Dix Hills Woman Charged in Mob Strip Club Scheme

A Dix Hills woman is one of 20 defendants who are alleged to have been involved in recruiting European women to illegally enter and work in the United States as strippers.

Elena Turubanova, 24, of Dix Hills, is one of the 20 individuals, who faces charges of racketeering, extortion, visa fraud, marriage fraud, transporting and harboring illegal aliens and conspiracy.

She is accused of participating in the scheme that recruited and assisted Russian and other Eastern European, in fraudulently obtaining summer work and travel visas. According to the US Attorney's Office, she and the other defendants, sent these women false job offers for waitressing and other positions which they would then include on their visa applications. However, once the women arrived in the U.S., they allegedly worked as exotic dancers at the Strip Clubs, in violation of visa rules prohibiting employment in the adult entertainment industry.

The strip clubs are controlled by the Gambino and Bonnano Organized Crime Families of La Cosa Nostra, according to the United States Attorney's Office. 

Alphonse Trucchio of Howard Beach, William Paziena Sr. of Bronxville, Christopher Colon of Howard Beach and Richard Gutkowski of Ridgewood, are members or associates of the Gambino Organized Crime Family, and Anthony Frascone of East Meadow, Paul Casella of Franklin Square, and Lawrence Zaino of Westbury are members of the Bonnano Organized Crime Family, and have been charged with racketeering and extortion crimes related to their control of several strip clubs in Queens and Long Island.

The women were allegedly recruited through Internet and newspaper postings to work as exotic dancers.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said the defendants had one thing in common: "the desire to turn the women they allegedly helped enter this country illegally into their personal profit centers."

ICE Special Agent-in-Charge James T. Hayes, Jr., said in a press statement, “Today’s arrests bring to an end a long-standing criminal enterprise operated by colluding organized crime entities that profited wildly through a combination of extortion and fraud. As alleged, the defendants controlled their business and protected their turf through intimidation and threats of physical and economic harm. Today, that business model has been extinguished.”

Turubanova was released on bail Wednesday.