Today is a good day to start a thread about Mount Airy Casi…

Even Mr. DeNaples priest, Father Joseph Sica, got into hot water over his ties to the Bufalino crime family. Tsk, tsk, Father Joey.

“William D'Elia, 62, became the latest alleged American Mafia leader to turn government informant as he was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison for witness tampering and conspiracy to launder drug money.”

D’Elia was the head of the Bufalino crime family.

In 2009, Louis DeNaples was forced to sell his stake

“DeNaples relinquished control of the casino in 2009 to avoid prosecution on charges he lied to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board about his affiliations with organized crime figures when he applied for his gaming license.

Luckily DeNaples was able to sell his share to his daughter Lisa DeNaples, who operates the casino.

https://t.co/OpaA1KfxVQ

In 2012 the resort petitions the gaming board to allow two of Lisa’s siblings to join its board. They also ask that their dad Louis be allowed to remain its financial guarantor.

The Office of Enforcement Counsel disagreed.

https://t.co/tHonLyI6HF

Some six months later, the matter of Louis DeNaples lack of a gaming license being in conflict with his role as a guarantor was resolved gracefully, as he exited as a guarantor.

https://t.co/1CScG1fpoN

Lisa DeNaples did a bang up job of making improvements to the resort, landing a AAA Four Diamond Award, opening a Guy Fieri branded restaurant, and putting in a ginormous swimming pool. Sounds fun!

https://t.co/444Oi0Kz27

Still, Louis wasn’t happy with the decision that prevented him from earning anything from the casino. He was barred from receiving any payments, including to businesses he owned that might provide services to Mount Airy. He lost his 2016 case.

Boohoo.

https://t.co/OpaA1KfxVQ

Also in 2012, Louis deNaples was forced to step down from his role as the chairman of First National Community Bancorp.

However, in 2013 the federal appeals court reversed the decision and DeNaples was allowed to remain on FNCB’s board.

[I was today years old when I learned there is a Mafia Wiki.]

https://t.co/NedP5Mpdik

Talk about ancient history, Mafia Wiki!

“In 1978, DeNaples pleaded no contest to a conspiracy charge of defrauding the government of more than $500,000 in contracts relating to the cleanup and recovery of the City of Scranton in the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes.”

We’ll want to remember that in 1978 DeNaples defrauded the government when we get to 2020, gentle readers.

But we still have a few gaps to fill before we arrive at the present day.

Because dear gentle readers, it is time to hold onto your hats for his 2013 book review of the Quiet Don that says Bufalino was involved in the Bay of Pigs, ordered the killing of Jimmy Hoffa, and, oh yeah, had DeNaples bribe Pennsylvania governor Rendell to change gambling laws.

This is tangential to our DeNaples thread, yet noteworthy.

La Cosa Nostra founder Bufalino allegedly ordered the hit on Hoffa “because of concerns the one-time union kingpin might spill details of his involvement in the Castro plot.”

💥

https://t.co/c2z5V9aUdW

It helps contextualize this statement,

“DeNaples, Birkbeck alleges, was initially granted a casino license to operate a slots parlor in the Poconos after corralling business associates to donate $600,000 to Rendell's campaign coffers.”

Is bribe too harsh? Shall we use bundle?

Lest there be any confusion as to the credibility of Birkbeck’s reporting, we should observe he was sued for defamation by a murderer whose dad was DeNaples bestie.

This article 😅

https://t.co/B0bA47yT1p

Now, this tale from the far-right American Spectator is an eyebrow raiser, saying DeNaples gives generously to the Catholic Church & his former accountant’s son is now Monsignor Rossi at the National Shrine

😟

https://t.co/9v79LlMHFP

The National Shrine is a whole different rabbit hole. From Neumayr’s gay-bashing leg work we see that DeNaples it well off, to say the least.

🚨 He owns his own bank (probably more.) 🚨

Before we return to the bank, a quick foray into campaign contributions. Here we see the convicted felon giving $15K to the Dem DA candidate in 2016 https://t.co/eVSouuzWLU

Here’s DeNaples giving Kane $25K to drop an inquiry by revoking subpoenas in 2013, reported in 2015.

https://t.co/gs9wwQShdn

Here is Zappalla returning the $15K

https://t.co/yMqupcBOp9

Here is DeNaples’ businesses giving former Republican governor Tom Corbett $42,500, as reported in 2015.

Corbett lost his 2014 re-election bid.

https://t.co/x1f8BItgsA

So you get the picture.

Louis DeNaples, who founded Mount Airy Casino Resort, got forced to pass the biz to his kids, & then started throwing around big bucks to politicians of all stripes. & why shouldn’t he?

He’s the chairman of the board at $FNCB.

https://t.co/irvnqCrkDl

It’s your basic full service bank, doing about $40 million a year in revenue, $FNCB trading around $6, with 17 locations in Pennsylvania, per this rundown off the Seeking Alpha app.

You can see the bank changed its name in 2016, but let’s not delve into that just now.

Instead, let’s contemplate the first and fourth paragraphs of this 17 day old Reuters story on the Main Street loan program which is part of the corona virus stimulus, from the CARES Act, I believe.

https://t.co/4CBUGUyCiU

“The Federal Reserve … central bank disclosed the largest loan so far went to a resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.”

“The largest - $50 million - was to Mount Airy #1 LLC, operator of the Mount Airy Casino Resort”... made by none other than FNCB!

And there you have it, folks.

The biggest ever Main Street recovery loan went to a mobbed up Pennsylvania casino & it was bankrolled by the bank chaired by the casino founder, DeNaples.

They are laundering money in plain sight & that money belongs helping small businesses.

👿