Two Men Charged with Illegal Gambling Business

BOSTON – Two men, one from Middleborough and the other from Winthrop, were charged today in the U.S. District Court in Boston with conducting an illegal gambling business.

John Evans, 68, of Middleborough, and Joseph Petrucelli, 24, of Winthrop, were charged in connection with a five-year gambling operation being conducted, in part, from a condominium on Seal Harbor Road in Winthrop, Mass.  According to the indictment, the gambling business started by at least 2009 and operated through 2014.  The indictment alleges that at least five people were involved in conducting the business.  Only Evans and Petrucelli have been charged.  

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fine of $250,000.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Jr., Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today.  Assistance with the investigation was also provided by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation, the Massachusetts Department of Correction, and the Boston, Medford, Middleborough, Quincy, and Whitman Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy E. Moran of Ortiz’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.