Crime
98-Year-Old Woman, 40 Other Seniors Charged in Poker Raid
A 98-year-old woman and 40 other female senior citizens have been charged in Cyprus after a raid on their weekly poker party. (woman shown in photo is not individual charged)
Online Gambling Payment Processor Facilitator Don Hellinger Pleads Guilty
Nylon Magazine Publisher and one time online gambling payment processor facilitator, Don Hellinger, has plead guilty to Count number 2 of an indictment filed against him.
Hellinger admitted to “operating an illegal money transmitting business” during a period of time in the early to mid portion of this past decade.
Ayre Don’t Care: Bovada, Bodog Say Business as Usual
Following an indictment against Bodog founder Calvin Ayre Tuesday after a year’s long investigation into online sports betting, Ayre told his own self-named news website his life won’t be impacted.
Black Friday Defendant Ryan Lang Pleads Guilty
(Associated Press) - NEW YORK — A Canadian citizen pleaded guilty to U.S. conspiracy charges Tuesday in connection with an investigation of Internet poker gambling that shut down the three largest online poker companies in the United States.
Ryan Lang, 37, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, saying he served as a middleman between poker companies and brokers who tricked banks into processing money for the gambling businesses.
Bodog, Calvin Ayre, et al. Indictment (Full Court Document)
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA :
v.
BODOG ENTERTAINMENT GROUP S.A., d/b/a BODOG.com, CALVIN AYRE, JAMES PHILIP,
DAVID FERGUSON, and DERRICK MALONEY,
Defendants.
: : CRIMINAL NO. : (Conducting gambling business, : 18 U.S.C. §1955; Money : laundering conspiracy, 18 U.S.C. : §1956(h); Aiding and : abetting, 18 U.S.C. §2; : Forfeiture, 18 U.S.C. : §§982(a)(1) and 1955(d)). :
...ooo0ooo... INDICTMENT COUNT ONE (Conducting gambling business)
Defendants in Hellinger Case to Reach Plea Agreement Tuesday
Gambling911.com has learned that defendants in an online gambling case dating back to 2005 are set to enter pleas on Tuesday.
The US Attorney’s Office in Eastern Pennsylvania charged Don Hellinger and four other men with illegal distribution of over $40 million in Internet gambling winnings during the years 2005 and 2006 through a money transfer company, Payment Processing, Inc. Hellinger was also alleged to have been involved in mail fraud.
Bodog.com Domain Seizure ‘Dog’ Years in the Making
The sudden seizure of the Bodog.com domain name late Monday night was not so sudden, Gambling911.com can reveal, nor was it exactly easy to achieve.
The US Attorney’s Office in Maryland, which was responsible for a series of online gambling company domain seizures last May, had been probing Bodog and the company’s colorful founder, Calvin Ayre, since 2003.
Maryland US Attorney Wraps Up Investigation Into Bodog.com: Seizes Domain
The Maryland US Attorney’s has concluded its years long investigation into Bodog.com with the seizure of its domain name. Rumors have been swirling for months that former executives from the company were to be indicted. A press release was expected from the agency on Tuesday.
Matt Glantz: ‘Inevitable That Bernard Tapie Will be Backing Out (of Full Tilt Poker Deal)
Poker pro Matt Glantz provided his gloomy assessment of the future of Full Tilt Poker and those supposed white knights out of France, Groupe Bernard Tapie.
“Unfortunately, I feel based on their recent actions, I believe it is inevitable that Tapie will be backing out. It looks to me that for whatever reason, they have no real interest in acquiring FTP. The reasons why they are hanging around giving the illusion that they are still interested are unclear.”
US Government Responds to Hellinger Case Motion to Continue
The US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Friday responded to defendant Jami Pearlman’s Motion to Continue and Sever the March 12, 2012 trial whereby he and five other individuals are charged with illegally processing payments for various online gambling companies during a period from January 2005 to February 2006.
Phil Ivey Returns to US Play With LA Poker Classic: Finishes Day Strong
With the prize pool set at the 2012 LA Poker Classic, Phil Ivey made his debut after more than a year’s absence playing in US tournaments. Ivey has suffered through a tumultuous divorce both from his wife and former employer, the now defunct Full Tilt Poker.
Japanese Gambling Tycoon Bribed Filipinos: US Suit
(AFP) - WASHINGTON — Japanese gambling tycoon Kazuo Okada was accused Tuesday in a US lawsuit of paying off Philippine regulators and cheating his powerful Las Vegas partner.
Wynn Resorts said Okada, Japan's pachinko king and a director of Wynn, went behind the company's back to develop business for his own Universal Entertainment group in the Philippines and broke US laws on foreign bribery, the lawsuit alleges.
All The Seediness You’ve Been Missing During Alabama ‘Vote Buying’ Gambling Trial
The trial continues in Alabama for defendants accused in a high profile political “vote buying” case tied to gambling expansion in the state. Some of the testimony has been nothing short of “movie” material, not to mention the “out of court” antics such as one of the defendants mysteriously dying a day before the trial was set to start. You can’t write this script.
Question of the Day: Why Can’t Everleaf Send US Players Funds Via Western Union?
It’s been a few weeks since the small – and some say struggling – online poker network Everleaf Gaming shut out its US customer base without any warning. Players looking for their funds are being redirected to the new “provisions” page, which simply states US players are no longer able to play online poker at Everleaf.
Jonathan Duhamel’s 2010 World Series of Poker Bracelet Recovered
The bracelet won by Jonathan Duhamel at the 2010 World Series of Poker and later stolen during a brazen home invasion this past December has now been recovered.
The website PrincePoker first broke the story over the weekend:
Over 200 Sports Fixing Probes in Last Four Years
The Daily Star this weekend reports that there were over 200 sports match fixing probes in the United Kingdom in just the last four years.
From The Daily Star:
Of 210 cases probed by the Gambling Commission since September 2007 nearly all have been over sporting fixtures.
And the majority involve football, horse racing, tennis and snooker.
But they also show that very few cases ever get to court.
Alabama Casino Exec Apologizes for ‘Breasts Exposure’ Bonus
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A casino developer who has pleaded guilty to offering bribes to legislators testified Wednesday he was joking when he proposed having his female lobbyist expose her breasts to a state senator for his vote for a pro-gambling bill.
Everleaf Poker Should Never Have Been Allowing Washington State Citizens to Play
We have finally learned after days of speculation that Everleaf Poker’s woes come from transmitting funds for online poker to and from the state of Washington. It is the only state in the U.S. to make playing Internet poker a Class C felony and has done so since 2009 when the investigation into a payment processor utilized by Everleaf had commenced.
Title 18 U.S.C 1084(b) was cited in the seizure affidavit issued by the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.
U.S. Secret Service Targeted Everleaf Poker Payment Processor in Washington State
The news website Diamond Flush Poker confirmed that the U.S. Secret Service field office out of Seattle, Washington had been monitoring a payment processor utilized by Everleaf Poker since early 2009.
The Seattle entry into the investigation into online gambling payment processors is nothing new.
Witness Asked to Expose Her Breasts to Alabama Casino Lobbyist in Corruption Probe
A witness for a high profile Alabama political gambling corruption case wept after hearing a taped phone call of her casino owner client suggesting she expose her breasts to win a senator’s vote on gambling legislation.
It’s all tied to allegations of “vote buying” as a means of getting pro-gambling legislation in the state to pass.
Jennifer Pouncy testified Tuesday in the trial of former Sen. Jim Preuitt, two other present and former senators, as well as three other individuals associated with casinos.
Music Execs Streaming Pirated NFL Games as DOJ Seizes Hundreds of Similar Websites
The music industry has been behind a massive push to knock file sharing and download websites offline while engaging in the same practice they condemn last week.
VEVO, a music portal owned by a few major record labels in the US reportedly had a pirated NFL playoff game playing on screens throughout its ‘PowerStation’ venue at last week’s Sundance festival, according to TechCrunch.
Mobster Michael "The Large Guy" Sarno Gets 25 Years Behind Bars
CHICAGO — (Associated Press) - A reputed mob boss known for his wide girth and reputation for violence was sentenced to 25 years in prison today in a federal court in Chicago.
Michael "The Large Guy" Sarno also was ordered to pay nearly $1.8 million in restitution. A jury convicted Sarno, 54, and four co-defendants in 2010 of racketeering and other charges.
Poker Game Stripper Turned Bank Robber to Enter Plea Deal
Lee Grace Dougherty, one of three siblings charged with robbing a Georgia bank and firing at a police officer, has reached a plea deal agreement with prosecutors on Wednesday.
Video Poker Kingpin Gets Three Years Behind Bars
Video poker magnate Casey Szaflarski was sentenced on Tuesday to more than three years behind bars for running an illegal gambling operation.
Federal Judge Won’t Dismiss 'Black Friday' Online Poker Charges
Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan on Tuesday refused requests to dismiss all the government’s counts against John Campos, a former vice-chairman of a St. George, Utah bank that allegedly accepted cash infusions on behalf of three major online poker companies: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and UB.com/Absolute Poker. Another payment processor, Chad Elie, is also charged and set to go on trial with Campos next month.
Gunman Shoots Three Brothers at Houston Poker Game
A Houston poker game turned deadly after three brothers were shot, one fatally.
The gunman, who was not yet identified, asked the three brothers to leave the Houston home. The unidentified assailant was then asked to leave. He is said to have gone to his car parked in the driveway and returned with a gun.
One of the brothers pulled out a gun of his own.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Seizes 16 Live Streaming Sports Sites Days Before Super Bowl
U.S. prosecutors seized 16 websites that streamed live sports events on Friday, just two days prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl. A Michigan man was charged with running nine of those websites.
Yonjo Quiroa (AKA Ronaldo Solano), 28, faces one count of criminal infringement of a copyright and will likely not serve any prison time.
Bwin.Party Responds to DOJ Megaupload.com Complaint
The world’s largest Internet gambling company, Bwin.Party, responded to the US Department of Justice complaint that mentions its role as part of the high profile Megaupload.com indictment. Megaupload.com, a file hosting service, was taken down two weeks ago. The DOJ has accused the website of engaging in copyright infringement and pirating.
Bwin.Party had advertised on the service and was named in the complaint as a result. The gaming firm insisted it had terminated the contract with Megaupload.com once it became aware of the file sharing company’s activities.
Online Legal Research Database Firms Updating Info on Internet Gambling Defendant
On Thursday morning it was revealed that various online legal research firms were in the process of updating their databases as it relates to a cooperating witness in an investigation related to Web gambling that many believe was about to begin wrapping up in the coming weeks. News organizations like Gambling911.com utilize the services of these firms as a means of monitoring case law activities.
Odds on Whether US Law Enforcement Takes Down Online Sportsbook for Super Bowl 2012
Gambling911.com has been covering all the hundreds of 2012 Super Bowl betting props that are currently out there. Each year there are always a few novel prop bets such as this year’s What Color Will Madonna’s Hair Be and we’re still waiting on those Gisele Bundchen bets.
So with the US Government’s aggressive action against online gambling websites over this past year, we couldn’t help but wonder what the odds might be for a Super Bowl surprise.
