Hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal funds were discovered inside and buried on the grounds of a Montgomery County mansion Wednesday afternoon, sources tell NBC Philadelphia.
More than a dozen federal, state and local investigators searched the sprawling property located along the 1600 block of Stockton Road in Jenkintown, Pa.
The search was conducted as part of a nationwide money laundering and financial crimes investigation, sources say.
Money was first found inside the home and then buried outside under landscaping, sources say. After finding the buried cash, authorities called in a construction backhoe to dig for more in the front and back yards of the mansion.
NBC Philadelphia learned the home belongs to Joseph and Joanna Mastronado. Joanna is the daughter of former Philadelphia mayor and police commissioner Frank Rizzo.
Her husband Joseph and his brother John have a long history with the law. They were arrested in the 1980s for allegedly being some of the biggest sports bookies on the East Coast, an FBI official claimed.
The duo were also arrested in 2006 for running an alleged multi-million dollar bookmaking ring. They pled guilty and were sentenced to work release, the family's attorney Dennis Cogan said Wednesday.
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The duo served three months in the work release program before being given probation, Cogan said. Court records show they are still on probation.
Cogan also said he believes the big dig was only centered around a search for cash because the Mastronados are "not violent guys."
Following the find, investigators arrested Joseph Mastronado for violating his parole, sources say. He is being held in a Montgomery County corrections facility.
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