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BetonSports founder Gary Kaplan has already served most of his sentence and, as such, will only be incarcerated for another year and couple of months.
U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson gave Kaplan the maximum sentence allowable under the terms of a pre-arranged plea agreement. Prosecutors also dropped 14 other charges under the agreement.
The news about Kaplan comes on a day when the gambling world also learned that New Jersey's Governor, no matter who it might be following Tuesday's elections, will be able to join in a suit to legalize sports betting in that state. New Jersey would like to follow in the footsteps of BetonSports by setting up an online sports betting platform.
The Department of Justice had asked the court to block Governor Corzine from the sports betting challenge.
"The constitutional claims that the Governor seeks to advance do not belong to him; they belong, instead, to the State of New Jersey," read the brief submitted by the DOJ, in opposition to Gov. Corzine's own motion to intervene in the suit, brought by the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA), NJ State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), and the state's horse racing associations.
As for Gary Kaplan, Gambling911.com's Jenny Woo had sat down with his wife almost precisely one year to the day to discuss her husband's case. Gary had not yet entered into a plea deal.
"Gary's lawyers who practice all over the country, and even the world, agree that they have never seen an alleged white-collar criminal be treated the way my husband is being treated," Holly Kaplan said at the time. "Well over a year ago, Gary's legal team moved to have him released on bond and the Court denied that motion on the grounds that he was a flight risk. We're not the only defendants in the country with financial means and the ability to travel."
The real victims are the children, Holly told Woo. The couple have two young one's.
"The real tragedy in this situation is the impact that it is having on our children. My children and I moved to St. Louis from Costa Rica in order to be by his side and support him through these events. They are now enrolled in school here and participate in extra curricular activities."
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
