BetOnSports Carruthers Sentenced
14th January, 2010
At the end of one of the highest profile court cases in gambling history, former CEO of Costa Rican BetOnSports, David Carruthers, has been sentenced to 33 months in jail.
Scottish Carruthers was the first major defendant to plead guilty and was sentenced in St Louis after testifying against his co- defendants.
“I understand now that the business was operating outside the laws of the United States,” said 52-year-old Carruthers in court. “I realise I made the biggest mistake of my life. I am sorry for the actions of BetOnSports and the trouble it caused.”
The nightmare began in July 2006 when Carruthers was arrested at Dallas- Fort Worth international airport en route to his Costa Rican home. He had been attending the BetOnTheSports AGM in the UK.
The former betting shop manager was then fired from the company due to his inability to perform his contracted duties whilst being incarcerated and was under house arrest in St Louis until his trial took place.
He was charged on one count of racketeering under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act after BetOnSports took wagers from US citizens on the internet and telephone. The indictment levied 21 counts at twelve other defendants including the firm’s founder, Gary Kaplan.
Kaplan was sentenced in 51 months in prison and was ordered to forfeit $43million in November. BetOnSports was fined $28.2 million a month later, but a lawyer for the company revealed that it didn’t have the funds to pay such a steep penalty.
