Philly Cops Bust Online Sports Betting Ring

16 people arrested in raids A report came this week of a raid conducted by US authorities acting on a newly unsealed illegal online sports betting indictment in Philadelphia. Sixteen persons were arrested on the occasion, one of which is Joanna Mastronardo, the 62-year-old daughter of a former mayor, her husband and their son. All sixteen were later on released on bail whose amounts ranged from $50,000 to $250,000. Apparently, the illegal operation included two Costa Rica based websites - Betroma and Betrose through which millions of dollars in illegal US sports bets circulated over the internet between 2005 and 2011, with transactions being facilitated by a wide network of international banks and cash processing entities. According to District Attorney Risa Ferman, “This alleged racketeering operation was anchored in Montgomery County, but had tentacles spreading across the U.S. and beyond.”