New York State Defendant Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gambling Charge

Posted on: May 17, 2024, 01:30h. 

Last updated on: May 17, 2024, 01:30h.

A man will reportedly avoid jail time after he entered a plea this week in connection with an illicit sports betting operation.

Louis P. Ferrari, II, 42, of Rochester, N.Y., pled guilty to conspiracy to transmit wagering information in interstate commerce and conducting an illegal gambling business on Monday.

Avoids Prison

Based on a news report from Rochester TV station WROC, Ferrari will not be placed behind bars under the plea agreement.

He faced maximum penalties of five years in prison and paying up to $250K in fines, according to Trini E. Ross, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York State.

The federal plea was made before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. She’s scheduled to sentence Ferrari on August 7.

Prosecutors claimed that between April 25, 2019 and April 17, 2021, Ferrari conspired with Dominic Sprague, Anthony Amato, Tomasso Sessa, Joseph Lombardo, Jeffrey Boscarino, James Civiletti, and other suspects in an illegal bookmaking business. The operation typically took in about $2K a day.

Also, Ferrari and Amato set up sports wagering accounts for Sprague, Boscarino, and Lombardo on “sport700.com,” a sports betting site. Ferrari, Sprague, and Lombardo also collected money from bettors, prosecutors added.

Beyond operating the illegal sports betting online site, Ferrari also ran an illegal poker room, according to WROC. He additionally laundered cash via a legal business identified as Ferrari Excavating, the report added. In total, he took in over $1M from the operations, WROC reported.

In addition, Ferrari allegedly assaulted a player who owed him money, authorities claimed.

He Was Ringleader

“The allegations in this case were that Louis Ferrari was the ringleader of a sports betting page,” federal prosecutor Melissa Marangola was quoted by WROC.

It was an online website that took illegal sports betting, and he really ran it. His other codefendants all have plead guilty at this point. He was the last man standing, if you will. They’ve all plead guilty to similar charges and in being involved in the same conspiracy.”

The allegations were investigated by the federal office of Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the New York State Police, the Greece, N.Y. Police Department, and the Rochester Police Department. The Monroe County, N.Y. District Attorney’s Office also assisted federal prosecutors.

The investigation kicked off in September 2020 when an undercover officer took part in a card game connected to Ferrari.