NJ.com – A Bayonne 
(New Jersey) man charged with participating in an illegal sports betting ring and aiding and abetting it pleaded guilty yesterday morning in front of a Newark federal court judge.
Kenneth Baran, 50, and 13 other people associated with the Genovese organized crime family were charged last May in connection with an illegal online gambling operation involving a Costa Rica-hosted sports betting site.
Donning a black suit with white pinstripes and a white, button-down shirt, Baran admitted participating in the illegal gambling business that operated through a website, Beteagle.com.
Asked why he was pleading guilty, Baran told Newark Federal Judge Claire Cecchi, “Because I am, in fact, guilty, Your Honor.”
Baran additionally answered a lengthy set of “yes” and “no” questions before Cecchi accepted the guilty plea.
Baran is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 28 at 11 a.m. in Cecchi’s chambers. He faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
In 2010, officials investigated the site and charged 14 men, including Baran and three other Bayonne residents — Eric Patten, 35, Mark Sanzo, 53, and Robert “Worm” Scerbo, 54, officials said, saying they were members or associates of the Genovese “LaScala Crew.”
