Ten Mafia-linked Online Sportsbook Runners Plead Guilty

Posted: October 2, 2010

Updated: October 4, 2017

Ten defendants reportedly linked directly to Montreal mafia interests have plead guilty at a hearing involving one of the biggest recent cases

Ten defendants reportedly linked directly to Montreal mafia interests have plead guilty at a hearing involving one of the biggest recent cases regarding violation of Canadian gambling law online.

The 10 ran an illegal online sportsbook in Canada, taking bets mostly on football, baseball and hockey games. In 17 months alone, the operation took in some $26 million from more than 800,000 wagers; the perpetrators paid mafiosi for protection money and hired muscle should a client not pay up in timely fashion.

Eight of the 10 were able to plead guilty to a charge of “illegal bookmaking,” which can carry a sentence of up to two years imprisonment. The other two, identified as the ringleaders, plead guilty to the charge of “committing a crime for the benefit of a criminal organization” which could get sentence of 14 years in jail.

The operation’s leaders reportedly answered to Francesco Del Balso and Lorenzo Giordano, two known Montreal-based mafia powers who are both currently served prison terms, having been arrested on gambling charges back in 2004.