Three Men Involved In Illegal Sports Betting Ring Are Sentenced

The United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut today announced that three men involved in illegal sports bookmaking have been sentenced in Hartford federal court.  Today, U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant sentenced ANTHONY SANTORO, also known as “Skinny,” 49, of Staten Island, N.Y., to eight months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and MICHAEL VITTI, also known as “Peewee,” 33, of Stamford, to 10 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.  DANIEL DEGRUTTOLA, also known as “Dannyboy,” 33, of Stamford, was sentenced yesterday to three months of home confinement and three years of supervised release.  In addition, SANTORO was ordered to forfeit $25,000, and VITTI and DEGRUTTOLA were each ordered to forfeit $100,000.

According to court documents and statements made in court, after a long-term investigation led by the FBI Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Stamford Police Department, 20 individuals were charged with various offenses related to their involvement in an illegal Internet sports bookmaking operation and illegal card gambling clubs in Stamford and Hamden.  The investigation, which included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that SANTORO, VITTI and DEGRUTTOLA and others were involved in a large-scale sports bookmaking operation in which gamblers placed bets with offshore Internet sports-gambling websites, particularly www.44wager.com based in Costa Rica.

FBI analysis of the sports-betting web site utilized by the co-defendants has determined that the total gross revenues of the Stamford-based gambling operation were nearly $1.7 million from October 2010 to June 2011.

SANTORO, VITTI and DEGRUTTOLA each previously pleaded guilty to one count of operating an illegal gambling business.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department and the Connecticut State Police.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Hal Chen and Peter Jongbloed.

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