Melrose Residents Indicted In Illegal Sports Betting Ring: AG

MELROSE, MA – Attorney General Maura Healey on Friday announced the indictments of nine people in connection with a large-scale illegal sports betting and money laundering in greater Boston.

Authorities allege Lon Hillson Sr., his son, Lonnie Jr., and his wife, Marcia, were running an illegal gambling operation out of their Melrose home. They took bets exclusively over the phone, while the people from Medford and Everett helped extort money owed to them from bettors, including an undercover officer, according to the attorney general's office.

Authorities allege Hillson Sr. was also running a football parlay card betting and loansharking operation with Limone, and the pair extended loans at exorbitant interest rates. Meanwhile Boxborough resident John Rothfuchs was running a second gambling operation, where he registered bets through an offshore online bookmaking website, the AG's office said.

Hillson Sr. was indicted on two counts of organizing and promoting gambling, registration of bets and conspiracy to register bets and one count of use of the phone for gambling and attempted extortion. Hillson Jr. was indicted on one count of the same charges.

Marcia Hillson was indicted on one count of registration of bets, use of the phone for gambling and conspiracy to register bets.

Wilcox was indicted on one count of attempted extortion, and Rothfuchs was indicted on one count of organizing and promoting gambling, registration of bets, use of the phone for gambling, and money laundering.

They will be arraigned on the charges at a later date in Middlesex Superior Court.

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Story by Alex Newman, Patch

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