Eight Men Arrested in Breakup of Southland Bookmaking Operation

Eight suspects in a Southern California bookmaking ring, one a resident of Newport Beach, were taken into custody Saturday and more arrests are expected, authorities said.

Ending a four-month investigation, vice officers from sheriff’s departments in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties and the state Department of Justice arrested the eight men after serving search warrants at 12 different locations from San Diego to Los Angeles, Sheriff’s Deputy Carl Deeley said. The locations included apartments, businesses and single-family homes.

Investigators also recovered more than $42,000 in cash and checks, telephone banks and “reams of paper evidence” linking the suspects to the operation, Deeley said. A small amount of cocaine also was seized.

The men arrested were Salvatorre Amendola, 61, and John Ferguson, 38, both of North Hollywood; John Budnack of Newport Beach; Edward Pucci, 56, of Gardena; Steve Hurst of Redondo Beach; J.D. Parker, 53, also of Redondo Beach; Glen Raines of San Diego, and Gerald Armstrong of Vista.

They were booked at several jail locations on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bookmaking and bail for each was set at $5,000.

A ninth man, Caserto Agostino, 41, of Redondo Beach, was arrested and booked on suspicion of possessing cocaine. His bail was set at $2,500.