Ray Donovan producer sentenced to house arrest

A producer who worked on Liev Schreiber’s new U.S. TV drama Ray Donovan has been sentenced to six months on house arrest for his part in an online sports betting ring. Bryan Zuriff faced up to a year behind bars for helping to run illegal high-stakes gambling operations linked to a Russian crime mob in New York and Los Angeles.
In July (13), he pleaded guilty to a charge of accepting a financial instrument in connection with unlawful Internet gambling, and he won the support of his actor friend Jon Voight, who stars on Ray Donovan, as well as directors Judd Apatow and Peter Berg, who all sent letters to Big Apple judge Jesse M. Furman, pleading for leniency in the producer’s sentencing.
And it appears their appeals have worked – on Monday (25Nov13), Zuriff managed to avoid a jail stint and was instead ordered to remain on home confinement for six months and serve two years on probation. He must also complete 300 hours of community service, reports Deadline.com.
He was one of 34 people indicted in April (13) in relation to organised crime enterprises allegedly run by Russian-American gangsters, who are accused of laundering $100 million (£66.6 million) from illegal gambling.
Zuriff stepped down as executive producer of Ray Donovan in July (13) in light of his legal troubles.