MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Accomplice to betting tout Adam Meyer gets 4 years

Ray Batista flew from Florida to Wisconsin in 2012 to threaten Fond du Lac businessman

John Diedrich
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ray Batista, a Florida man who threatened a Fond du Lac man with a gun at the direction of famous betting handicapper Adam Meyer, received four years in prison Friday in Milwaukee.

Batista, who had pleaded guilty to extortion and racketeering, was paid $200,000 by Meyer to threaten Fond du Lac liquor magnate Gary Sadoff, owner of Badger Liquor Co., in 2012.

The federal courthouse at 517 E. Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee.

Batista pulled a gun, chambered a round and held the weapon behind the head of Sadoff, who was in the front seat of a car, as Meyer demanded money from Sadoff. Shortly after the encounter, Sadoff wired $9.8 million to an account controlled by Meyer.

In court, Batista's attorney, John Champion, said the gun was a firearm replica and asked for a sentence of three years, noting Batista, 35, is married with a 4-year-old child.

U.S. Attorney Gregory Haanstad, the prosecutor in the case, pointed out that Batista said it was a real gun to investigators and signed a plea agreement which said it was a gun.  Haanstad asked for five years.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman gave Batista a sentence between the recommendations, noting the defendant's criminal history, which was long but relatively minor. While Batista had a small role in the case, Adelman said the incident warranted punishment.

"It was very, very frightening for the victim and for that reason this is very serious," the judge said.

Adelman also ordered Batista to pay $100 a month in restitution toward the $9.8 million owed to Sadoff. Meyer will also be ordered to pay restitution.

Adam Meyer

Meyer earlier pleaded guilty to five felonies in a deal that calls for prosecutors to seek a 12-year sentence. Meyer's attorney will ask for five years. Meyer is set to be sentenced Jan. 27.

Meyer was the owner of Real Money Sports — a national sports handicapping service, which sold betting tips for up to $250,000 each. Meyer was the mastermind of a scheme that resulted in extorting $45 million from Sadoff.