It might be April Fools Day but reports that former BetonSports CEO David Carruthers pled guilty to federal and racketeering and conspiracy charges appear to be no joke.

Carruthers was arrested at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in July of 2006 while disembarking from a flight from the UK and attempting to catch a flight to his home in Costa Rica—he and his wife had been attending BetonSports' AGM.

He has been under house arrest ever since awaiting his day in court.

According to the igamingnews.com, "David Carruthers, the former chief executive of BetonSports, pled guilty to Count 1 of the third superseding indictment in a St. Louis, Mo., court Wednesday."

Before his arrest, Carruthers was a big advocate of legalized gambling in the United States and was often quoted in American dailies, such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, preaching the virtues of online gambling.

"Carruthers, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was hired by Gary Kaplan in approximately June 2000, as CEO of BetonSports.com, an existing sportsbook organization based in Costa Rica. Carruthers agreed to conduct the enterprise through a pattern of racketeering acts, including repeated mail fraud, Wire Wager Act violations, operation of an illegal gambling business and money laundering," said a prnewswire press release.

"He also developed BetonSports to the extent that it could be publicly offered for sale on the AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange. In July 2004, David Carruthers began serving as a director of BetonSports, Plc."

If convicted, Carruthers could face a maximum of 20 years in jail and fines of up to $250,000.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2009.