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NORWALK, CONN. -- A Norwalk man was sentenced to four months prison for his part in an illegal sports bookmaking operation, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Frank Potolicchio Jr. 34, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa Bryant to the prison term, as well as three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to forfeit $100,000.
According to court documents and statements made in court, after a long-term investigation led by the FBI, the Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Stamford Police Department, Potolicchio and 19 other 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 that were controlled by the mob's Gambino crime family.
The investigation, which included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, revealed Potolicchio was 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 used by the co-defendants has determined the total gross revenues of the Stamford-based gambling operation were nearly $1.7 million from October 2010 through June 2011.
Potolicchio pleaded guilty Feb. 13 to one count of operating an illegal gambling business.
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