BOSTON Like a character out of The Sopranos, a Newton man, who led a large bookmaking business that made hundreds of thousands of dollars through bets, threats and extortion, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison today for extortion and illegal gambling, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper on Friday sentenced Joseph Yerardi, 62, of Newton, to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Yerardi also was ordered to forfeit over $68,000 in cash recovered in searches or from bank accounts in Yerardis name, as well as 30 fake luxury watches and a money judgment order against Yerardi for $300,000.
In December 2016, Yerardi pleaded g…
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