Louis P. Ferrari, II, Conspiracy to Transmit Wagering Information, New York 2021

The Grimy Times has learned that two Rochester men have been sentenced for their roles in an illegal sports betting ring.

Louis P. Ferrari, II, 42, and Dominic Sprague, 40, both of Rochester, NY, were convicted of conspiracy to transmit wagering information in interstate commerce and conduct an illegal gambling business.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, between April 25, 2019, and April 17, 2021, Ferrari and Sprague conspired with Anthony Amato, Tomasso Sessa, Joseph Lombardo, Jeffrey Boscarino, James Civiletti, and others, to finance, manage, and own all or part of an illegal bookmaking business, which had a gross daily revenue of approximately $2,000.00.

Ferrari and Sprague used the website ‘sport700.com’ to place and track bets on sports events. Ferrari and co-defendant Amato created accounts for Sprague, Boscarino, and Lombardo on the website, and Sprague, Boscarino, and Lombardo would call and text Ferrari to place, edit, and remove bets on sporting events for individual bettors.

Ferrari also called and texted messages to Amato asking him to create accounts, change passwords, and place, edit, and remove bets for Sprague, Boscarino, Lombardo, and individual bettors on sport700.com.

The investigation revealed that Ferrari, Sprague, and Lombardo collected money owed by individual bettors and money owed to individual bettors in cash and through online payment applications, including CashApp, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. After Sprague and Lombardo collected from individual bettors, they kept a portion and paid the remainder to Ferrari. Sessa and Civiletti also collected from individual bettors in cash and through online payment applications, and then paid Sprague and Ferrari.

As a result of the investigation, Ferrari forfeited $150,000 and Sprague forfeited approximately $92,000 from their gambling proceeds.

Ferrari and Sprague were sentenced to serve three years’ probation, to include 10 months home detention, by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.

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