Man Indicted For Attempted NCAA Game Fixing

• Benjamin Bifalco has been charged with attempted sports bribery.
• Bifalco has connections with the Colombo crime family.
• The game in question did not go in favor of the attempted bribe.

NEW YORK – Last week, the US Department of Justice unsealed an indictment revealing an attempt to fix an NCAA game.

The NCAA Division I college game in question was not revealed. But we do know that the game in question happened back in December of 2018. The players nor the team involved are not currently known. The man in question is Benjamin Bifalco, a 25-year-old who lives in Staten Island.

The indictment indicates that Bifalco attempted to bribe members of a Division I NCAA basketball team to lose. He offered thousands of dollars to lose the game. This was caught because of a wiretap that Joseph Amato Jr. had on him. Amato Jr. is the son of Joseph Amato Sr., who is the head of the Colombo crime family.

As a part of a massive takedown of the family, Bifalco was indicted for attempted sports bribery. The favored team did not actually end up covering the spread. Which means that their bribe attempts failed and the bets made by the family were losing ones.

“Today’s indictment and arrest of an individual for attempting to fix the outcome of a December 2018 college basketball game reinforces that game-manipulation threats and risks are real and ever-present. We are actively monitoring the situation, which is a part of the criminal process, and will respond accordingly if it is determined that NCAA rules were violated,” said the NCAA in a statement.

Legal sports betting has been around since mid-2018. Sports betting in New York did not become legal and active until 2019. The landscape for sports betting in New York and the US has changed since December of 2018.

With these indictments unsealed, this could change the face of sports betting in the future. Many states around the country have shown their interest to legalize sports wagering. It is possible after this indictment, states will reconsider trying to legalize sports betting. Or they could give in to the leagues and create integrity fees. For now, it would seem that the integrity of sports betting has been kept in New York as the attempt failed.

News tags: Benjamin Bifalco | Colombo | Game Fixing | Joseph Amato Jr. | Joseph Amato Sr. | NCAA | New York | Staten Island