Chicago butcher faces five years in prison for sports betting operation

A Chicago butcher, previously accused of being involved with unlicensed sports bookmaking, is now being accused of even more. 63-year-old Dominic Poeta, who previously had to fight a civil case over the matter, now faces federal criminal charges.

According to charged filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Poeta stands accused of “unlawfully operated a business that provided sports betting and wagering services, both domestically and abroad.” On top of that, they also accuse that he filed false federal income tax returns, showing $81,609 in income from his Highwood meat and Italian food market, but nothing from his sports betting operation.

When asked for comment, the Chicago Tribune noted that Poeta was disappointed the story got in the news in the first place, but otherwise said “I’m sorry; I don’t have any comment on that.”

If punished to the fullest extent of the law, Poeta faces up to five years in prison for his activities. The Chicago Sun Times noted separately that with the two-page document known as an information filed by prosecutors, it’s expected that Poeta will plead guilty to the charges.