Crime
Full Tilt Poker Defendant Ray Bitar ‘Medical Condition’ Suspends Plea Deal Talks
“Black Friday” defendant Ray Bitar, who was named as one of the key executives at Full Tilt Poker, is suffering from a medical condition of unknown origin. The matter has resulted in the suspension plea deal talks.
The story was first reported by FlushDraw.com.
Ex-Texas Attorney Gets 10 years for Theft to Support Gambling Addiction
NEW BOSTON, Texas (Associated Press) — A former lawyer in Texas and Arkansas who allegedly had a gambling problem must serve 10 years in prison for stealing nearly $250,000 from clients.
The Texarkana Gazette reports 65-year-old Don Cooksey was taken into custody Tuesday following sentencing in New Boston.
18 More Arrests Made in Connection With Platinum Sportsbook Probe
The RCMP arrested another 18 individuals in connection with an ongoing case tied to Web-based sports betting operator Platinum Sportsbook (or Platinum SB).
RCMP to Release More Info on Platinum Sportsbook in Wake of Super Bowl Raid
The RCMP were expected to release information pertaining to Platinum Sportsbook following a much publicized raid during a Super Bowl party last month.
Attorney General Seeks Removal of Judge in VictoryLand Case
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Associated Press) — Alabama's attorney general is asking a Macon County judge to step aside from a case involving the seizure of 1,615 gambling machines and more than $223,000 in cash from VictoryLand casino in Shorter.
Attorney General Luther Strange filed court papers telling Circuit Judge Tom Young Jr. he should recuse himself because he's prejudiced against the state's evidence.
Republican Mega Donor Sheldon Adelson Caught Up in ‘Bribe’ Scandal
Auditors at Las Vegas Sands Corp. admitted Friday "there were likely violations" of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act barring Americans from bribing foreign officials to secure an advantage.
This disclosure was made in a late afternoon filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday that ultimately leaked out to the media Sunday.
Heading up Las Vegas Sands Corp. is none other than powerful casino magnate and mega Republican donor Sheldon Adelson.
Las Vegas Strip Shooter Apprehended
A man accused of fatally shooting rapper Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr., 27, outside the Aria Hotel on the Vegas Strip last month was arrested this past Thursday.
“We can confirm that the LAPD-FBI task force arrested a fugitive from Las Vegas wanted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department," Los Angeles police spokesman Lieutenant Andy Neiman said.
26-year-old Ammar Harris is accused of shooting Cherry as he sat in the driver’s seat of his Maserati. That car then careened into a taxi cab, killing the driver and a passenger.
Sands Says It May Have Violated Law Prohibiting Bribes
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – (Associated Press) - Las Vegas Sands Corp. says in a regulatory filing that it probably violated a federal law that prohibits bribing foreign officials.
The casino company said in a filing Friday that the Securities and Exchange Commission asked two years ago for records relating to compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Las Vegas Sands, which is controlled by billionaire Sheldon Adelson, said that after it got the SEC subpoena on Feb. 9, 2011, the audit committee of the board of directors opened an investigation.
Seedy Side of Internet Cafes: Degenerate Gamblers, Hookers, Mickey Mouse
Law enforcement in North Jakarta have detained Mickey Mouse…well, sort of…
That’s the nic they gave to gambling boss Hady Soemantri a.k.a Bong Can a.k.a Acan.
The raid comes at a time when Indonesia is in the midst of cracking down on illegal Internet café’s used for gambling purposes. The businesses are often run from 8 am to 1 am.
Woman Sought in Las Vegas Strip Shooting That Left Three Dead
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — A 22-year-old Miami woman with a history of prostitution arrests was identified Tuesday as a person of interest in a Las Vegas Strip shooting that triggered a spectacular fiery crash and left three people dead.
Police said Tineesha Lashun Howard was in a black SUV with Ammar Harris last week when he fired shots into a Maserati sports car at a self-promoted rapper who investigators say argued with Harris minutes earlier in the valet area of a glassy Strip resort.
Dead Rapper in Vegas Strip Shooting Worked as a Pimp: Suspect Still on Loose
A rapper killed in a brazen Las Vegas Strip shooting last week reportedly worked as a pimp. Kenny Cherry Jr. (AKA “Kenny Clutch”) was shot while behind the wheel of his Maserati. He then slammed his car into a parked taxi killing both the driver and a passenger.
New Jersey Mobster Louis ‘Big Lou’ Fazzini Gets Nearly 5 Years Jail Time
New Jersey mobster Louis “Big Lou” Fazzini has been sentenced to 55 months behind bars after pleading guilty this past October to racketeering and conspiracy connected to a Mob-controlled gambling operation.
Fazzini had previously served four years prison time after being convicted of similar charges in 1999.
Search Widens for Suspect in Vegas Strip Shooting
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — The search has widened to the southeastern U.S. for a 26-year-old man who police call the prime suspect in a shooting and fiery crash that killed three last week on the Las Vegas Strip.
Las Vegas police Capt. Chris Jones said Monday that investigators were tracing places where Ammar Harris lived and worked in the past.
Public records show Harris lived in South Carolina and Georgia; was convicted in Atlanta in 2005 of marijuana possession; and was arrested in Miami in December on a reckless driving charge.
Old Gambling Case Leads to Alabama Casino Raid
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Associated Press) -- The state attorney general's office used a century-old gambling case to get a rare, but not unprecedented, search warrant to raid VictoryLand casino in Shorter.
Macon County Circuit Judge Tom Young initially refused to give the attorney general a search warrant. Attorney General Luther Strange appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court. He cited an 1899 case where a justice of the peace denied an arrest warrant based on an incorrect interpretation of the law, and the Supreme Court ordered it issued.
SUV in Fatal Vegas Strip Shooting Seized: Suspect Identified
(Associated Press) - Police are seeking a 26-year-old man as the prime suspect in last week's pre-dawn shooting and crash on the Las Vegas Strip that killed three people and injured several others
Rapper Kenny Clutch, Not Howard Lederer, Victim in Vegas Strip Shooting
Rapper Kenny Clutch (real name is Kenneth Cherry Jr.) was the victim of Thursday morning’s shooing in the valet area of the Aria Resort and Casino that left two other individuals dead after Clutch’s out of control Maserati slammed into a taxi.
Hotel Altercation Sparked Vegas Strip Shooting: Three Dead, Manhunt On
Las Vegas – (Associated Press) - Police say a deadly car-to-car shooting and fiery crash at a major Las Vegas Strip intersection started with an argument in the valet area of the Aria resort.
Sheriff Doug Gillespie made the disclosure Thursday about the early morning incident that left three people dead and at least six injured. Police withheld the names citing the ongoing investigation.
Poker Pro Marcus Bebb-Jones Pleads Guilty to Murder of Wife
UK poker pro Marcus Bebb-Jones has plead guilty of murdering his wife in 1997, thus avoiding a trial that was set to begin April 1. He admitted to dumping her body in a Colorado national park. Her skull was discovered in Douglass Pass in 2004. The body has never been found.
The poker pro had previously denied killing his Vietnamese-American wife Sabrina Bebb-Jones. He would eventually be arrested in 2009.
The 49-year-old entered his plea on Friday and is due to be sentenced on 1 May.
Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson Settles With DOJ Over Full Tilt Poker Ponzi Scheme
Poker pro and one time part owner of Full Tilt Poker has settled with US authorities who accused him of participating in an elaborate ponzi scheme.
The DOJ accused Ferguson and three other directors of draining approximately $444 million of customer funds into their own personal bank accounts over a period of several months.
Alabama Casino VictoryLand Raided
MONTGOMERY, Ala. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange announced Tuesday morning that gambling machines and cash were seized at VictoryLand casino in Macon County.
VictoryLand’s developer and others involved with the casino were charged last year with vote selling. The casino had previously been shut down in 2010 after a crackdown by then-governor Bob Riley.
A release from Strange's office made mention of a months-long investigation into electronic bingo machines that authorities determined were illegal.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
Playing With Fire: Dozens of Credit Cards Compromised at ICE Gambling Event
Dozens of attendees at this month’s ICE online gambling event in London, England have reported that their credit cards had been compromised.
ICE, or International Casino Exhibition, is one of the largest and most comprehensive b2b gaming exhibitions held during the year. The 2013 event took place February 5 thru 7.
The cards were reportedly compromised via smartphone usage at the event itself.
Attendees reported suspicious charges they themselves did not attempt.
Soccer Faces Epic Fight Against Match Fixing
(Associated Press) - The fortunes of popular soccer teams like Manchester United and showered millions in TV revenue on clubs that get into tournaments like Europe's Champions League.
Online Poker Akin to Pedophilia in Washington State: Lawmaker Wants Change
Class C felonies in the state of Washington include child molestation, multiple DWI offenses and drug dealing and – drum roll please – playing poker online.
That’s right. The state that just legalized marijuana usage criminalizes those who are caught playing poker on their computers and smartphones. It’s been this way for over 6 years now and you can thank former Governor Christine Gregoire for that one as part of her overzealous attempt to protect Tribal casinos in the state.
Singapore Gets Black Eye in Wake of Football Match Fixing Scandal
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has long cultivated a reputation as a clean, safe and regimented place to live and do business in a turbulent region, but the apparently major role of Singaporeans in a global football match-fixing scandal shows a seamy underside often out of view.
Mob Slayings Up in Montreal With Return of Vito Rizzuto
With mobster Vito Rizzuto out of prison for a mere four months, mob slaying are up in Montreal.
Asia Soccer Match-Fixing Investigation Intensifies
Singapore - (Reuters) - Gambling houses in Southeast Asia form the foundation for organized crime gangs to generate huge profits from sports match-fixing, according to Chris Eaton, ex-FIFA head of security and director of Qatar's International Centre for Sport Security.
Split Verdict at Philly Mob Trial
PHILADELPHIA — (Associated Press) - Reputed Philadelphia mob boss Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi will seek bail after a jury deadlocked Tuesday on a racketeering charge against him, and deadlocked or acquitted him of all eight lesser counts in a gambling and loansharking case.
The federal jury convicted underboss Joseph “Mousie” Massimino and two others of racketeering, and convicted a mob associate of two loansharking counts. But the jury deadlocked or acquitted the seven defendants on most of the approximately 60 counts.
Philly Mob Jurors Reach Verdict on Some Counts, Deadlocked on Others
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — The judge in a Philadelphia mob racketeering trial says the jury has reached a verdict on some counts but is deadlocked on others.
Asian Match Fixing Scandal Rocks Soccer World
(Reuters) - Hundreds of soccer matches have been fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore, police said on Monday, in a blow to the image of the world's most popular sport and a multi-billion dollar industry.
Costa Rica Based Bookmaker Platinum SB Shut Down by RCMP
The RCMP raided a Super Bowl party Sunday in Ontario and shut down the Costa Rican-based bookmaking operation Platinum SB in the process.
Police also seized $2.5 million during the raid.
The RCMP claims that 6 of the over 2300 people in attendance at the Le Parc Banquet Hall party had ties to the gambling operation and the mob.
