Online sports betting ring busted in Philadelphia

US news agencies are reporting the arrest of sixteen persons following the unsealing of a new illegal online sports betting indictment in Philadelphia Wednesday by federal authorities.

Among those arrested was Joanna Mastronardo, the 62-year-old daughter of a former mayor, her husband and their son.

The court documents and a statement from the US Department of Justice detail a bookmaking operation that included two Costa Rica based websites branded Betroma.com and Betrose.com that facilitated millions of dollars in illegal US sports bets over the internet between 2005 and 2011. A wide network of international banks and cash processing entities was allegedly used to process financial transactions.

Charges were initially filed in 2010 following the recovery of large amounts of cash buried in the Mastronardo’s garden

“This alleged racketeering operation was anchored in Montgomery County, but had tentacles spreading across the U.S. and beyond,” District Attorney Risa Ferman told the UPI news agency.

All sixteen defendants were subsequently released on bail amounts ranging from $50,000 to $250,000.