Two individuals responsible for an illegal sports gambling ring in Rochester have been sentenced to three years of probation.
Louis P. Ferrari, II, 42, and Dominic Sprague, 40 – both from Rochester – were found guilty of operating an illegal bookmaking business that handled sports wagers for nearly two years starting in April of 2019, just before the launch of legal online sportsbooks in New York.
According to the US Attorney’s Office of the Western District of New York, both men will be required to serve 10 months of home detention as part of a sentence handed down by Chief US District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Illegal bookmaking results in $240K of forfeited money
As stated in a press release from the US Attorney’s Office of the Western District of New York, both men also forfeited nearly a quarter of a million dollars: Ferrari turned in $150,000, and Sprague returned $90,000.
The arrests and convictions followed an investigation by a myriad of agencies, including the US Homeland Security, US Internal Revenue Service, New York State Police Department, and Rochester Police Department.
The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office helped with the prosecution, as well.
Illegal bookmaking averaged about $2,000 in daily revenue
Assistant US attorneys Meghan K. McGuire and Melissa M. Marangola, who handled the case, explained last week that Ferrari and Sprague were at the heart of a gambling operation that brought in about $2,000 per day.
The men conspired with several other individuals, including Anthony Amato, Jeffrey Boscarino, James Civiletti, Joseph Lombardo, and Tomasso Sessa.
The bookmaking was tracked using “sport700.com,” which enabled Ferrari and Sprague to monitor illegal sports bets, create accounts, and shuffle money between various bettors. The two men served as the bookmakers, receiving money and paying out wins. They took a percentage for themselves for their efforts via payment gateways like CashApp, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle.
Cash was also gathered and disseminated to the convicted men. Investigators obtained countless phone records and text messages that showed the illegal bookmaking activity, all centered around sports betting.
Former state police sergeant also convicted
In late 2023, a former member of the New York State Police Department was convicted and sentenced for his role in the same illegal gambling operation based in Rochester.
In Dec. 2023, Thomas Loewke, a former sergeant, was given two years of probation. He also had to pay a $4,000 fine and serve 100 hours of community service for obstructing the investigation.
Online sports betting is legal in New York, of course, but operators must be licensed and regulated.
Illegal sportsbooks prey on consumers by offering odds and payouts that legitimate sports betting apps and websites cannot. Illegal bookmakers like the one Ferrari and Sprague operated are criminal enterprises.
Anyone in New York who suspects illegal gambling should contact law enforcement in that county or the police.
