A former Nassau County police detective was convicted Wednesday for lying to the FBI to shield a Mafia family’s illegal gambling operations in New York’s suburbs.
Hector Rosario, a 15-year police veteran, was acquitted of obstruction of justice but found guilty of making false statements to federal agents. The jury deliberated for a week following a seven-day trial in Brooklyn federal court.
U.S. Attorney John Durham called Rosario a “corrupt detective” who prioritized loyalty to the Bonanno crime family over his duty to protect the public. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly added that Rosario “disgracefully compromised” law enforcement investigations by tipping off a mobster and lying to federal agents.
Prosecutors said Rosario, 51, accepted thousands of dollars in payments from Bonanno family members in exchange for tipping them off about investigations, revealing the home address of a cooperating witness, and steering raids toward rival crime family operations. He even staged a fake police bust in a shoe repair shop, serving as a front for the Genovese crime family.
In 2020, Rosario was interviewed by the FBI as part of an investigation into Mafia activities in the suburbs but falsely claimed he did not know about the illegal gambling operations.
Rosario, fired in 2022, faces up to five years in prison. Although he was acquitted of obstruction, his lawyers plan to appeal the conviction. They argued that his actions were not intended to interfere with the federal investigation.
Rosario was one of nine people charged after authorities uncovered a massive backroom gambling racket linked to the Mafia’s resurgence. The other defendants faced various charges, including racketeering, money laundering, and conspiracy.