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.
The 50-year-old shock jock begged for no prison in Manhattan federal court but couldn’t sway Judge Colleen McMahon.
“Colleen from New York. First time, long time,” the jurist greeted Carton.
Then she laced into him.
“Your marriage is over, your kids are terrified … reputation in tatters,” she said, as the dad of four sat expressionless. “Craig Carton, you have indeed descended into a hell of your own making.”
On top of the 42-month sentence, Carton was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service and pay $4.8 million in restitution.
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.
In court, as he begged for a no-prison sentence, Carton admitted he was driven to a life of crime by “demons.”
“Your honor, my name is Craig C. and I’m a compulsive gambler,” he told McMahon. “I’m truly powerless over this disease.”
Prosecutors asked for a sentence between five and seven years.
Carton claimed he was trying to get his real ticket-selling business off the ground when he fell into gambling and also claimed he was a victim of sexual abuse as a child.
He said he turned to gambling to escape that pain.
“I never intended to take money from people and not pay them back,” he said in court. “I had grandiose plans about how we would all make money together.”
But in a lengthy lecture, McMahon noted, “A gambling addiction is not an excuse for stealing from people or defrauding people.”
“You broke the compact, so you have to take a timeout from society,” she added.
Carton opened up about how his compulsive habit cost him his family in a five-minute video titled “The Reckoning,” which was set to be released after his sentencing but was viewed by The Post’s Phil Mushnick the day before.
McMahon also received a copy of the video prior to sentencing but has not yet watched it.
“Thank you, Mr. Mushnick,” the jurist said sarcastically as she held up the front page of Friday’s Post about Carton’s video.
A jury convicted Carton of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud in November.
He had faced up to 45 years but was expected to get far less under federal sentencing guidelines.
He split from his widely listened to sports talk show — which he hosted with former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason — immediately following his September 2017 arrest.
Carton has paid back $50,000 to the investors he swindled, according to court papers.
His surrender date was set for July 15.
He had no comment as he left court.