Crime
Macau Gambling Junket Operator Accused in Money Laundering Probe
(Reuters) - A storied Macau junket operator, who has been the focus of a lengthy police investigation, has been accused of laundering HKD1.8 billion (USD232 million) through bank accounts in Hong Kong, according to court documents released this week.
Cheung Chi-tai, a former major shareholder of one of Macau's biggest junket operators the Neptune Group, is facing three separate charges of money laundering.
In November last year, the Hong Kong police launched a money-laundering investigation related to Cheung and had frozen his assets.
‘Goodfellas’ Stars Demanded Cash Payments Confesses Film’s Writer
(Gambling911.com News Wire) – During a Q&A session this past week to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film release “Goodfellas”, that movie’s writer Nick Pileggi told audience members that many of the actors demanded cash payments in lieu of checks.
“They were paid out of petty cash,” Pileggi told audience members at a Film Forum on West Houston Street in Manhattan Tuesday night.
Doyle Brunson Twitter Account Returns: FBI Could Be On The Case
82-year-old Poker icon Doyle Brunson apologized on Friday for the hacking of his Twitter account this past week. Twitter finally temporarily suspended the account but not until after Brunson’s hacker(s) had offended African Americans, the LGBT community and women.
Amaya Silent Over Insider Trading Investigation at Annual Meeting
MONTREAL – (Canadian Press) - Although Amaya is at the centre of an insider trading investigation of a US$4.9 billion acquisition, you wouldn't know it at the online gaming company's annual meeting Monday.
The subject was not broached by management and no shareholder raised a question about it to its chairman and CEO David Baazov, who is among those being investigated by Quebec's securities regulator.
Baazov later told reporters that the investigation makes great headlines but hasn't spooked investors or distracted Amaya officials.
Man Arrested for Urinating in Slot Machine Same Time ‘Slot Crapper” Caught on Cam
A 53-year-old Manalapan, New Jersey man has been identified as the individual caught urinating inside the coin tray of a slot machine.
The incident took place at the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. William Robert Compton was also charged with resisting arrest.
Elderly Mobster Sent Back to Prison for Meeting With Gangster Pals
(Gambling911.com News Wire) – A Brooklyn federal judge has sentenced Jack Palazzolo, 77, to a year and a day behind bars after meeting with fellow mobsters when he was ordered not to as part of his probation arrangement.
“The court is extremely concerned about the behavior that brings us to this day,” Judge Nicholas Garaufis said in a lecture to the geriatric mobster. “It’s rather astonishing that a person in your medical condition, Mr. Palazzolo, would be engaged in meeting with persons who are maybe involved in organized criminal activities.”
Seven Arrested in Match Fixing Scheme
(Reuters) - Catania football club president Antonino Pulvirenti and six others were arrested on Tuesday (Wednesday NZT) on suspicion of fixing matches this year to keep the club from being relegated from Serie B, Italy's second division, investigators said.
Those arrested including Pulvirenti, who also owns dozens of supermarkets and an airline, are accused of sporting fraud and match-fixing, Catania police said in a statement.
Former NHL Player Pleads Guilty in Wagering Case
A former Buffalo Sabre player, Nathan Paetsch, has plead guilty Monday in a U.S. District Court in Rochester to transmitting wagering information and structuring transactions in such a way to evade reporting requirements. He had been facing up to seven years in prison.
Per the plea agreement, Paetsch will serve probation that involves eight months of home confinement and 400 hours of community service. Paetsch has also agreed to forfeit assets such as a $76,941 BMW X5 and $265,000 cash.
‘Mafia 3’ Release Tease Comes Via Twitter
(Gambling911.com News Wire) – “Mafia 3” from 2K Games is coming, this according to voice actor Rick Pasqualone. He took to Twitter over the weekend to make the announcement. It has been a long time coming.
From the Master Herald:
Paper Wants ‘Insane’ Indicted ‘Sports Tout to the Stars’ Secret Defense Unsealed
Indicted sports betting tout, Adam Meyer, reportedly has a secret he does not want revealed and the Court will maintain this secrecy, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Kahnawake Indians to Take Control of Sports Interaction Amidst Political Torpor
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake earlier this month announced its intention to begin operating its first online gambling licensee, Sports Interaction. That company was originally founded in Dublin, Ireland and operated for a brief period in the Dominican Republic before relocating to the Kahnawake Reserve in Quebec, Canada.
Two NYC Police Officers Attacked, Injured Trying to Break Up Gambling Party
(Gambling911.com News Wire) - Three individuals were arrested in the Bronx on charges of felony assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct after attacking two police officers early Saturday morning.
The attack occurred at an illegal gambling party. Police responded just before 1 am to break up the event. Upon their arrival, they saw three men gambling and drinking open bottles of Hennessy.
Russian Bot Ring Wins $1.5 Million at PokerStars, Maybe More
In a shocking report filed by PokerNews.com last week, it was revealed that a bot ring originating from both Russia and Kazakhstan may have infiltrated PokerStars.com, winning an estimated $1.5 million playing Pot-Limit Omaha.
Clinton Portis Facing Six-Figure Tax and Gambling Debts
(Gambling911.com News Wire) - Former NFL running back Clinton Portis is facing a serious tax fine and potentially jail time should he fail to enter into an installment agreement with the IRS. Portis allegedly failed to pay $401,432.18 in federal income taxes in 2006, and he allegedly failed to pay $57,187.61 in federal income taxes in 2010.
The colorful one-time Redskins player also allegedly incurred a debt to the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas of $287,178.56 last month. That’s not exactly going to help with paying off these tax fines.
UGA Bookies Are Finance, Economics Majors: Felony Warrants Issued in Athens
(Gambling911 News Wire) – Two University of Georgia students have been charged with running a lucrative commercial bookie business on the campus. Authorities issued felony warrants following an investigation that started in November when UGA police received a hot tip.
Named in the warrants are Max Richard Braun, 22, and Brad Kirschner, 21, neither of whom were arrested as of Friday morning. Braun is also wanted for alleged cocaine possession.
Mob Hitman Among Those Guilty in ‘Operation Heat’ $2 Bil Gambling Case
A Mob hitman currently serving life-plus-10 years in a New Jersey state prison has now pleaded guilty to another racketeering case authorities termed “Operation Heat”.
Martin Taccetta was charged in a 1993 Mob hit involving the golf club beating death of a Toms River, New Jersey car dealer, Vincent J. “Jimmy Sinatra” Craparotta. Taccetta is among six Lucchese crime family members who pleaded guilty Wednesday to running an illegal sports wagering outfit that took in at least $2.2 billion in bets.
Six Lucchese Crime Family Members Plead Guilty in Sports Betting Ring
Six men tied to New York City’s Lucchese crime family entered guilty pleas Thursday morning in connection with running a multi-billion dollar gambling enterprise.
The men were indicted in 2010 following a 15-month investigation that uncovered the ring, revealing an estimated $2.2 billion in wagers had been placed over that period.
David Simon Creating New Series About The Mafia, 70’s Porn Scene
(G911 News Wire) - The Mafia and porn. Sounds titillating. Both will take center stage in a new series being developed by David Simon (“The Wire”, “Treme”). It is being billed as a show about 1970’s Time Square before it got taken over by Disney. Back then it was one of the seediest places on Earth. Porn was everywhere. The Mob often controlled it. Simon is teaming up with his writing partner from both aforementioned shows, George Pelecanos. An air time is not yet known.
Gambler Who Bribed Players to Fix University of Toledo Games Sentenced to Six Years
DETROIT (Associated Press) — A rogue Detroit gambler who bribed players to fix the results of University of Toledo games was sentenced to nearly six years in prison Tuesday for corrupting college sports and committing other crimes.
U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith said he would reluctantly accept a sweeping plea deal that capped Ghazi "Gary" Manni's prison sentence at 70 months.
BetEagle Sportsbook Defendants Sentenced to Prison: Owner Awaits Sentencing
A Bayonne, New Jersey man accused of racketeering conspiracy that pertained to what authorities says is an online sportsbook run by the Genovese Crime family has been sentenced to 22 months behind bars.
Eric Patten, 38, and Dominick J. Barone, 45, of Springfield, New Jersey were both sentenced Tuesday in Newark. Barone is looking at an 18-month prison term.
Patten and Barone previously pleaded guilty before District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to separate charges of one count of racketeering conspiracy.
‘White Power Prison Gang Saved My Life’ Says Ex-NBA Ref: Shaved Head for Cause
A former NBA referee sentenced to prison for gambling on games claims that a White Power gang saved his life while in prison. Tim Donaghy, who served 15 months behind bars, made the stunning revelations this week to TMZ.com.
“It was a matter of me surviving and getting the f–k outta there,” he said.
Prosecutor: ‘Big Tony’ Ordered Hit on Prominent Florida Businessman
FORT LAUDERDALE — (Associated Press) - Reputed mobster Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello ordered a prominent Florida businessman to be killed by a hit man in 2001 during a bitter power struggle over a fleet of lucrative gambling ships, a prosecutor told jurors Monday in Moscatiello's murder retrial.
Pay Per Head Services for Bookies, Agents in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania Virginia
Want a Pay Per Head service or bookie in the Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Virginia area? They are easy to find and easy to get to during off rush hour periods.
Reputed Mobster Gets Retrial in Killing of Gambling Ship, Restaurant Chain Founder
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – (Associated Press) - Opening statements are set for the retrial of a reputed mobster charged in the 2001 killing of a prominent South Florida businessman who owned gambling ships and founded Miami Subs restaurants.
The second trial begins Monday for Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello in the shooting death of Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, former chief of SunCruz Casinos.
A mistrial was declared in 2013 for Moscatiello when his attorney became ill. Anthony "Little Tony" Ferrari was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Convicted Mobster’s Miami Beach Condos Sell For $2.33 Million
(G911 News Wire) - Three condo units at the famed Fountaineblueau II in Miami Beach bought in 2005 for $1.44 million have sold for a combined $2.33 million at a live bankruptcy auction held jointly in Miami Beach and New York City. The condos were owned by convicted loan shark Mel Cooper. He was sent to prison in 1985 for participating in a racketeering operations allegedly tied to both the Gambino and Colombo Crime families.
Now free, Cooper will use the proceeds to pay off debts at one of his companies.
Drunk Gambler Who Sued Casino Over $500K Loss Now a Wanted Fugitive
A man who sued the Downtown Grand Casino in Las Vegas after claiming they allowed him to lose $500,000 despite being noticeably drunk is now on the lam.
Mark Johnston lost half a million dollars in casino credit in 2014 and has been fighting to get his money back ever since.
But Johnston was later charged with writing bad checks and failed to report to Court this past Thursday.
New Jersey Residents Cry Foul as Another Local Bookie Taken Down
Yet another local bookie has been implicated in what authorities describe as a “Mafia-tied multi-state illegal sports betting operation”.
A Park Ridge man, Mark Moschella, was one of eight charged with illegal gambling and loansharking. The business itself was operated out of Rockland County, New York with the investigation overseen by law enforcement in that county.
‘Operation Rock Bottom’ Takes Down Bookie Biz in Rockland County
Eight individuals have been arrested in Rockland County on charges they operated a large-scale illegal bookmaking and loan sharking business in both Rockland and Westchester counties.
They are also alleged to have operated throughout the New York City area as well as Long Island, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Mob Mondays: AMC ‘The Making of the Mob: New York’ to Premier June 15
AMC is set to premier an eight-part docuseries as part of “Mob Mondays. “The Making of the Mob: New York” airs June 15 at 10 pm ET and continues over the two-month period.
Ray Liotta narrates the series, which includes dramatic reenactments, archival footage and exclusive interviews.
Mob figures that will be profiled include the infamous Charles “Lucky” Luciano, who we suppose wasn’t all that lucky, being that the bootlegger went on to catch the Clap, which in those days there was not really a cure for.
'The Pencil Man' John Bailey Sentenced to Nine Years: Tricked Bookies
John Bailey, 45, from Waterloo, was sentenced Thursday to nine years after being found guilty in an elaborate £2m betting scam.
Bailey earned his nickname from a method he devised to con bookmakers out of vast fortunes over a decade ago via what local media coined a “betting slip sleight-of-hand”.
