Prospect Park Councilman Anand Shah will get 10 years in state prison after admitting his role in an illegal gambling operation connected to the Lucchese crime family.
Shah admitted to first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, and second-degree official misconduct. The state has recommended 10 years in state prison.
“Public officials have a special duty to ensure that they follow the law,” stated Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. “The defendant not only broke the law, but he then used criminal proceeds to fund his political campaign. Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that no one is above the law.”
He is expected to be removed from his council seat, but Shah, who sought an extension earlier this month, appears to have successfully outmaneuvered Superior Court Judge Ralph Amarata and Deputy Attorney General Heather Hausleben. Yesterday was the deadline to file a candidate to run in a special election to fill Shah’s seat; now Shah’s colleagues – he is an ally of Mayor Mohamad Khairullah – will get to appoint a replacement, and instead of a November 2026 special election for voters to fill his seat, the interim appointee may serve until November 2027.
Following his arrest in April 2025, Democrats renominated Shah for a third term, and he was re-elected.
Shah served as a sportsbook agent and managed illegal poker games for the operation. During his plea hearing, he admitted conspiring with other members of the enterprise and repeatedly engaging in illegal gambling and money laundering in Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties.
Shah acknowledged overseeing subagents, controlling financial transactions and directing others to steer portions of the operation’s criminal proceeds into his campaign for Prospect Park Borough Council.
He also admitted managing and hosting games at illegal poker clubs that collected a “rake” — a percentage of each pot retained by the house — and working as a sportsbook agent with dozens of subagents. Authorities attributed $900,084 in criminal proceeds to Shah between January 2017 and August 2023.
Shah further admitted converting gambling debts into campaign contributions. Individuals who owed him money were directed to contribute to his campaign, and Shah forgave their outstanding gambling debts in exchange for the donations.
He is among 42 people indicted following an investigation into illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion and money laundering allegedly connected to the Lucchese crime family. The first arrests came in April 2025 after a two-year investigation.
Thirty-eight defendants pleaded guilty between October 2025 and August 2026, including eight who admitted earlier this year to helping operate illegal poker games and an online sportsbook associated with the Lucchese crime family.
Prosecutors allege that leaders of the crime family’s New Jersey faction supervised the gambling operation and collected a share of its profits. Investigators identified approximately $4.79 million in suspected criminal proceeds and said members of the enterprise used shell corporations and legitimate businesses to conceal the source of the money.
“Traditional organized crime remains a real problem in New Jersey,” said Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa Hilton said. “Even with a variety of legal gambling options, illegal gambling rings run by organized crime continue to operate in backrooms and online. Law enforcement will continue to dismantle these criminal enterprises no matter where they operate.”
Amirata has scheduled a sentencing date of December 4.
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