Cops Shot Far Rockaway Teen 11 Times
Video: New School Students, Comrades Toss Trash Pre-Arrest
Straphanger Who Pulled Emergency Brake Comes Forward
Turkey Cruelty Ad Nixed By NBC
Would You Be Comfortable Locked On A Train With A Murderer?
The underground Flatiron poker club robbery that left one player dead on Friday may be connected to a robbery at a swank Upper East Side club back in June. The Post notes that the two robberies were similar, with gunmen holding up patrons and making off with a lot of cash.
The Upper East Side robbery at the National Card Room (a joint that Alex Rodriguez used to frequent) did not turn violent, whereas the Flatiron robbery did, when one of the robbers "accidentally" fired his pistol when picking up a shotgun. A 55-year-old man from NJ, Frank DeSena (pictured, left), was fatally hit. The robbers were masked, and witnesses have been unable to tell the police what race they were. A police source told the Post, "[The robbers] were good, they were professional."
Reports say that dozens of people were playing at the make-shift poker club on the seventh floor of 251 Fifth Avenue. The club was run by owners who owned a similar establishment called Straddle and had been open for a week, attracting "middle class" or "well-to-do" players. DeSena, who had worked as an economist for AT&T, is described as a regular guy with a wife and 16-year-old son.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
sad
More like stupid and sad.
I happen to work in this building our elevaror holds about 5 people max - completely smooshed. I was wondering what was going on up there since this past week that floor was getting so much foot traffic and the elevator was always packed. With a gambling den up there and a shady "massage parlor" (that got busted a few weeks ago but is still in operation) below me this place is slightly frightening to work in.
Maybe it's time to have a serious discussion about legalizing poker clubs. The status quo for a long time has been "NYPD ignores them or occasionally takes the cage and cuts the tops off of the tables." It would be an absurd waist of resources to attempt to stop them entirely.
So logically lets make them legit and protect the players, who tend to be otherwise upstanding members of society. I'm not sure why anybody would think it was a good idea to keep this activity illegal. What "crime" are any of these people committing?
"...the two robberies were similar, with gunmen holding up patrons and making off with a lot of cash."
Isn't that, by definition, a robbery?
like the eighties again,
the vice squad is quite busy. I've heard there were 90 gamblers at the place. that sounds like a lot of money would be available.
someone on the inside had to know one of the guys...
@melanarchy
"What "crime" are any of these people committing?"
The "crime" of not letting the state/city getting a cut of the action. If you're making money on gambling they want their share.
How can you run an operation like that without any thought to security?
How do you call the robbers professional when they dropped their gun and killed someone.