In a Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, former co-host Craig Carton of the popular WFAN morning sports talk show “Boomer & Carton” was convicted on all three charges he faced in connection with a multi-million dollar ticket brokering scheme, in which investors got fleeced.
Why’d he do it? At least in part, or in large part, due to gambling addiction, specifically casino table games such as blackjack. When federal agents knocked on Carton’s door in Sept. 2017 before the sun rose, the show that had run since 2007 effectively ended. Co-host and former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, as well as other show staffers, were caught by surprise and claim to have no knowledge whatsoever about Carton’s criminal activity. Ultimately Carton was found guilty of securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. He now faces up to 45 years in prison.
On Thursday morning, Esiason, producer Al Dukes, and others reacted to the conviction on-air. Said Esiason (watch here):
“For anybody out there, who’s ever had anybody in their life who has dealt with any sort of addiction — drugs, alcohol, gambling — this is a cautionary tale of how your life can spiral out of control and how it can affect so many around you, including your own family, the people that you work with and the people that you try to do business with on the outside.
“Last night, there was a moment that I had where I just said, ‘You know, I can’t believe that it’s finally come to an end,’ and it led us to where we are today.”
After the charges came down, WFAN suspended Carton and later terminated him. Boomer stayed aboard and later Gregg “Gio” Giannotti replaced Carton, forming “Boomer and Gio.”
Read more Boomer Esiason: Former WFAN Co-Host Craig Carton A ‘Cautionary Tale’ For Gambling Addiction on SportsHandle.
