Online sports betting operator had ties with organised crime

Two Springfield, New Jersey men busted recently by enforcement officials, have pleaded guilty on a racketeering conspiracy charge related to illegal online sportsbetting, and have admitted associations with the Genovese crime family.

Federal prosecutors said this week that 77-year-old Joseph Graziano and 44-year-old Dominick J. Barone each pleaded guilty in a federal court Tuesday to racketeering conspiracy.

The Associated Press news agency reports that Graziano was the owner of a Costa Rica-based online sports betting website branded BetEagle.com in which the Genovese family had an interest.

Several other defendants have already pleaded guilty in the case and are awaiting sentencing.