New York State Illegal Betting Ringleaders Linked to Corrupt Cop Sentenced

Posted on: August 17, 2024, 09:00h. 

Last updated on: August 17, 2024, 09:00h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

Two Rochester, N.Y. men who ran an illegal sports betting and poker network that generated more than $10 million over five years have been ordered to serve three years of probation including ten months of home detention.

Louis Ferrari, Dominic Sprague, Thomas J. Loewke, illegal gambling, Rochester, New York
Louis Ferrari, left, and Dominic Sprague on the steps of Monroe County Court in March 2023. The pair admitted running an illegal gambling operation that generated $2K per day. (Image: 13WHAM)

Louis Ferrari II, 42, and Dominic Sprague 40, were arrested in February 2023, the culmination of an investigation into their operation involving federal agencies, New York State Police, and the Rochester Police Department.

The arrests came despite the efforts of then-New York State Police Sergeant Thomas J. Loewke to warn the defendants that the heat was closing in.

Underground Poker Room

As well as running an illegal sports betting through a website called sport700.com that generated around $2K per day for the pair, Ferrari and Sprague coowned an underground poker room in an office complex on Rochester’s Blossom Rd.

Codefendants Anthony Amato, Joseph Lomardo, Joseph Boscarino, and James Cilvetti acted as “agents” of the bookmaking operation. Another, Tommaso Sessa, managed the day-to-day operations of the poker room, according to prosecutors.

Ferrari also owned an excavating business in Rochester, which washed the illegal proceeds of the operation.

In addition to the probation time and home detention period, Ferrari was ordered to forfeit $150K and Sprague $92,000K.

The investigation involved officers posing as gamblers to infiltrate the group. But their cover was almost blown by a tip off from Loewke, who was a gambling addict and one of Ferrari’s customers.

Loewke learned of the investigation from an unnamed state trooper who by chance saw an affidavit sitting on a senior detective’s desk with Ferrari’s name on it.

The trooper, who had entered the detective’s office to perform computer maintenance, later told prosecutors he had informed Loewke because he knew of his gambling problem and didn’t want him to get into trouble.

Damning Wiretap

At this time, federal agents were wiretapping the suspects’ phones, and, on January 2, 2001, they intercepted a call between Ferrari and Sprague that gave them cause for concern.

Ferrari told Sprague he had been approached by someone he knew from NYSP at his brother’s pizza bar, who told him he was under investigation. Toward the end of the conversation, Ferrai let slip his informant was someone known as “TJ,” which was Loewke’s first two initials.

Loewke was convicted of obstruction of a state or local law enforcement investigation and sentenced to two years’ probation by a federal judge in December 2023. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and pay a $4K fine.