BOOKMAKING PROBE Five plead guilty for gambling

Some sentencing won't take place until May.
CLEVELAND -- Of 16 defendants indicted in the LaVilla Sports Bar & amp; Grille gambling case, only four remain -- and pleas are being discussed with them, a federal prosecutor said.
Five guilty pleas were entered Wednesday in U.S. District Court, bringing the total number of guilty pleas to 11. A 12th defendant, Angelo Mosco, 48, of Edenridge Drive, Boardman, is expected to plead guilty Monday.
At a final pretrial Wednesday, Judge Paul R. Matia told the remaining four defendants that the case will go to trial Dec. 13. He will accept plea agreements no later than Dec. 10 without repercussions.
He said any defendants who plead guilty on the day of trial or thereafter will face costs associated with trial preparation.
The remaining defendants are:
USteve Almasy, 66, of Country Lane, Poland, operator of the LaVilla on Youngstown-Poland Road, Struthers.
UKevin Almasy, 35, of Midwood Circle, Boardman.
UPatrice Almasy, 33, of Midwood Circle, Boardman.
UFrank Angelo, 48, of East Park Avenue, Hubbard.
Matthew B. Kall, an assistant U.S. attorney, told Judge Matia that pleas are being discussed with the four and a resolution may be reached before trial.
Guilty
Pleading guilty Wednesday were:
UDennis Billec, 40, of Gertrude Avenue, Campbell. Sentencing is May 10.
UJohn Yurko, 56, of Maple Ridge Drive, Boardman. Sentencing is May 10.
UVito Yeropoli, 30, of Rich Avenue, Hillsville, Pa. Sentencing is May 11.
UJoseph Vaio, 54, of Wilson Street, Struthers. Sentencing is May 11.
URichard Burnett, 58, of Runge Boulevard, Struthers. Sentencing is May 12.
Pleading guilty last month were Ronald Beshara of Canfield; Richard Milano of Campbell; Todd Yallech of Boardman; William McCullough of North Lima; James Donghia of Bessemer, Pa.; and Frank Daltorio of Boardman.
Donghia and Daltorio will be sentenced Dec. 23. McCullough, Beshara and Milano will be sentenced Jan. 3, and Yallech will be sentenced Jan. 4.
The sentencing range for all -- except Yeropoli -- is six to 12 months in prison, which makes them eligible for a portion of the sentence spent in home detention. Yeropoli faces zero to six months, which makes him eligible for probation.
Gambling accusations
In May, a federal grand jury indicted the 16, accusing them of running sports bookmaking operations, mainly on college and professional football.
The indictment asks for forfeiture of LaVilla; the home of Kevin and Patrice Almasy at 8 Midwood Circle; and the liquor permit in the name of Sally Ann Almasy, doing business as LaVilla. Sally Ann Almasy is Steve Almasy's wife.
LaVilla is owned by Josephine Carabbia, according to Mahoning County records. She is the wife of organized crime figure Ronald D. Carabbia and a sister of Sally Ann Almasy.
Ronald Carabbia spent nearly 25 years in prison for the car-bombing death of a rival mobster. He was released from prison Sept. 24, 2002.