Braintree Man Gets Jail Time For Illegal Betting Operation

BRAINTREE, MA — A Braintree man who helped run an illegal multimillion-dollar sports betting operation in the Boston and South Shore areas will spend time behind bars.

Last Thursday, John Woodman, 45, of Braintree, pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to money laundering, organizing and promoting illegal gaming, registering bets, using the telephone to register bets, delivery to and from a person engaged in illegal gaming and conspiracy to register bets, according to the state’s Attorney General’s office. He was sentenced to a year in a house of correction, followed by three years of probation and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine. He was also ordered to forfeit more than $100,000 in proceeds from the illegal scheme.

The second ringleader, Keefe Sheppeck, 41, of Boston pleaded guilty on Sept. 25 in Suffolk Superior Court to operating a game or gaming device without a license, money laundering, organizing and promoting illegal gaming, registering bets, using the telephone to register bets, delivery to and from a person engaged in illegal gaming and conspiracy to register bets.. Sheppeck was sentenced to two and a half years in a house of correction, with the sentence suspended for a three-year period. He was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and previously agreed to forfeit a car and more than $35,000 in proceeds from the scheme.

“These men were the masterminds behind a major sports betting scheme that aggressively pursued debtors and utilized an offshore betting website to circumvent our state gambling laws,” said Attorney General Maura Healey said in a release. “This case is the result of our continued work with state and federal law enforcement partners to take down these organized criminal networks.”

Woodman maintained a network of more than 30 agents who took illegal bets from more than 700 bettors in Massachusetts, according to the AG’s office. Sheppeck was a sub-agent, who also had his own agents under him. Some bettors owed more than $100,000 in debts during the time of this investigation. Bettors who owed money were pursued aggressively at work and home, resulting in at least two of them moving out of state. The agents provided bettors with accounts on an offshore sports betting website called PerHead, which allowed them to register and track bets. Bettors utilized PerHead and its system to register their bets on professional and college football, basketball, baseball and hockey. The agents would then directly collect debts or pay winnings to the bettors in person.

Investigators seized $450,000 in cash, three guns, and six vehicles during the course of the investigation.

Yearly profits of this operation exceeded $3 million, and from May 2014 to May 2015 about $6 million worth of bets were placed.

Woodman’s and Sheppeck were indicted in November 2015. A total of 35 individuals involved in the scheme, the AG’s office said.

Information in this article was provided by Attorney General Maura Healey's office.

Image via Shutterstock