Bookie Sentenced For Illegal Gambling And Money Laundering

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Paul Borrelli, 70, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of illegal gambling and money laundering, was sentenced to three years probation and eight months home detention by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The defendant must also pay a $1,200,000 money judgment and forfeit approximately $3,000,000 in properties, cash and bank accounts.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that Borelli conducted an illegal gambling business with co-defendants Mark Ruff and his brother Joseph Ruff. The gambling operation involved sports betting through multiple offshore internet gambling websites and involved at least $76 million in gross wagers. Specifically, between January 13, 2012, and April 25, 2014, Borrelli deposited proceeds of the illegal internet gambling business into a Bank of America account.

Paul Ruff was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison. Joseph Ruff was also convicted and sentenced to 41 months in prison. Former professional hockey player Nathan Paetsch was also convicted in connection with the gambling ring and sentenced to five years probation to include eight months home detention. All defendants have been convicted and sentenced.

Today’s sentencing is the culmination of an investigation conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, which included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, under the direction of Shantelle P. Kitchen, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli, Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Delano A. Reid, New York Field Division, Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick Phelan, the Webster Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Joseph Rieger, and Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the FBI's Safe Streets Task  Force  which  includes  representatives  of  the  Amherst  Police  Department;  the Buffalo  Police  Department;  U.S.  Border  Patrol,  the  Bureau  of  Alcohol,  Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Cheektowaga Police Department; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department;  the  Hamburg  Police  Department;  the  Lancaster  Police  Department;  the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police; the New York State Department of Correctional Services; the New York State Police; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. Additional assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the United States Marshal Service, the Lackawanna Police Department, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department.

Skipper will be sentenced on December 18, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.