Two men from Rochester have been sentenced for their involvement in an illegal $10 million gambling ring that also roped in an ex-State Trooper. Chief US District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford handed out relatively light sentences to Louis P. Ferrari II and Dominic Sprague, giving them three years of probation, with 10 months of home detention included. The US Attorney for the Western District of New York (USAO-WDNY) shared the penalties for Ferrari, 42, and Sprague, 40, who were convicted of running an unlawful gambling business and conspiracy to transmit wagering information in interstate commerce. They were part of a conspiracy to finance, manage, and own the illegal bookmaking business through their sport700.com platform.
The conviction of Ferrari and Sprague came after the arrest of former New York State Police Trooper Thomas J. Loewke, who was charged in January 2023 for tipping off the illegal betting operation to law enforcement. Despite facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, Loewke received a lenient sentence of two years of probation after pleading guilty in May 2023. He admitted to tipping off Ferrari about law enforcement investigations, leading to the deletion of betting history, password alterations, and website changes on sport700.com.
Assistant US Attorneys Meghan K. McGuire and Melissa M. Marangola revealed that Ferrari and Sprague conspired with others, including Anthony Amato, Tomasso Sessa, Joseph Lombardo, Jeffrey Boscarino, and James Civiletti, in the illegal bookmaking business from April 25, 2019, to April 17, 2021. The group collected money from individual bettors and paid out winnings through various online payment applications like PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, and Zelle. Sprague and Lombardo took a cut of the bettors’ money, while Sessa and Civiletti also kept a portion before handing over the rest to Ferrari and Sprague. The operation had a gross daily revenue of around $2,000, and Judge Wolford ordered Ferrari to forfeit $150,000 and Sprague $92,000 for their roles.
Overall, the illegal gambling ring involved multiple individuals, including the two Rochester men, in a conspiracy to run an underground betting operation. The involvement of an ex-State Trooper added an extra layer of complexity to the case, with Loewke’s confession leading to further convictions and penalties for those involved. The lenient sentencing for some of the defendants raised questions about the justice system’s handling of such cases and the appropriate punishment for those involved in illegal activities. The investigation and prosecution of the gambling ring shed light on the extent of organized crime in the gambling industry and the need for stricter regulations and enforcement to combat such illegal operations.