‘Donovan’ Producer Tied to Russian Mob Run Gambling Ring Begs Judge for Mercy
“Ray Donovan” star John Voight along with Hollywood film directors Judd Apatow and Peter Berg have penned a letter asking a judge for leniency when sentencing former “Ray Donovan” producer Bryan Zuriff.
Mr. Zuriff has also begged for mercy from Los ANgeles Judge Jesse Furman.
In the letter, Zuriff says this was "the biggest wake-up call of my life."
No doubt it was. The Hollywood producer initially faced up to ten years in prison for his role in a multi-national high stakes poker and sports betting ring with ties to the Russian Mob and a prominent Manhattan art gallery. In the end, thanks to the plea, Zuriff is widely expected to get no more than one year behind bars.
A Raid on the New York Carlisle Hotel
It all began with a raid inside Manhattan’s prestigious Carlisle Hotel on April 16 of this year.
Among the 30 charged for their alleged connection to the international multi-billion dollar included a Russian man who attempted to rig the Winter Olympic skating competitions.
The gambling ring was reportedly financed by Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, who is described by prosecutors as a “made member” of a Russian organized-crime gang known as the Taiwanchik-Trincher Organization.” The indictment alleges that Tokhtakhounov acted as a "protector" for the group.
In addition to the high stakes poker games, the group operated a massive sports betting ring out of the Ukraine and Russia with the indictment claiming that funds were laundered in the US via bank accounts located in Cyprus. Authorities also assert that the enterprises laundered $100 million from illegal gambling including poker games attended by celebrities and pro athletes.
Tokhtakhounov was alleged by prosecutors to have worked in conjunction with Helly Nahmad gallery owner Hillel Nahmad. The wealthy gallery owner leased space within the Carlisle Hotel, hence, the raid.
Zuriff’s role in the operation is believed to be less prominent. He plead guilty back in July to use of a financial instrument in connection with unlawful Internet gambling after originally claiming “no wrongdoing”.
Affidavits Provide Window Into Russian Mob-Tied Online Gambling Operation
High stakes poker games were also hosted by the group and were attended by Hollywood A-listers, professional athletes and Wall Street executives. The so-called “Poker Princess”, otherwise known as Molly Bloom, hosted a number of these events.
Nahmad, 34, comes from a family for whom prosecutors claim wielded enormous power in the art market, with one of the largest collections of Impressionist and Modernist works in the world. The gallery served hedge fund managers, real estate magnates as well as Hollywood celebrities and athletes, the very same types of individuals who attended the high stake poker games.
One man bet $300,000 on the most recent Super Bowl, another $600,000 on last year’s championship game.
Nahmad was quick to hire high profile Mob attorney Benjamin Brafman.
The crux of the case revolves around wiretapped conversations between members of the gambling ring, some of which are damning.
Mr. Brafman said, “It is a mistake to draw any negative inference or conclusion about a case or a particular defendant based on isolated taped conversations taken out of context.”
The New York Times offered a glimpse into some of these recordings:
Because several of the men accused of operating the gambling rings are related — a father, Vadim Trincher, and his two sons, Illya and Eugene — some of the wiretapped conversations have an oddly homespun feel to them, even as others revealed the thuggery and threats of violence some ring members used to pressure those who would not pay.
“Have the guy call my dad tmrw at 10 a.m. he will connect him to the guy in Moscow,” Eugene Trincher tells another man in a text message. Another time, a defendant in the case sends Eugene a text about a money pickup in Las Vegas: “Ur dad still need me to pick up cash in lv?”
Another man wrote to Illya to tell him that his father was cleaning up at a poker game at the Plaza in the early hours of one January morning, saying “Your dad is eating people up.” He added later: “Pops won a big pot this past half, don’t forget to remind him to tip the dealers, ha-ha!”
The affidavit also refers to an "NYU Dave", who owed $1.2 million to the organization and attempted to pay the debt by selling off a portion of his fashion company.
Another man, Peter Skyllas, owned Titan Plumbing. He ended up signing away his company under mounting debt reportedly at around $2 million. One associated joked to another member of the group that they had just gotten “some free plumbing work.”
Nahmad plead guilty to a single charge of illegal gambling on November 12, 2013. He was facing up to 96 years in prison. Mr. Nahmad would also pay $6.6 million in restitution.
“Poker Princess” Prepared to Spill the Beans
It Books, a division of HarperCollins, announced over the summer that Molly Bloom's memoirs are tentatively scheduled for publication in the summer of 2014. The book is not yet titled.
The publisher says the book will take readers inside the poker matches that Bloom ran in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas "until it all came crashing down around her."
Bloom (pictured below) said in a statement that for seven years she "reigned supreme" over the secret world of underground, high-stakes poker, and one would have to assume that includes those tied to the Russian syndicate. Bloom herself is named in the April indictment and pleaded not guilty in the scheme.
She was named along with "Spider-Man" star Tobey Maguire and other celebrities in a web of lawsuits filed last year that sought to reclaim more than $4 million won during the unlicensed poker matches.
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A Return to “Ray Donovan”
As for Zuriff and his fate, the 43-year-old stepped down from his role as producer of “Ray Donovan” to avoid any unnecessary negative publicity for the show.
And the show will go on.
The twelve-episode first season of “Ray Donovan” aired its premiere episode on June 30, 2013 and was immediately renewed after the pilot episode broke records of viewership, becoming the biggest premiere of all time on Showtime.
The main character and television show's namesake is a "fixer" for the powerful law firm Goldman & Drexler that represents the rich and famous. Ray experiences his own problems when his father, Mickey Donovan (played by Voight) is unexpectedly released from prison and FBI agents try to bring down Ray and his associates.
Sort of like art imitating life or vice versa.
- Alejando Botticelli, Gambling911.com
