Crime
Full Tilt Poker Defendant John Campos Gets Sentenced to Three Months Prison
A former Utah banker, John Campos, has been sentenced to three months prison time for his role in an alleged money laundering scheme involving online poker rooms PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and UB.com.
Campos was sentenced Wednesday in Manhattan. The former vice chairman of SunFirst Bank in St. George pleaded guilty in March to a misdemeanor gambling charge.
Alleged Connecticut Gambling Boss Denied Bond
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — (Associated Press) - A federal magistrate judge in Connecticut has temporarily denied bond to the reputed boss of illegal gambling rings in southwestern Connecticut allegedly connected to the Gambino crime family.
Police Arrest 6 in Alleged Female Gambling Ring
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Police have arrested six women on gambling-related charges after officers broke up a gambling operation based out of at least two homes in a quiet suburban Atlanta neighborhood.
Gwinnett County police tell WSB-TV they got an anonymous tip from someone who was upset about the amount their spouse was gambling at one of the homes. When officers arrived, they discovered gambling machines.
More Delays in UB.com Exec Brent Beckley Sentencing
As reported by PokerFuse.com, attorneys representing an executive from UB.com are seeking to delay sentencing of their client even further.
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Blue Monday Online Gambling Defendant Must Pay $100 Fine
On June 8, 2012, software professional David Parchomchuk appeared in Maryland Court to face charges stemming from last year's Blue Monday indictments. He accepted a DOJ plea bargain which saw him plead guilty to conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling business for which Judge Catherine Blake fined Parchomchuk $100, along with 2 years of unsupervised probation. Prior charges of money laundering were dropped by the DOJ.
Online Gambling Site BetED.com Software Programmer Sentenced
A software programmer with the now defunct online gambling website BetED.com have been sentenced.
Darren Wright and David Parchomchuk were caught up in a sting operation run by the US Attorney’s Office out of Maryland in May of last year. Agents with that office set up a phone payment processing company and transferred millions of dollars in funds on behalf of BetED.
Connecticut Gambling Ring Busted
NEW HAVEN — (Associated Press) - Federal prosecutors say twenty people have been charged with crimes related to alleged involvement in illegal Internet sports bookmaking and card gambling clubs in Stamford and Hamden. The U.S. Attorney’s office for Connecticut says the defendants include alleged associates of the Gambino crime family.
Bail Denied for Second Suspect in Kidnap Plot to Avenge High Stakes Poker Losses
Pavlos “Paul” Kaimacliotis, a citizen of both the US and Cypriot, won’t be granted bail following accusations that he conspired to kidnap a wealthy Palm Beach Gardens businessman for $20 million in order to avenge losses from high stakes poker games.
Cannibal, Poker Playing Porn Star Arrested in Germany
A self-proclaimed porn star who dabbled in poker, Luka Rocco Magnotta, 29, has been arrested in Germany, Canadian authorities confirmed on Monday.
Gay Porn Star Killer Who Chopped Up Ex, Ate His Buttocks Luka Magnotta was Poker Player
Canada’s Most Wanted, former gay porn star Luka Magnotta, was apparently a poker player.
Magnotta is wanted for allegedly chopping up his ex boyfriend and eating a portion of his buttocks then mailing various body parts to government officials. Magnotta also filmed the brutal murder scene and posted the video online.
He is believed to be in hiding, quite possibly in France. Magnotta could also be dressing up as a woman.
Kidnap Plan Foiled: FBI Claims Men Wanted Revenge for Poker Losses
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The FBI has arrested two men in Palm Beach County for allegedly plotting a kidnapping partly as revenge for one suspect's poker losses.
Investigators identified the pair as 50-year-old Michael James Melillo and 38-year-old Pavlos Kaimacliotis. Both were jailed Thursday awaiting a bail hearing Friday.
Gambling Not a Dirty Word According to US Government: Pork, Cloud, Mexico Are
The US Department of Homeland Security was required to release its list of key words and phrases monitored on social media websites and, surprisingly, “gambling” was not among them.
Thank the Genovese Crime Family for Bringing Legalized Sports Betting, Online Poker to NJ
Should sports betting and/or online poker become legalized in the Garden State over the next 3 to 6 months, gamblers might want to give a big “Thank You” to the Genovese crime family, with its operations based out of Northern New Jersey.
Lesniak Cites Mob Bust as Reason Why New Jersey Must Legalize Online Gambling
Following a New Jersey Mob bust tied to offshore Internet gambling on Wednesday, State Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak called on Governor Chris Christie to embrace his bill to legalize Web gambling in the state, including sports betting.
13 Busted in New Jersey for Running Internet Gambling Website: $2.2 Billion in Bets
Thirteen alleged members of the Genovese crime family have been charged with federal racketeering in a case connected to Internet gambling. The individuals were rounded up on Wednesday (May 23, 2012), including an 80-year-old man.
Authorities allege that the multi-billion dollar sports betting business was run through an Internet website and office based out of the Web gambling hub of San Jose, Costa Rica. $2.2 billion in bets were taken over the past 16 months, according to the complaint. Payouts and collections are said to have been made on New Jersey soil via agents.
Online Gambling Sector Marks One Year Anniversary of 'Blue Monday'
Today, May 23, 2012, is the one-year anniversary of “Blue Monday”, the day in which the US Attorney’s Office in Baltimore seized nearly a dozen online gambling domain names following a two-year sting operation.
The US Attorney’s Office set up a phony payment processor as part of its investigation and attempted to lure i-Gaming execs operating in other foreign jurisdictions to Guam, a US territory, where arrests could be made. That never happened.
One company, BetED.com, ultimately shut down. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were also seized from BetED.
Bellagio Botched Robbery: Bandit Loses Wig, Casino Chips
LAS VEGAS — (Associated Press) - A hapless bandit lost his wig, sunglasses and $115,000 worth of casino chips when security wrestled him to the floor during a botched weekend heist at a posh Vegas Strip resort, authorities said Monday.
Two men attempted to rob the Bellagio on Saturday night by spraying a blackjack dealer and others with a caustic eye-burning chemical, police said.
With the distraction in the air, Michael Q. Belton snatched up nearly two dozen high-value chips and took off for the door, according to a police report.
Atlantic City Casino Stabbing Leaves Tourist Officials Stunned
The stabbing deaths of two female Canadian tourists outside the Bally’s Atlantic City casino hotel has left tourist officials stunned and dismayed Monday.
Both women, ages 80 and 47, were killed during a Monday morning robbery. Neither victim has been identified.
UB.com Poker Exec Brent Beckley Sentencing Rescheduled for June 28
Brent Beckley, one of about a dozen men indicted on April 15, 2011, charged with bank fraud and money laundering in connection with running online poker sites, will face sentencing on June 28 at 2:30 pm EST (This will be on a Thursday).
The sentence was to be handed down on May 21, 2012 but was rescheduled once again.
AFL Star Tony Smith Back on Mermaid Beach: Once Sold Mega House to ‘Rat’ Daniel Tzvetkoff
AFL star Tony Smith is making a comeback on Mermaid Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast. He just purchased a 1,220-square-metre holding on Surf Street, which runs off Albatross Avenue.
Spiderman Toby Maguire Victims Recover Out of Court in High Stakes Poker Ponzi Scheme
Toby Maguire, who is best known for his role of Spiderman in that comic strip film franchise, has fully settled with victims in a highly publicized ponzi scheme involving Hollywood underground high stakes poker games.
Devilfish Poker Emailing Customers of Now Defunct Purple Lounge: Sale Possible?
CardPlayer.com was reporting that customers of now shuttered Purple Lounge have been in receipt of emails from rival Devilfish Poker.
The two emails sent out feature no content other than the header “Devilfish Poker Welcomes Purple Lounge Player”.
Operation Tran Wreck: Vietnamese Blackjack Cheat Van Thu Tran Profiled on ‘American Greed’
CNBC’s “American Greed” will be airing a segment on Vietnamese Blackjack cheater Van Thu Tran and her gang including husband Phuong Truong.
Joran van der Sloot to Fight Extradition to the United States
Confessed murderer Joran van der Sloot told a Peruvian judge on Wednesday he would fight extradition to the United States. Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year sentence in the notorious Castro Castro prison in Lima, Peru for the murder of college student Stephany Flores after the two met in a local casino. Van der Sloot had been in attendance at the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), following the event throughout South America.
Police: No suspects yet in Churchill Downs slaying
LOUISVILLE, KY. — (Associated Press) - Detectives have no suspects in the slaying of a track worker at Churchill Downs just hours after the Kentucky Derby, but investigators stressed Monday that the killing had no apparent connection to the iconic horse race.
Louisville Police Lt. Barry Wilkerson said investigators are asking witnesses to come forward with information in the slaying of 48-year-old Adan Fabian Perez. Perez’s body was found Sunday morning in the back portion of Barn No. 8, just a few barns away from where Derby winner I’ll Have Another was stabled.
Body of Slain Man Found at Churchill Downs Identified as Trainer Cecil Borel Employee
Police have identified the murdered man whose body was discovered in a Churchill Downs stable just hours after the Kentucky Derby as Adan Fabian Perez, a 48-year-old from Guatemala. He was found four barns away from winning Derby horse “I’ll Have Another”.
Perez worked for horse trainer Cecil Borel, who is the brother of veteran jockie Calvin Borel. He began working for Borel in 2008 as a horse groomer.
Former Star Quarterback, Gambling Addict Art Schlichter Sentenced to 10 Years
One time Ohio State University football star Art Schlichter has been sentenced to 10 years, seven months in prison for fleecing more than 50 people out of millions of dollars in a sports-ticket scheme. Schlichter, 52, was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2.2 million.
Dead Body Found Near Stable of Winning Kentucky Derby Horse I’ll Have Another Stable
The body of an unidentified Hispanic man found Sunday morning in a stable at Churchill Downs was being treated as a homicide, police investigators told the press. The cause of death would be determined by the coroner, she said.
The discovery was made around 4:30 am in a barn close to where Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another was being kept. Barn eight had been cordoned off all morning.
TwoPlusTwo.com Poker Posting Forum to be Down Another Week At Least
The hacking into the popular TwoPlusTwo.com poker posting forum seems far more serious than anyone had previously believed as the site announced this week its forum would be down for the foreseeable future.
Originally the site had expected to be up by the first week in May but now they are shooting for the second week of the month.
Update May 1st
Purple Lounge Online Poker, Casino Abrupt Weekend Closure Follows Salacious Florida Arrest
No word yet on the reasons behind the abrupt closure of UK-based Purple Lounge, an online poker room and casino operated by Media Corporation (not to be confused with the Rupert Murdock publishing empire). Customers were not provided with any prior warning as to the shutdown. Players had experienced slow payouts in recent months despite Purple Lounge’s operation within a mostly Web poker-friendly environment. Purple Lounge had not accepted business from US players.
