Crime
Former Nebraska Lawmaker Faces Ethics Complaint Over Gambling Scandal
LINCOLN, Neb. (Associated Press) — An ethics complaint has been filed against former Omaha state Sen. Brenda Council over her involvement in a gambling scandal.
The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the Nebraska Supreme Court's Counsel for Discipline filed the complaint accusing Council of professional misconduct.
Council pleaded guilty last year to two misdemeanor counts of filing false campaign finance reports. Prosecutors say the reports concealed her misuse of more than $63,000 in campaign donations at casinos. She was fined $500 and ordered to pay court costs.
Neighbors on Edge as Mob Boss Vito Rizzuto Moves in Next Door
Meet your new neighbor, Mob boss Vito Rizzuto.
One of Canada's best known mobsters was released from a US jail last October after being sentenced to 10 years for various offenses including gambling, racketeering and murder.
He recently settled into the quaint Quebec city of Laval and that has neighbors on edge.
Purple Lounge Casino Parent Company Closes Two Years After Disney BJ Scandal
The parent company of now defunct Purple Lounge Casino and Poker Room, Mediacorp plc, has ceased trading on the London Alternative Investment Market (AIM).
Purple Lounge shut down in April of last year due to what Mediacorp termed “liquidity issues”.
But Mediacorp months earlier had been embroiled in a messy sex scandal involving one of its non-executive Directors, Chris Gorman.
Police Investigate Website That Lists Gambling Deadbeats
(Reuters) - A bilingual website has been naming and shaming gamblers who allegedly fail to pay Macau casino debts.
The site, Wonderful World, claims it has already helped recover 50 million yuan (HK$63.35 million).
But the police are not sure about its legality and are now compiling an internal report.
The English version features a list of more than 70 people from across China who have allegedly failed to repay debts ranging from thousands to millions of yuan.
Bond Set for Mississippi Man Charged in Massive Dog Fighting Ring
GULFPORT, Miss. (Associated Press) - Bond has been set at $25,000 for a Biloxi, Miss., man arrested in a federal investigation of dog fighting and gambling.
Ricky Van Le was among 12 people arrested by federal authorities Friday in an investigation into organized dog fighting and gambling in the Southeast. The defendants allegedly conspired to promote and sponsor dog fights and arranged for dogs to be at the fights in several south and east Alabama counties and in Holly Springs, Miss., between 2009 and 2013.
Allied Veterans Lawyer Wants Charges Tossed
SANFORD, Fla. (Associated Press) - A Jacksonville attorney who prosecutors claim was the mastermind of a veterans' charity that actually was a $300 million gambling operation was in court asking that some of his criminal charges be tossed out.
Kelly Mathis was in a Seminole County courtroom Monday, trying to convince a Florida judge to dismiss money laundering charges he faces.
Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester didn't immediately rule.
Victoryland Case Gets New Judge
TUSKEGEE, Ala. (Associated Press) -- A new judge has been assigned to the case involving the state attorney general's seizure of electronic gambling machines and cash from VictoryLand casino in Shorter.
Circuit Judge Tom Young has appointed Circuit Judge Ray Martin to replace him in the Macon County case.
The Alabama Supreme Court ordered Young to step aside from the case Friday because he made disparaging remarks about the state's "attempts to enforce Alabama's gambling laws against VictoryLand."
12 Arrested in Multi-State Gambling Dog Fighting Ring
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Associated Press) — A federal and state investigation into dog fighting and gambling has resulted in the arrest of 12 people from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.
U.S. Attorney George Beck said Monday the 12 are charged with conducting an illegal gambling business and multiple dog fighting charges, including promoting dog fights. Additional defendants are being sought.
More Arrests Possible in Billion Dollar Sports Betting Case Tied to Legends
A promised superseding indictment by the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma related to a billion dollar sports betting ring was expected to be handed down in the coming days, quite possibly in conjunction with the start of the 2013 NCAA College Football season by week’s end.
Thirty-four individuals and 23 entities from across the US and the country of Panama have already been indicted.
High Stake Poker Players Accept Plea Deals in Russian Mob Gambling Probe
Two high stakes poker players have plead guilty to reduced charges in connection to a gambling ring bust that allegedly has ties to the Russian Mob.
Justin Smith, 25, and Edwin Ting, 41, have plead guilty to running an Internet gambling business. They are two of 34 individuals charged.
Two other men plead guilty earlier in the week.
Hollywood Police: Chino Rheem Not Likely to Be Arrested at Hard Rock Poker Open
The Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $10 Million Guarantee Championship event continues into Day 3 with one of poker’s bad boys among the top 10 chip leaders.
The bad boy in question would be David "Chino" Rheem.
Nine Arrested in Philadelphia Bookie Operation: Wielded Hatchets to Collect Debts
Nine individuals were arrested Friday in connection to a Northeast Philadelphia bookmaking operation that used violence to collect debts, authorities claim.
The men, ranging from 26 to 48-years of age, each face racketeering and other charges after a grand jury indictment.
Jury in Brett Parker Bookmaking Trial Selected: Bookie Already Serving Life Sentence
A jury has been selected in the Brett Parker federal gambling trial. Parker is an admitted South Carolina bookie who was convicted in May on two counts of murder.
The Irmo-based bookie shot and killed his wife, Tammy Jo Parker, and a male employee, Bryan Capnerhurst.
During his trial, Parker tried to pin blame for the shootings on Capnerhurst, claiming that the betting clerk was trying to rob the couple of their gambling income.
Massive Gambling Bust in Penang
GEORGE TOWN - (Bernama) -- Police have busted one of the biggest illegal gambling rings in the state this year with bettings amounting to RM450,000, in Air Itam, early Friday.
A D7 police team from the Northeast district police headquarters raided a 'mini casino' hidden behind a car workshop in Air Itam in an 'Ops Dadu' operation.
The casino was placed in a strategic location suitable to run illegal gambling activities, surrounded by bushes and visitors had to cross a river to reach the place.
Vagos Motorcycle Gang Member Gets 7 Years for Fatal Vegas Casino Shooting
RENO, Nev. – (Associated Press) - A former member of the Vagos motorcycle gang has been sentenced to up to seven years in prison for his role in a 2011 shootout at a Nevada casino that killed a rival Hells Angel.
Gary "Jabbers" Rudnick pleaded guilty earlier to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal agreeing to testify against a fellow Vagos convicted Aug. 7 of first-degree murder in the death of Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew, president of the Hells Angels' chapter in San Jose.
Man Who Stole £19million From Company to Fund Gambling Addiction Sentenced
An IT manager who stole £19million from his company to help fund his gambling habit has been sentenced to 7 years jail time.
Jonathan Revill, 38, made a profit of £5.6million from a scam over a three year period. He was employed with a Leeds subsidiary company of GDF Suez – one of the world’s biggest energy companies with a billion pound turnover. It was there that Revill faked signatures to order company equipment worth £18,976,062.
Revill also once bet £300,000 on a single sporting fixture.
Pay Per Head Scammers Have Industry on Edge: Leads Investigated
Nearly everyone in the pay per head industry, most of which is based in Costa Rica, are outraged by a group of scammers that have inundated the Net with emails suggesting they have a direct relationship with the likes of respected PPH companies like WagerHome.com and Perhead.com.
Fake Affiliate Impersonating WagerHome.com, TheRx.com
Beware pay per head agents! Gambling911.com has been informed that a fake affiliate with no relationship to pay per head site WagerHome.com is emailing agents pretending to represent this company.
Romanian Princess Runs Afoul of Law in Cock Fighting Arrest: Pleads Not Guilty
(Associated Press) - Princess Irina Walker, the daughter of the last king of Romania, was hobnobbing two years ago with European royalty in Bucharest to celebrate the 90th birthday of her regal father.
On Friday, she and her husband, a former sheriff's deputy, appeared in federal court to face charges of running a cockfighting business on their ranch in rural Oregon. Both pleaded not guilty and were released pending trial.
2 NYC Men Who Ran Illegal Poker Games Tied to Art Gallery
Two men have pleaded guilty to illegally operating high-stakes New York City poker games with pots regularly reaching tens of thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors say Kirill Rapoport pleaded guilty Friday to conducting an illegal poker game, and William Barbalat pleaded guilty Wednesday to traveling in interstate commerce in aid of operating an illegal poker game.
Man tied to Russian Gambling Ring With Manhattan Art Gallery Ties Pleads Guilty
Kirill Rapoport, who was accused of participating in a gambling ring with Russian mob ties, pleaded guilty to running an illegal poker game on Friday.
Man Who Helped Prosecutor Pursue Notorious OKC Bookie Gets 16 Months Prison
OKLAHOMA CITY — (Associated Press) - A Nevada bookie has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for his role in an illegal gambling operation.
Gary John Gibb of Reno was sentenced Thursday. He faced up to five years in prison but made a tearful plea for probation at Thursday's hearing.
The Oklahoman reported Gibb told U.S. District Judge David Russell that freedom is "so precious."
Romanian Princess Arrested in Cockfighting Bust
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (Associated Press) - A Romanian princess is apparently among several people who have been arrested in Eastern Oregon in connection with an alleged cockfighting ring.
Indictments unsealed Thursday in federal court in Portland charge 60-year-old Irina Walker and her husband, 67-year-old John Wesley Walker, with hosting cockfighting derbies and illegal gambling at their ranch outside the small Morrow County town of Irrigon.
Massive Multi-Billion Dollar Sports Betting Ring With Servers in Curacao Busted
A Plano, Texas sports betting ring with ties to the offshore gambling jurisdiction of Curacao has been busted by federal authorities. 18 people have been arrested in connection to this ring. *This story has been updated. See below.
NHL Tough Guy Denies Giving Convicted Mobster Whitey Bulger Stanley Cup Ring
(QMI Agency) - Former NHL tough guy Chris Nilan has denied the Stanley Cup ring owned by convicted Boston mob boss James (Whitey) Bulger originally belonged to him.
“Recent media reports have inaccurately asserted that James Bulger is in possession of a 1986 Stanley Cup ring given to him by me,” Nilan said in a statement. “Those reports have no basis in fact. James Bulger was never given a Stanley Cup ring by me at any time.”
No Contest Plea in Florida Allied Veterans of the World Gambling Scandal
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the former national commander of Allied Veterans of the World, Johnny Duncan, 66, has pleaded no contest to money laundering and operating an illegal lottery.
The scandal rocked Florida, resulting in a campaign to shutter the state’s Internet cafes based on the notion they were being used as illegal gambling houses. Florida’s Lieutenant Governor also resigned as a result of the scandal.
The prosecutors' No. 1 target, Jacksonville lawyer Kelly Mathis, was not due in court today. He is set for trial next month.
Vile High Club: Troon Vineyard Director Faces Prison for Having Oral Sex on Vegas-Bound Flight
An Oregon couple could face up to 90 days each in jail for having oral sex on board a flight to Las Vegas as other passengers watched on in horror.
The complaint, filed last week in U.S. District Court, alleges that beautician Jessica Stroble, 33, and vineyard owner Christopher Martin began getting frisky after an Allegiant Airlines flight departed Medford, Oregon for Nevada in late-June.
Indicted Online Poker Processor Chad Elie Tells All (Video)
One of the individuals charged with processing payments for online poker site Full Tilt Poker and two other rooms claims to have witnessed inappropriate funds transfers between Mark Shurtleff, John Swallow and indicted businessman Jeremy Johnson.
Elie, who was named as part of a series of sweeping indictments in April of 2011 and served five months prison time for bank fraud, sat down with the Salt Lake City Weekly to discuss the matter.
Verdict Reached in Whitey Bulger Case
A verdict has been reached in the trial of reputed Mobster James “Whitey” Bulger. He has been found GUILTY of federal racketeering. He was found guilty in conspiring to murder in some of the 19 cases, but not all. He was found guilty of conspirng to kill Edward Connors, Paul McGonagle and Thomas King.
Men Arrested at Heathrow Airport for Blackmailing Online Casino, DDOS Attacks
Two Polish men were arrested at Heathrow Airport last week, suspected of blackmailing the Club World Casino website and forcing it offline August 2 via a Denial of Service attack. Such attacks result in massive pockets of worthless traffic directed at a target website, causing said site to be knocked offline.
