Two men from Rochester, N.Y., who operated an illegal sports betting and poker network that generated over $10 million in five years, have been sentenced to three years of probation, including ten months of home detention. Louis Ferrari II, 42, and Dominic Sprague, 40, were arrested in February 2023 following a comprehensive investigation involving federal agencies, New York State Police, and the Rochester Police Department.
Despite the ongoing investigation, the men received warnings from then-New York State Police Sergeant Thomas J. Loewke, who attempted to alert them that authorities were closing in. Ferrari and Sprague admitted to running an illicit operation that generated approximately $2,000 per day. They facilitated illegal sports betting through a website called sport700.com and co-owned an underground poker room situated in an office complex on Rochester’s Blossom Rd.
Several codefendants played crucial roles in their illegal enterprise. Anthony Amato, Joseph Lomardo, Joseph Boscarino, and James Cilvetti acted as agents for the bookmaking operation. Meanwhile, Tommaso Sessa managed the everyday operations of the poker room. Ferrari also owned an excavating business in Rochester, which was used to launder the illegal proceeds from their gambling activities.
Beyond the probation and home detention, Ferrari was instructed to forfeit $150,000, while Sprague was ordered to forfeit $92,000. The investigation’s breakthrough came when officers posed as gamblers to infiltrate the group, but a tip from Loewke nearly compromised their cover. Loewke, himself a gambling addict and a customer of Ferrari’s, learned about the investigation accidentally from an unnamed state trooper. The trooper, who saw an affidavit with Ferrari’s name on it while performing computer maintenance, informed Loewke to keep him out of trouble.
At the time, federal agents were wiretapping the suspects’ phones. On January 2, 2021, a wiretap intercepted a conversation between Ferrari and Sprague that raised alarms. During the call, Ferrari mentioned he had been informed by someone from NYSP at his brother’s pizza bar that he was under investigation. Near the end of the conversation, Ferrari identified the informant as “TJ,” Loewke’s initials.
Loewke was convicted of obstructing a state or local law enforcement investigation and sentenced to two years’ probation by a federal judge in December 2023. Additionally, he was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and pay a $4,000 fine.
