Crime
Can You Believe This? Manhunt Follows Gambler’s False Stabbing Claim
A man who fell on a can and slit himself outside a South Wales bookmaker appeared in court where a judge decided his fate.
No, tripping over a can is not a crime.
Calling 999 to say you were stabbed is.
Vanek Cooperating With Feds in Gambling Probe
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – (Associated Press) - Minnesota Wild left wing Thomas Vanek says he's cooperating with federal authorities conducting an investigation in Rochester.
Local media report that Vanek was at the federal courthouse in Rochester to speak with officials.While they wouldn't comment specifically what Vanek is helping with, multiple sources say the case involves a federal gambling probe.
Vanek recently signed a 3-year deal with the Minnesota Wild.
Online Gambling Ads Popping Up on Purported MH17 Crash Victim Facebook Pages
Scammers wasted no time in their attempt to cash in on the unfortunate victims of Malaysia Flight MH17, which crashed Thursday over the Ukraine after reportedly being shot down by a missile. All 298 passengers, most of them Dutch, were killed in the crash.
From the London Telegraph:
Disgraced Ex-Utah AG John Swallow Court Dates Set: Ties to Poker’s ‘Black Friday’
Former Attorneys General John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff are due to appear in court on on July 22 and 30, respectively, after the two men were charged last week with racketeering following a sweeping public corruption investigation.
Swallow faces 11 felonies and two misdemeanors, including a pattern of unlawful activity, receiving or soliciting a bribe, evidence tampering and making false statements.
One of Nevada Gambling Regulators Most Wanted Fugitives Arrested in PA
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Associated Press) - One of the fugitives most wanted by Nevada gambling regulators has been arrested across the country at a Pennsylvania casino.
The Express-Times reports 40-year-old Jubreal Chahine was spotted Saturday afternoon at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem.
State police took Chahine into custody without incident after being alerted by Sands employees.
Mounting Gambling Debts Provide Motive for Indianapolis Deadly Explosion
INDIANAPOLIS (Associated Press) — Prosecutors have filed court documents indicating that mounting gambling and credit card debt were the motive behind a deadly explosion that devastated an Indianapolis neighborhood in 2012.
Monserrate Shirley, her then-boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother, Bob Leonard, face charges of murder, arson and conspiracy to commit arson in the Nov. 10, 2012, blast that killed two of Shirley’s neighbors and wrecked dozens of houses in the Richmond Hill subdivision on the city’s far south side.
WSEX.com Founder Jay Cohen Assets Sought Ahead of Possible Lawsuit
Gambling911.com intrepid reporter Thomas Somach has learned that an Ohio man who plans to sue now defunct World Sports Exchange (WSEX.com) founder Jay Cohen for almost $70,000 owed plans to hire an investigative team to locate the ex-convict’s assets believed to be hidden around the world.
Cohen served nearly two years behind bars for his role in running World Sports Exchange. Last year, co-owner Steven Schillinger gave new meaning to the term “deadbeat” when he blew his brains out, at the time owing countless numbers of customers well over a million dollars.
Poker Player Paul Phua Among Those Charged in World Cup Betting Scheme
A high-stakes poker player, Paul Phua, was among the eight men charged this week with running an elaborate World Cup betting ring out of Las Vegas.
A criminal complaint detailed the scheme to take bets over WiFi and DSL lines they had casino employees install in their suites at Caesars Palace.
According to the Department of Justice press release:
Romanian Princess Pleads in Cockfighting Case
(Associated Press) - Romanian princess Irina Walker pleaded guilty Wednesday to operating an illegal gambling business in connection with a cockfighting enterprise in rural Oregon.
US Attorney Charges 6 With Illegal Gambling, Money Laundering in Texas
TYLER, Texas — (Associated Press) - Authorities say six people from east Texas have been charged with illegal gambling, money laundering and drug trafficking.
U.S. attorney John Bales says police seized more than $30,000 in cash during the arrest earlier this week. Officers also took several firearms and methamphetamine.
Thailand Nabs 5064 for Betting on World Cup
Note to self: If planning to place wagers on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Thailand is probably not the best option.
Police in that Southeastern Asian nation announced the arrest of 5064 people for illegally gambling on this year’s World Cup. That is a sharp increase from four years ago, according to media reports. 3800 were arrested at that time.
Eight Accused of Illegal World Cup Betting in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — Eight people from Malaysia, China and Hong Kong were accused Monday of operating a temporary, illegal gambling ring from exclusive high-roller villas at a Las Vegas Strip resort that investigators said logged millions of dollars in bets on FIFA World Cup soccer games.
Moldea: ‘No Fewer Than 26 Past and Present NFL Team Owners had Ties to Mafia’
MediaBistro.com reveals that five eBooks have been selected as part of an ongoing series curated for Open Road Integrated Media by NYU Professor of Media Studies Mark Crispin Miller.
Among those titles, Dan E. Moldea’s “Interference”.
WSOP: Jeff Madsen Arrest and Ejection From Rio a Hoax
Tweets made last week from the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas by poker pro Jeff Madsen about getting arrested for drugs and being banned from the event venue were not true, Gambling911.com can confirm.
The remarks, made on Madsen's Twitter feed last Thursday, July 3, were simply attempts at humor by the three-time WSOP bracelet-winner who is known for his wacky sense of humor and quirky personality.
Nahmad Partied Hard Before Jail Stint: Had Role in Russian Mafia Gambling Ring
The New York Post this weekend reported that art gallery owner Helly Nahmad was spotted partying with the likes of magician David Blaine and other big name celebrities the weeks leading up to his 366 day jail sentence.
Online Gambling Operators in France Detained for Running Illegal Bitcoin Exchange
TOULOUSE, France – (Reuters) - French police have dismantled an illegal Bitcoin exchange and seized 388 virtual currency units worth some 200,000 euros ($272,800) in the first such operation in Europe, a public prosecutor said on Monday.
Jeff Madsen Not Banned From 2014 WSOP for Pot Possession After All
Poker pro Jeff Madsen appeared to have been banned from this year’s World Series of Poker after Rio Casino security officials removed him from the property for possession of marijuana.
Madsen claimed on his Twitter account that he had taken some cannabis into a WSOP PLO event to throw into the “pot”, so to speak.
On Sunday, Madsen declared he would be playing in the Main Event after all.
He had earlier tweeted:
Van Der Sloot Marries Pregnant Girlfriend in Prison
Joran van der Sloot married his pregnant Peruvian girlfriend in prison Friday. The Dutchman is serving a 28-year-old sentence for the 2010 murder of another Peruvian woman.
Van der Sloot, 26, married Leidy Figueroa in Lima's Piedras Gordas penitentiary during a small midday ceremony. She is expected to give birth in September.
Van der Sloot was convicted of killing 21-year-old female Peruvian student Stephany Flores. He met her in a Lima casino while following the Latin American Poker Tour.
China Jails 68 People in Online Gambling Bust: Up to Nine Years Prison Time
(Reuters) - China has jailed 68 people for up to nine years for online gambling, state media said on Friday, making it the country's largest such bust of a ring, which was valued at $78 billion.
The group operated in the southern province of Guangdong via overseas gambling websites between March 2008 and April 2013, using the sites to lure bettors and take commissions, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Ex-Mob Boss Son Convicted in Looting of Company
Camden, N.J. – (Associated Press) - The son of a former Philadelphia mob boss and another reputed mob associate were convicted Thursday of federal fraud charges for taking over a Texas-based mortgage company and then plundering its assets to buy homes, luxury cars, a plane and a yacht.
Man Convicted of Shooting Player Over $5 Poker Hand
A North Carolina man has been convicted and sentenced to serve up to 60 months behind bars for shooting a fellow poker player over a $5 hand.
Prentice Reaves was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury by a Columbus County jury on Tuesday.
The incident began as a friendly poker game and quickly turned violent.
Poker Pro Johannes Strassmann Body Found in River
A 29-year-old professional poker player from Germany who went missing June 21 has been found dead.
Slovenian police confirmed that a body found in the Ljublijianica River this past Friday is that of Johannes Strassmann.
The poker pro had been visiting some fellow players. He went missing after a trip to the town of Ljubljana.
Ohio Man Gets 7 Years in Poker Chip Robbery
CANTON, Ohio (Associated Press) — A northeast Ohio man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting his role in the January home-invasion robbery of a professional poker player.
Police in Canton said 25-year-old Christopher Lucius and another man broke into the home and stole $150,000 in casino chips and cash at gunpoint from Jerad Klick.
The (Canton) Repository (http://bit.ly/1ixOTuI ) reports Lucius halted his trial Wednesday to take a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and aggravated theft.
Rochester Area Restaurant Owners Charged With Running Offshore Sportsbook
Three Rochester, New York area men have been indicted on 23 counts for their role in running an offshore sportsbook.
Verdict Upheld Against ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Founder in Wynn Slander Suit
LOS ANGELES (Associated Press) — An appellate court on Monday upheld a $19 million judgment against "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis in a slander case filed over his claims that casino mogul Steve Wynn had threatened to kill him.
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The California 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles found no basis to overturn the judgment or order a new trial, and the justices also left in place an injunction barring Francis from repeating the claims.
Jonathan Duhamel Ex-Girlfriend Wants More Prison Time: Lead Home Invasion
The former girlfriend of 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel wants to remain in prison, the Winnipeg Sun reported late last week.
Leonardo DiCaprio Used as ‘Bait’ for Poker Games: Toby Maguire ‘Hannibal Lecter’
Indicted poker madam Molly Bloom tells all in her newly published book “Molly’s Game”. Bloom told ABC News “Spiderman” star Toby Maguire used marquee Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio as bait to lure in big fish to play in her games.
Macau Authorities Bust US$645 Million World Cup Betting Ring
Authorities in Macau have arrested 22 individuals in connection with a worldwide US$645 million FIFA World Cup betting syndicate. This is believed to be the biggest raid ever on a sports betting ring in the Chinese gambling enclave.
According to CNN, the illegal enterprise utilized three hotel rooms to take both Internet and phone wagers with one gambler placing a US$5 million bet.
Pope Francis Denounces, Ex-Communicates Italian Mafia: Could Become Target
In the strongest language ever to come from the Vatican against Italy’s powerful and often brutal Mafia, Pope Francis denounced the criminal enterprise and ex-communicated all Mafia members this weekend.
Senior Citizens Busted in New Jersey Gambling Ring: Made $3 Mil in a Year
29 individuals were arrested for their role in running an illegal gambling business out of Northern New Jersey. Nearly all the men charged are over the age of 50.
One of the individuals, Daniel Pronti, 70, was suspended without pay from his job as a Jersey City Department of Public Works employee on Thursday.
