Huntingdon Valley 'Gentleman Gambler' Sentenced for Racketeering and Money Laundering
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- The son-in-law of late Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo is headed to federal prison for running a multi-million dollar sports betting operation that stretched around the world from his Montgomery County home.
He was dubbed the "gentleman gambler," but now Joseph Mastronardo Jr. is headed to prison for 20 months after pleading guilty more than a year ago to racketeering, conspiracy, and money laundering.
He will spend that time in a "level four" federal medical facility because of his failing health.
Despite previous run-ins with the law, Mastronardo expanded his territory to Costa Rica between 2006 and 2010, according to assistant US attorney Jason Bologna.
"He had his computer servers down there, and he was able to basically offer, through an Internet web site, gambling to people throughout the country and throughout the world," Bologna says.
There are 14 co-defendants including Mastronardo's brother and son, who still await sentencing.
At one point during the investigation, officials dug up more than a million dollars in cash buried in PVC pipes in the backyard of his Huntingdon Valley home.
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