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Portage, Indiana former Mayor says he has extensive experience dealing with the U.S. attorney's office serving Northwest Indiana and expressed skepticism over any criminal accusations coming out of that office
Court filings allege organization borrowed money from a drug cartel and one of the enforcers threatened to rape the college age daughter of a deadbeat client
"I think that there's probably some really good people in the prosecutor's office trying to fix things, trying to get things under control. But when they're left to their own devices they just go nuts," Snyder said on the "Left of Center" podcast
The former mayor of Portage, Indiana says he has his doubts about the validity of a sprawling sports betting case with roots in Northwest Indiana and allegations that range from illegal gambling to borrowing funds from drug cartels and even one of the organization's enforcers allegedly threatening to rape the daughter of a deadbeat client who was attending a Texas university. Another enforcer reportedly engaged in a high speed chase with an undercover agent.
An 87-page indictment alleges 22 defendants were involved in an extensive illegal sports betting ring that stretched from New York to Los Angeles and Puerto Rico, allegedly using threats and intimidation to maintain control of the operation. While the business ran primarily out of the Northwestern region of Indiana, including Hammond, it stretched as far as Los Angeles, San Juan, Puerto Rico and even Central America.
Each of the defendants were arrested upon the unsealing of the indictment on April 29, 2026, following an accompanying execution of arrest and search warrants . A number of those arrested remain in custody and all have plead not guilty.
The ringleader of the business ran two area restaurants with some of the staff accused of taking part in the illegal sports betting operation from those establishments. Agents called their own investigation "Operation Porterhouse Parlay" as a result of the ties to a steakhouse owned by the ringleader, James Gerodemos (aka "Jimmy the Greek").
Federal investigators say payouts were made at multiple restaurants owned by Gerodemos.
Filippo Rovito is described in court filings as an alleged collector and enforcer within the so-called Gerodemos Gambling Organization. Those filings claim that Rovito threatened a debtor by saying that if the debt was not paid, he would have the debtor's daughter sexually assaulted.
Prosecutors claim that another of the so-called "muscles" in the organization chased after an undercover FBI employee on a nearby highway at speeds approaching 100 mph after becoming suspicious of the person's activities.
Former Portage Mayor James Snyder, currently on probation following a 2019 federal felony tax conviction, spoke on the Left of Center podcast Friday and offered his take on the matter.
Former Portage mayor skeptical of 'Porterhouse Parlay' illegal gambling indictmentshttps://t.co/OmyclSO4qv— Jackie (clevfan) (@jackiehaz) May 29, 2026
"I think that there's probably some really good people in the prosecutor's office trying to fix things, trying to get things under control. But when they're left to their own devices they just go nuts," Snyder said on the "Left of Center" podcast hosted by Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and Kevin Smith.
Hammond is the epicenter of the sprawling sports betting ring.
"I'm suspect about everything now. I look at everything through a different lens. It's kind of interesting. I read an indictment and I go, 'Yeah, right,'" Snyder added.
This week, an NBC Chicago investigative team reported that at least three local law enforcement officials were assisting the group in making millions of dollars from the illegal wagers.
Snyder admitted during Friday's broadcast he knew the ringleader, Gerodemos.
"There's like these allegations in the 'Jimmy the Greek' thing about him making threats and all this other stuff. But those threats took place like, if I remember right, three or four years ago. So if they really thought that these guys were going to act on those threats, why in the world didn't they do anything then? Why did they just let it keep going?" Snyder asked.
Snyder did not address any of those specific allegations in the Gerodemos indictment. He claimed, however, that federal prosecutors repeatedly lied in his case and insisted it's not out of the question that they would do it again.
"So you start to pick apart, in your mind, things differently," Snyder said.
Court records indicate that Snyder intentionally impeded the collection of his unpaid business and personal taxes between 2010 and 2013 by lying to the IRS, creating shell companies and failing to file corporate tax returns.
Snyder immediately was removed from office as Portage mayor following his conviction and was ordered to pay $78,166.57 in restitution as well as being sentenced to 36 months probation.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
