David Carruthers, the former CEO of BetOnSports pleaded guilty today in a US District Court to racketeering conspiracy charges. He told Judge Carol Jackson that at first he did not think the company was doing anything illegal.
Carruthers actually had many of his charges dropped in the case because of his willingness to help cooperate with other cases that are pending. Seven of his most severe charges have been dropped by the prosecution.
The prosecutors have also agreed to recommend no more than thirty-three months in jail. Carruthers had been facing up to twenty years under federal guidelines, but again his cooperation may come into play.
Carruthers told the court of how he was recruited by BetOnSports founder Gary Kaplan and how Kaplan portrayed the site as legal. Carruthers soon learned that the site was not legal and that they were paying out and collecting on sports bets.
The indictment for the BetOnSports crew was handed down back in 2006. Kaplan is in jail currently, and the company pleaded guilty back in May of 2007 and agreed to cooperate with authorities. Caruthers will be free until all of the other defendants in the case have been tried.
