As indicated in previous public hearing scenarios, check cashing outlets processed cor­porate checks without questioning their possibly illicit purposes. The check cashers' primary con­cern, when they were not converting bad checks into usurious loans, was that the corporate checks would not bounce. That assured, it meant nothing to them if the proceeds were hidden from tax collectors, converted into bribes or kickbacks; put on the street for loansharking, or used for payroll padding, embezzlement or any other fraud. With this history of illegality, the check cashing process becomes even more suspect when a confirmed Atlantic City mob associate, notorious for his own connections to underworld perversion, utilizes a check cashing facility to cash at least $222,000 in checks. The check casher outlet was Island Check Cashing of Atlantic City and the client was Edward J. (Rick) Casale of Margate, owner of Resort Roof­ing Co. and Rick Casale Roofing, Inc.-and one of beleaguered crime boss Nicky Scarfo's confi­dants, according to SCI Intelligence Chief Dintino. Despite the SCI's investigative findings confirming Casale's misuse of a licensed check cashing outlet, he invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege to avoid self-incrimination at both his executive session appearance at the Commission's office and at the public hearing.

SCI Counsel Hoekje questioned Casale at length about possibly illicit use of the cash proceeds from his massive check cashing spree at Island Check Cashing in the heart of the Atlantic City gaming casinos:

Q. Mr. Casale, were these checks that you cashed at Island Check Cashing in payment for roof­ing work?
A. I exercise my Fifth Amendment.

Q. Have you reported for state and federal in­come purposes all moneys received from your roofing business?
A. I exercise my Fifth Amendment.

Q. Did you turn over proceeds of any of the checks that you cashed at Island Check Cashing to anyone else?
A. I exercise my Fifth Amendment.

Q. Why did you cash checks at Island Check Cashing that were marked as donations or benefits?
A. I exercise my Fifth Amendment.

Q. Have you given any of the proceeds of check cashing at Island Check Cashing to anyone as payoffs or kickbacks?
A. I exercise my Fifth Amendment.

Q. To the extent that you cashed checks at Island Check Cashing that represented payment for work done, have you paid all the [labor union] health, welfare and pension benefits for that work done?
A. I exercise my Fifth Amendment.

Q. Mr. Casale, were any of the checks that you cashed at Island Check Cashing extorted from anyone in return for any kind of protection?
A. I exercise my Fifth Amendment.

Casale Check Cashing Confirmed

Marvin Herman, who died in April, just two weeks before the SCI's public hearing, had con­firmed in his private testimony at the SCI that he cashed Casale's checks without question, even though he otherwise made it a practice not to cash business receivables. Indeed, Herman's Island Check Cashing operation in Atlantic City ap­peared to be adhering to all regulatory standards. However, the episode suggests that in an at­mosphere of high stakes wagering and mob frauds, no one escapes being soiled. The de­ceased Herman's private hearing tran­script-excerpted at the hearing by Counsel Hoekje and Special Agent Michael Hoey­explained why he dealt with Casale:

Q. One particular customer of Island Check Cashing was a customer named Edward or Rick Casale. Do you recognize the name?
A. Yes. He's a roofing man.

Q. Have you ever cashed checks for him? Do you know him?
A. Yes. I know him personally over the years when I was at the store and he's coming in and cashing checks made payable to himself.

Q. Can you tell us anything about the kinds of checks he cashes?
A. Well, personal checks which I usually don't take from other customers but I take from him. He does repairs and roofing and whatever checks he gets from different jobs I cash and we verify it. Sometimes we'll call up and spot check a check. We've had checks that come back short or come back stopped but he's always taken care of [these].

Dintino Pins Mob Label on Casale

Intelligence Chief Dintino was asked at the hear­ing to define the underworld associations that characterized Casale as a mob-trusted roofing en­trepreneur:

Q. Chief, I'd like to turn your attention to an indi­vidual cashing checks at a check cashing busi­ness called Island Check Cashing in Atlantic City. We've heard testimony from the check casher which was read here that an individual named Rick Casale cashed checks at the check casher. Are you familiar with the name Rick Casale and, if so, who is he?
A. Yes, I am. Casale is considered a close con­fidante of Nicodemo Scarfo, boss of the Bruno/Scarfo LCN organization. Scarfo has employed Casale as an enforcer and body­guard and driver. Casale has been a member of Roofers Local 30 out of Philadelphia and has provided parolees with fraudulent pay­checks from Local 30 to satisfy their [prison] work release programs. He owns and operates two roofing companies in the Margate area. Casale's criminal history reflects charges for assault and battery, mail fraud and extortion. His criminal associates include the notorious Nicodemo Scarfo, Stephen Traitz, Jr., ex-busi­ness manager of Roofers Local 30-30B (re­cently convicted for conspiracy to bribe judges and embezzlement), and Phillip Leonetti (re­cently indicted for racketeering and other crimes).

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