Overview

• Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto sentenced Anthony Villani to 21 months in federal prison in Brooklyn for running the online gambling network Rhino Sports.
• Villani’s racketeering conviction encompassed predicate acts of money laundering and illegal gambling tied to a scheme that generated at least $35 million in illicit profits.
• Court records show the operation used Costa Rica–based servers and local bookmakers to handle 400 to 1,300 bets weekly in the New York City area.
• Villani personally pocketed about $15 million and directed associates to launder proceeds through U.S. Postal Service money orders disguised as rental payments.
• Four co-defendants pleaded guilty earlier this year and agreed to forfeit roughly $1 million as federal authorities continue broader asset recovery efforts against the Lucchese family.