Nevada regulators erased a notorious chapter Thursday by removing two dead mobsters from its infamous Black Book of people excluded from casinos.
Following a hearing of less than 10 minutes, the Nevada Gaming Commission voted 5-0 to remove William Cammisano Jr. and Peter Ribaste, both of Kansas City. The Commission’s practice is to remove people from the list after their deaths. Cammisano died in 2023, Ribaste in 2021.
Cammisano was added to the Black Book in 1997, Ribaste in 1999.
Cammisano was nominated for the Black Book after officials became aware of multiple visits to the city by reputed Kansas City mob members. An Associated Press story said Cammisano was dispatched to Chicago to meet with organized crime figures concerning the Kansas City family’s share of money from the sale of the Argent casino and its share of illegal activities such as skimming from Las Vegas casinos. A 1998 article in the Las Vegas Sun detailed his inclusion in Nevada’s Black Book of undesirables banned from casinos as a convicted felon.
Ribaste allegedly ran a lucrative illegal gambling operation for the Kansas City mob in the 1980s.
Senior Deputy Attorney John Michela told the Commission Thursday they were unable to obtain a death certificate for Cammisano, but verified his death from four reliable databases. A family member of Ribaste’s provided a certified death certificate to agents. It was further confirmed from reliable databases.
Michela said some states don’t provide a copy of death certificates to an agency like the Gaming Control Board. Even though there’s no formal process, staff does checks from time to time to see if anyone should be removed.
“The normal course is someone in the Enforcement Division periodically reviews the people on the list of excluded persons and if they discover one of them is deceased, they do background research and ensure they’re truly deceased and attempt to obtain a death certificate, which is not always possible given the various state rules.”
Commission Chair Jennifer Togliatti said taking someone off the list “is a necessary burden,” since casinos monitor their properties for excluded persons. The focus of the list is intended for those who could go to the casinos, she said.
