Couple Who Ran Illegal Sports Betting Ring Sentenced to a Year
The husband and wife tandem that ran an illegal sports betting ring out of St. Louis, Missouri between the years 2008 and 2014 have been sentenced to one year behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey sentenced Carol Jean “CJ” Hazer, 61, of Farmington, on Wednesday and Samuel Douglas “Doug” Hazer, 63, of Alabama, on Tuesday. Hazer must pay a $57,500 to the IRS and is not permitted to gamble.
The couple, who are no longer together, were also accused of lying on their tax forms in regard to how much income they took in over that time frame.
Samuel Hazer pleaded guilty in September to five counts: running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and other gambling-related charges.
CJ Hazer pleaded guilty the same day to two gambling charges, one money laundering charge and four charges of filing a false tax return.
Prosecutors say Carole Hazer bought a home and vehicle with proceeds from the scheme.
Internet websites were set up to accept wagers from clients. The gambling business accrued nearly $500,000 in revenue during its operation.
Another man, Joseph Mahfood, 58, was sentenced last year for his role in running the sports betting operation. He was accused of picking up money from at least 22 clients, and using said funds to buy cashier's checks. He is serving up to 30 months behind bars.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Gwen Carroll is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
