FBI charges seven individuals over New York illegal betting and poker ring

Seven New York State residents have been charged by federal authorities in connection with the running of an illegal online sports betting and live poker ring.

Federal agents and local law enforcement agencies began an investigation in October 2020 into the group over an alleged sportsbook and poker operation.

Louis P. Ferrari II, Dominic Sprague, and Tommaso Sessa, have been accused of operating sport700.com, in violation of New York state law.

Other individuals charged include Anthony Amato, Joseph Lombardo, Joseph Boscarino, and James Civiletti, who have each been charged with transmission of wagering information and conspiracy.

Of these, Ferrari allegedly managed individual bettors, overseeing Lombardo and Boscarino, who operated as sub-agents, each with their own book of individual bettors.

First setting up the illegal website in April 2016, Amato served as the administrator, providing technical support as well as managing individual bettors as a sub-agent.

Amato had 128 sub-agent accounts operating underneath his account. Collectively, these sub-agents managed 1,789 individual bettors. Throughout the lifetime of the account, from April 2016 to January 2021, Amato’s winnings totaled $8,945,629, according to authorities.

Authorities have said Sprague, a resident of Greece in Monroe County, New York, would pay winning gamblers with monies derived from a pawn shop business he owned and managed.

The seven accused have been all charged with conspiracy, with Ferrari also charged with money laundering, after being found guilty of laundering cash proceeds from player losses through his excavation business, Ferrari Excavating.

“Banking records confirm that Ferrari Excavating did not generate a lot of cash as revenue,” the US Attorney General’s office for New York State said in their complaint.

“Based on Ferrari Excavating’s payroll records and the information provided by the its employees, it appears that $765,908 was paid to employees in cash, off-the-books, from April 2019 through January 2021.

“Ferrari Excavating generated cash revenue of only $97,232.36 during that same time,” it adds.

After obtaining a warrant, Amato was found to have operated 128 sub-agent accounts, managing 1,789 individual bettors already mentioned above, and collecting winnings of more than $48m between April 2016 and January 2021.

A seven-month-long investigation into the group included undercover police/FBI? officers, wiretaps of phones mobile phone wiretapping? and subpoenas of financial records were all used by authorities to piece together the facts behind the case.

Text messages and wiretapped calls detail discussions about assaults of defaulting bettors as well as other specifics on the operation. The group was also found to have operated an illegal poker room at 585 Blossom Road, Rochester, a property jointly owned by Ferrari and Sprague, and managed by Sessa.

In a separate instance, former New York State Trooper  Thomas Loewke was charged with obstruction of justice after tipping off one of the group. Loewke was also have found to have gambled through the sports700.com website.

The case continues.