University of Virginia Library

CD Sports Scandal Uncovered

By Steve Booth

Virginia State Police and
FBI agents from Richmond
were diverted from drug raids
last week via an uncovering of
a statewide numbers operation.
Headquarters were in
Charlottesville, under cover of
the Cavalier Daily Sports
offices. Ernest Dempsey, one
of five arrested in the
mushrooming racket, agreed to
turn State's witness for
leniency. Also arrested were
William Nachman, Thomas
Bell, members of the Sports
staff, Stefano (The Shadow)
DiBallo, and Joseph (The Gap)
Cartello, both with known East
Coast racket connections.

Although DiBallo and
Cartello refused to cooperate with
agents — using the standard
underworld ploy of "I know
nothing"— Dempsey proved a
willing confessor.

The erstwhile Sports Editor of
The Cavalier Daily said that
numbers combinations were derived
from the weekly "Pigskin
Prognostications" which DiBallo
head numbers controller, for the
Cartello family's Richmond-based
rackets, would pick up at a local
drugstore. Dempsey, Bell, and
Nachman would then round up
betting slips personally from drops
such as the Rotunda and a garbage
container behind the Glass Hat. All
slips and money were collected by
Friday night, after previews
appeared. Winning numbers were
derived from the first three
numerals of the scores of the
predictions between Virginia's
sports staff members Weekly Picks
on selected games.

Dempsey explained that "the
fix" was often employed, as in the
27-6 defeat to Wake Forest. A fix
didn't involve the game itself, but
an intricate juggling of the numbers
themselves, combined with tip offs
from the site of the game.

"Paying Off" heavily played
numbers on associate numbers
banks also helped, Dempsey
explained, to avoid "taking a bath,"
— underworld jargon for losing big
on a given number.

Harold (The Chin) Aiello was
named by the State's witness as
owning the richest numbers bank in
the Mid-Atlantic area.

Upon intense questioning as to
how the super-straight socialite
from Cleveland — Dempsey —
became involved in such
connections, he replied, "A
combination of muscle and
money."

When approached initially by
DiBallo, Dempsey refused an offer
25% off the top of this lucrative
racket to be the liaison between
local bettors and the underworld.
DiBallo returned later, in early
October with one Pietro (The
Clutching Hand) Morello, who
Dempsey described as one of
Cartello's bully boys.

Under this pressure, Dempsey
yielded as the ante for his cut was
upped to 35%. DiBallo considered
the Sports offices as a perfect front.

Agents received an anonymous
tip from a source who identified
himself only as an alumnus who
had noticed DiBallo wandering
around Scott Stadium early in
November. Dempsey, Cartello, and
DiBallo are free on bail while
Nachman and Bell are being
retained pending notification of a
Richmond bondsman.