Online Gambling: Golden Casino Still at Center of MD Investigation
An investigation into online gambling payment processors by the US Attorney's office out of Baltimore, Maryland continues to hone in on the Internet casino Golden Casino.
Van Smith of the Baltimore City Paper has been actively reporting on the case.
He advised Gambling911.com this week, that the investigation is likely to yield more news at a rapid fire pace.
"It appears that the investigation is in an active phase," Smith said. "I'll
likely be coming out with more pieces as new SSWs come available, or
whatever else develops at the courthouse."
On Wednesday, Smith revealed the latest move to show up in court records in Baltimore is the seizure of $365,366.69 from two bank accounts in the name of Atrium Financial Group (AFG). According to the affidavit in the case (below), Delaware-based AFG disburses money to on-line gamblers, including those who try their luck using GoldenCasino.com.
The AFG affidavit, unlike those previously uncovered by the City Paper, is not sealed.
According to Ferenec's affidavit, the investigation leading to the AFG seizures dates to July 14, 2008, when Louisiana State Police (LSP) officers opened an "undercover gambling account" with GoldenCasino.Com, and then later requested a payout. The check received later bounced.
This information supports Gambling911.com's exclusive report back in September that the state of Louisiana had joined with Baltimore in the investigation. Sources close to Gambling911.com revealed that initial attempts to join GoldenCasino.com failed after investigators were told they were not permitted to join the online casino from their jurisdiction. GoldenCasino.com is represented by renowned Internet gambling attorney Larry Walters out of Orlando, Florida.
Smith reports that Ferenec's affidavit maps out a total of nearly $6.3 million wired internationally by either Con-Tex or IFC to AFG bank accounts in the U.S. The AFG accounts, which the affidavit says have all been closed by the banks due to suspicions that the money was tied to illegal gambling, were held with Mercantile, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Bank, National City Bank, and TD Bank North. The international wire transfers from Con-Tex and IFC were the sole sources of funds in the AFG accounts, the affidavit explains.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
