63 Page Forfeiture Request Submitted in Legends Sports Case

• Prosecutors initially seeking upwards of $1 billion from massive sports betting biz
• Sportsbook owner Luke King ultimately acquitted of most serious RICO charge
• Disgruntled employee was said to have lead to indictments
• King and other defendants subject to a money judgment in the amount of $231,432,686.73, prosecutor claims

US Attorney Mark A. Yancey submitted a 63 page forfeiture request last week against Legends Sports founder Bartice “Luke” King and six other individuals as well as the business itself.  They were initially seeking in excess of $1 billion, claiming that to be the amount taken in by Legends Sports. (scroll down)

A jury in an Oklahoma City courtroom found King, the father of eight children, guilty of running the long-established sports betting business.  He was ultimately acquitted of the most serious RICO charge.  Judge Stephen P. Friot denied King's request for an acquittal of the other two charges or a new trial last July.

According to the United States Government, King was indicted in 2013 for illegal gambling and conspiring to commit money laundering. Prosecutors say he used his profits to live a lavish lifestyle that included a $2 million mansion in the exclusive Palmer Woods community in The Woodlands.

The investigation began over a decade prior and culminated from an unrelated drug investigation, according to Court documents.  A former disgruntled employee of Legends is believed to have cooperated with US authorities.

At the time of its closure, Panama City, Panama-based Legends Sports customers balances were transferred to another betting business in Costa Rica, WagerWeb.com.

"Because criminal forfeiture is mandatory, the primary issue before a sentencing court is not whether to issue a forfeiture order, but rather the size and scope of the order," wrote Mark A. Yancey.

"In total, the United States submits that Mr. King and the defendants convicted of RICO counts are subject to a money judgment in the amount of $231,432,686.73, which includes the extrapolated figures. (Exhibit C89);(¶¶ 49-51) (discussing the deposits into Global Data Payment Systems’ bank account). In the alternative, without extrapolation, Legendz Sports’ agents proceeds totals plus deposits into accounts held by Legendz entities yields a total of $98,911,830.31 ($99,156,966.86 including the money orders) for purposes of imposing a money judgment against Mr. King and the other forfeiture defendants."

A popular New England bookie, Spiros "The Greek" Athanas, received one year of probation for his involvement with Legends Sports after pleading guilty to three counts of aiding and abetting a gambling enterprise and the transmission of wagering information.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com