Multimillion-Dollar Sports Betting, Poker Ring Brought Down by Undercover Officer
Late last week, seven individuals were charged for their role in running a Rochester, New York gambling ring that took in millions of dollars over a multi-year period as part of a 48-page complaint.
Prosecutors claim the defendants operated illegal poker games inside Suite B at 565 Blossom Road and an illegal online sports betting operation through the website sport700.com. That site appears to still be up and running.
Investigators apprehended gamblers at the establishment on April 17, 2021 while executing a search warrant. Still others fleed the scene.
An undercover police officer is being credited for taking down the ring. The unidentified officer entered the premises in September 2020 and witnessed rooms surrounded by gambling tables, televisions and a minibar.
The undercover officer asked to make their own sports bets, and received almost $400 for winning those bets later in the month. The officer spent $500 on chips, and participated in hold ’em poker.
Louis Ferrari allegedly had 16 sub-agents who managed 221 individual bettor accounts. He is said to have generated over $1.2 million in winnings while another defendant, Anthony Amato, allegedly generated nearly $9 million in winnings.
The complaint also claims Ferrari Excavating, a business owned by Louis Ferrari, paid many of its employees off the books with envelopes of cash. Investigators said Ferrari used more than $600,000 from the gambling operation to pay his excavating company employees.
Ferrari was substituting legitimate business revenue with illegal gambling proceeds before paying the legitimate business revenue to himself, per the complaint.
Others charged include Dominic Sprague. He is accused of conspiracy, transmission of wagering information, and operation of an illegal gambling business.
Joseph Lombardo, Jeffrey Boscarino, and James Civiletti are charged with transmission of wagering information and conspiracy, as is Mr. Amato.
Tomasso Sessa is charged with operation of an illegal gambling business and conspiracy.
Ferrari is charged with conspiracy, transmission of wagering information, operation of an illegal gambling business, and money laundering.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Brian Ratajczak, the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood, and Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith. Additional assistance was provided by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
