Two Men Convicted of Running Illegal New York Sports Betting Ring

Two men in Rochester, New York, have been convicted of running an illegal sports betting ring, following an investigation by Homeland Security and the IRS.

Louis P. Ferrari II, 42, and Dominic Sprague, 40, were convicted Thursday on charges of conspiracy to transmit wagering information in interstate commerce and conducting an illegal gambling business.

Louis P. Ferrari II, Dominic Sprague ran an illegal New York sports betting ring from April 2019 through April 2021

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, Ferrari and Sprague were sentenced for their roles in managing, financing, and running an illegal sports betting ring from April 2019 through April 2021. Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford sentenced both men to three years’ probation, including a 10-month home detention.

Ferrari also forfeited $150,000 in gambling proceeds, while Sprague handed over $92,000. From 2019 to 2021, Ferrari and Sprague conspired with several other individuals to help finance, manage, and run their illegal bookmaking business. The gross daily revenue was estimated at $2,000.

Ferrari and another conspirator, Anthony Amato, registered accounts for others involved with the bookmaking operation at sport700.com. In fact, Sprague and other conspirators would call and text Ferrari to place, edit, and remove wagers on sporting events on sport700.com for individual bettors.

A portion of the wagers lost on sport700.com was kept by Sprague, Lombardo, and Ferrari

Ferrari would then call and message Amato to register sports700.com accounts. That included changing passwords and placing, editing, or removing bets for the operation’s conspirators and other bettors. Money owed to the operation and bettors was collected and sent by Ferrari, Sprague, and co-conspirator Joseph Lombardo.

The primary payment methods included CashApp, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and cash. After collecting money from individual bettors who wagered and lost on sport700.com, a portion was kept by Sprague and Lombardo, while the rest of the payment went to Ferrari.

The sentencings are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino. The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) also inspected evidence under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso.

Additionally, the New York State Police, the Greece Police Department, and the Rochester Police Department were involved in the probe. Other assistance was provided by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office as well.