughout North Jersey.
Searches were carried out on 9 April at 12 locations, including four poker clubs located in Totowa, Garfield, and Woodland Park. Some of these clubs were concealed behind operating restaurants.
Authorities also searched a business in Paterson believed to house gambling machines and seven private residences linked to individuals managing the operation.
Anand Shah is accused of managing illegal poker games and overseeing an online sportsbook as part of his alleged role in the criminal network.
Prosecutors say he worked closely with upper-level members of the Lucchese crime family, one of the oldest and most notorious Italian-American organised crime groups in the United States.
Another Indian-origin individual, Samir Nadkarni, 48, of Longwood, Florida, was also charged and described as a poker host and sportsbook sub-agent.
According to investigators, the criminal enterprise ran gambling activities both in person and online, including social clubs that hosted live poker games, gambling machines, and a sophisticated online sportsbook system.
The online platform, hosted on foreign servers, allowed agents and sub-agents to manage bettors, collect debts, and distribute winnings.
The gambling network allegedly used shell corporations and legitimate businesses to hide and launder illicit proceeds. The total estimated value of suspected criminal earnings exceeds $3 million.
Authorities said that upper management of the ring, including Shah and others, made key decisions, resolved internal disputes, and at times used intimidation tactics to recover outstanding gambling debts.
“Criminal enterprises like this pose a serious threat to the safety and well-being of our communities, driving illegal gambling, money laundering, and racketeering operations that value profit over people,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.
Attorney General Platkin added that while popular media often romanticises mafia activity, the reality is far from cinematic.
“It’s about breaking the laws the rest of us follow, and ultimately it’s about money, control, and the threat of violence,” he said. “The arrest of a sitting council member only adds fuel to the fire of public distrust in elected officials.”
Officials emphasised that the investigation is ongoing, and more charges or arrests may follow.
Anand Shah has not yet entered a plea. His attorney has not publicly responded to the charges.
