A Washington Nationals baseball scout was one of 27 people charged in connection with a billion-dollar-a-year Internet sports gambling ring, according to New York prosecutors.
Frank Falzarano, 52, of Seaford, N.Y., was arrested early Wednesday at his Long Island home. Prosecutors identified Falzarano as a scout for the Nationals baseball organization and a former scout for the San Francisco Giants.
Falzarano allegedly was a top earner in a network of 2,000 bookies who took more than $3.3 billion in cash wagers since 2004 from tens of thousands of customers nationwide.
Falzarano was ordered held on $500,000 bail after pleading not guilty.
The charges against the 27 people included enterprise corruption, money laundering and promoting gambling. The scheme involved placing sports bets through bookies on a secure Internet sit. The bets were taken on all kinds of sports, including football, baseball, basketball, hockey, car racing and golf.
The arrests were the first time that Internet gambling charges have been brought since President Bush signed into law last month the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
