Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty to Gambling Charges

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Mark Ruff, 40, of Connecticut, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to conducting an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges carry a maximum possible penalty of 25 years in prison, a fine of $750,000 or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that Mark Ruff admitted to conducting an illegal gambling business with his brother Joseph Ruff, 32, and Paul Borrelli, 66, both of Rochester. The gambling operation involved sports betting through multiple offshore internet gambling websites. As part of their illegal activities, Mark Ruff conspired with Joseph Ruff and others to launder $230,000 in illegal gambling proceeds.

Mark Ruff transferred the gambling proceeds from Rochester to an associate in Connecticut to conceal the source of the proceeds. The money was deposited into a credit line and subsequent cash withdrawals were made and checks written from the credit line for Mark Ruff and Joseph Ruff.

On June 24, 2014, the defendant, Joseph Ruff, and Paul Borrelli were indicted by a federal grand jury in Rochester on illegal gambling charges. The indictment also charged Borrelli with 12 counts of money laundering and Joseph Ruff with 10 counts of money laundering. The charges against Joseph Ruff and Paul Borrelli are pending. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The plea 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, Acting 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 Acting 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 Thomas J. Cannon, New York Field Division, Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick Phelan, the Webster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gerald Pickering, and Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley.