2nd Bayonne man gets 15 months in prison for role in mob-related gambling scheme

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A second Bayonne man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in the Genovese crime family’s illegal betting website “Beteagle,” U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announced. 

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By John Heinis/Hudson County View

Mark Sanzo, 57, of Bayonne, was sentenced to 15 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark for a racketeering conspiracy charge related to operating Beteagle.com. The sentencing took place on Friday.

According to court documents, members of the conspiracy, referred to as “agents,” were given access to Beteagle.com, a website located in Costa Rica and used to facilitate illegal online sports betting.

Before the advent of computerized betting, these agents would have been referred to as “bookmakers” or “bookies.” The agents had the ability to track the “sub-agents,” under them and the wagers placed by their bettors, officials said.

The agent or sub-agent then maintained a group of bettors (the “package”) and were responsible for those bettors. Sanzo was an agent of the gambling enterprise, authorities said.

To place bets online, the agent or sub-agent issued the bettor a username and password to access Beteagle. This access was not given online and no money or credits were made or transferred through the website, the criminal complaint says.

Instead, Sanzo and his conspirators allegedly paid out winnings and collected losses in person.

During his plea hearing, Sanzo admitted that he conspired to commit racketeering acts in connection with the illegal sports betting operation, and that he and other conspirators profited from the scheme.

In addition to the prison term, Cecchi ordered Sanzo to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $5,000 fine.

Back in June, Eric Patten, 38, also of Bayonne, was sentenced to 22 months in prison for being an agent that issued bettors usernames and passwords for Beteagle.


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