The Sheriff’s Office in Broward County, Fla. arrested nine men and charged them with felony bookmaking for betting on games within one youth league, with wagers sometimes in the $100,000 range on a single game. The pee-wee leaguers were unaware of the bets being placed on them, meantime many of the accused men were coaches or others affiliated with teams in the league. The Sheriff’s Office found out about the ring  back in May of 2011 when ESPN produced a series about youth football gambling in South Florida. The network tipped off the Broward Sheriff’s Office with footage showing spectators exchanging money in the stands during major plays at youth games. “They brought us footage and asked us about it,” Dani Moschella, spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, told ABC News. “Until that time , we didn’t know it was happening.” Thus began an 18-month-long investigation, code-named “Operation Dirty Play,” that would eventually uncover the alleged gambling ring. Six of the nine men arrested are ex-convicts with histories of drug use, assault, or theft. If found guilty of illegally gambling, each face up to five years in prison. Right now, all nine men are being held on bonds ranging from $15,000 to $50,000.