33 Indicted on Illegal Gambling Charges

By PATRICK LUCE (Patch Staff)

Several Boston residents were among 33 people that were indicted last week on 122 counts in connection to an alleged illegal sports betting operation in Boston and on the South Shore.

John Woodman, 43, the alleged head of the operation, was charged with money laundering, organizing and promoting illegal gaming, registering bets, using the telephone to register bets, delivery to/from a person engaged in illegal gaming, and conspiracy to register bets, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office.

“These charges are the culmination of a thorough, months-long joint investigation that uncovered an extensive illegal gambling operation in Massachusetts,” Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. “These defendants amassed a network of bettors in a multimillion dollar enterprise that utilized an off-shore betting website for their bookkeeping in an attempt to circumvent state gambling laws. We thank the Massachusetts State Police and all of the other federal, state, and local agencies that assisted us in dismantling this organized crime operation.”

Investigators allege that Woodman maintained an organization of more than 30 agents who took illegal bets from more than 700 bettors in Massachusetts. Those agents then provided bettors with accounts on an off-shore sports betting website called PerHead, which allowed the bettors and agents to register and track bets. Authorities allege that the agents would then directly collect debts or pay winnings to the bettors in person.

Frederick Stevenson, 45, of Quincy, is alleged to have been Woodman’s master agent, overseeing the accounts and managing most of the agents. Keefe Sheppeck was a sub-agent, who also had his own agents under him. Daniel Conway acted as the enforcer of the organization and would collect money from gamblers who fell behind on their debts, and would often pursue bettors who weren’t paying, police said. Some bettors owed more than $100,000 in debts during the time of this investigation. Bettors who owed money were pursued aggressively at work and home, resulting in at least two of them moving out of state.

As a part of the investigation, Travis Prescott, the owner and operator of the website, PerHead, based out of Costa Rica, was also indicted, along with the company itself. The AG’s Office has charged the corporation with money laundering and organizing illegal gaming, among other charges.

According to investigators, yearly profits for the operation were more than $3 million, and about $6 million worth of bets were placed between May 2014 and May 2015.

Below is the full listing of those indicted by a Suffolk Country grand jury and the charges:

John Woodman, Age 43, of Braintree

• Money Laundering
• Organizing and Promoting Illegal Gaming
• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Delivery to/from a Person Engaged in Illegal Gaming
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Frederick Stevenson, Age 45, of Quincy

• Money Laundering
• Organizing and Promoting Illegal Gaming
• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Delivery to/from a Person Engaged in Illegal Gaming
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Keefe Sheppeck, Age 39, of Boston

• Operating a Game or Gaming Device without a License
• Money Laundering
• Organizing and Promoting Illegal Gaming
• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Delivery to/from a Person Engaged in Illegal Gaming
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Travis Prescott

• Money Laundering
• Organizing and Promoting Illegal Gaming
• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Delivery to/from a Person Engaged in Illegal Gaming
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

PerHead

• Money Laundering
• Organizing and Promoting Illegal Gaming
• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Delivery to/from a Person Engaged in Illegal Gaming,
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Daniel Conway, Age 47, of Quincy

• Conspiracy to Register Bets, G.L. c. 274, § 7

Chris Cook, Age 36, of South Boston

• Money Laundering
• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Jeffrey McArdle, Age 38, of South Boston

• Money Laundering
• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Domenic Baldassari, Jr., Age 46

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Domenic Baldassari, III, Age 20, of Quincy

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Darren Birks, Age 29, of South Weymouth

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Joseph Campanella, Age 54, of Sharon

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets
• Unlicensed Possession of a Firearm at Home (2 counts)
• Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute
• Possession of Controlled Substances

Nicholas Clifford, Age 30, of Dorchester

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets,
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Joseph Farina, Age 24, of South Boston

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Charles Feeley, Age 36, of Holbrook

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

James Fitzpatrick, Age 26, of Quincy

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

John Lebbossiere, Age 52, of Dorchester

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Daniel McCabe, Age 35, of Braintree

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

John McSeveney, Age 23, of Hanson

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

William Murphy, Age 45, of North Quincy

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Keith O’Connell, Age 43, of Norwell

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Brian O’Connor, Age 41, of South Boston

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets,
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Edward Ordway, Age 42, of Quincy

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Darren Stratton, Age 41, of Haverhill

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Joseph Tomasello, Age 42, of Rhode Island

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

William Wilson, Age 25, of South Boston

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Sean Davidson, Age 25, of Plymouth

• Registering Bets,
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

David Fabbri, Age 50, of South Boston

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

John Favaloro, Age 30, of South Boston

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Jeremiah Hegarty, Age 26, of Boston

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Michael Rogerson, Age 26, of Attleboro

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Santos Santiago, Age 35, of Randolph

• Registering Bets
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Thu Tran, Age 39, of Revere

• Registering Bet
• Using the Telephone to Register Bets
• Conspiracy to Register Bets

Jerome Baldner, Age 66, of South Boston

• Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
• Accessory After the Fact to violations of G.L. c. 271, § 16A, 17 and/or G.L. c. 267A, § 2, G.L. c. 274, § 4
• Unlicensed Possession of a Firearm at Home