A federal judge today sentenced former New York City sports radio WFAN host Craig Carton to 3-1/2 year behind bars for his involvement in an apparent Ponzi scheme. Carton has admitted to being a high-rolling gambling addict which led to the wrongdoing. Clinton-appointed Judge Colleen McMahon threw Carton a curve ball by opening up with the tired talk radio refrain, “Colleen from New York. First time, long time,” the New York Post reported.
The Post published the judge’s full sentencing statement.
More from the Post about the Carton sentencing:
“Disgraced sports radio host Craig Carton was sentenced to three and a half years in prison Friday in a nearly $7 million ticket resale scam meant to pay off his gambling debts — as the judge admitted she was a fan before haranguing him….Carton, who rose to fame as the brash half of WFAN’s ‘Boomer and Carton’ show, convinced deep-pocketed hedge funders to plunk down millions of dollars for blocks of tickets to Adele, Metallica and Barbra Streisand shows. He promised big returns on resales — but never delivered. Instead, Carton kept about $4.8 million for himself, using the cash in a Ponzi-like scheme to pay off debts he accrued as part of a gambling addiction gone awry….”
The FBI arrested Carton in September 2017, and his WFAN career ended shortly thereafter.
Carton could have faced up to 45 years under federal law; prosecutors had requested a five-to-seven year prison term. He will have also have to pony up $4.5 million in restitution plus 150 hours of community service. A father of four, Carton’s jail term begins July 15, but he has expressed his desire go into custody immediately.
The Bob’s Blitz blog claims that Carton was working overtime:
“It would not be unusual for Carton at 3AM, 3 hours from hitting the air on WFAN at 6AM, to finish up at a table and run out of the casino carrying $500,000 cash as he rushed to a helicopter.
“The helicopter would speed him to New York City and he’d get himself to 345 Hudson day in and day out to his $2,000,000 per year day gig as co-host of the decade long #1 rated WFAN morning show Boomer & Carton with co-host Boomer Esiason.”
The ex-WFAN host, 50, is due to release a five-minute video about the destructive effects of his gambling compulsion called “The Reckoning,” and it will be embedded here once it goes into the public domain.
Carton’s former WFAN program, now renamed Boomer and Gio, is tanking in the ratings. After he left WFAN, for some period of time Carton anchored an Internet show that was available over YouTube. During those sessions, he abandoned the forced shock-jock shtick (which made the popularity of his WFAN show inexplicable) and provided refreshing insights about the radio industry.
Evidently not a fan of WFAN’s Mike Francesa, Craig Carton is scheduled to make an in-studio guest appearance with Francesa rival Michael Kay on ESPN radio on Monday at 5 p.m. to discuss his story rather than heading back to his former broadcast home to do so.
WFAN broadcasts on 660 AM and 101.9 FM, plus Internet streaming. The Kay show airs on 98.7 FM with a simulcast on the YES TV network in addition to online.
Check back for updates.
