Beteagle owner Joseph Graziano Sentenced to 18 Months

Wednesday July 29,2015 :  SPORTSBETTING WEBSITE OWNER SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS IN JAIL
 
Links to organised crime alleged.
 
Online sportsbook Beteagle owner Joseph Graziano (78) of Springfield, New Jersey, has been sentenced in a Newark federal court to 18 months in prison for illegal sports betting conspiracy, United States Attorney Paul J Fishman announced Tuesday.
 
The sentence follows a guilty plea before Judge Claire C Cecchi, who handed down the sentence.
 
According to court documents filed in this case and statements made in court Graziano was the principal owner of Beteagle.com, a website located in Costa Rica and used to facilitate illegal online sports betting, with links to a US organised crime family.
 
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi ordered Graziano to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $16,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, Graziano has forfeited $1 million to the United States.
 
One of his associates, Dominick J Barone, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the illegal operation and was sentenced to 18 months in prison on June 16, 2015.
 
A third defendant, "capo" Joseph Lascala (83) is still to be charged
 
The prosecutions resulted from a large enforcement operation that involved the FBI; the Bayonne Police Department, Special Investigations Unit; IRS-Criminal Investigation; the NJ. State Police, and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.