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Casinos> 2007
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Another Major Sports Betting Ring Dismantled In N.y.
$2 million ring used Internet sites offshore to place
bets
New York law enforcement authorities mounted another major sportsbetting
raid this week, deploying over 200 police officers in an operation
that dismantled a $2 million organisation. Local police departments
from New Rochelle, Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville, White Plains,
Yonkers and Yorktown provided assistance in the raids on 30 different
locations, in which 18 operators and bookies were arrested.
Associated Press reports that the bets - on professional and college
sports, with limits as high as $100 000 - had been funneled by computer
to a "wire room" in Costa Rica, Westchester District Attorney
Janet DiFiore told the news service.
"You name it, they were betting on it," said Steven Vandervelden,
head of DiFiore's criminal enterprise division. There was some online
casino betting as well as the sports wagers, he said.
The district attorney held a news conference behind a display of
guns, steroid-filled syringes, marijuana, computers, printers, and
nearly $1 million in cash, all confiscated from the suspects during
the weekend arrests, which were enabled by 44 search warrants at
30 locations. Thirty eavesdropping devices helped in obtaining the
search warrants. Also seized were 15 vehicles and 2 illegal handguns
along with computers, cell phones and other evidence.
Claiming that the ring was "very extensive," DiFiore
said that the arrests were made in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester,
along with Essex and Somerset counties in New Jersey.
Bettors, once they were established with bookies, could place their
wages in any of three ways: online, at one of the 60 affiliated
Internet sites, using a username and password; calling the central
business office in Costa Rica; or calling a bookie, or "sheetholder,"
Vandervelden said.
Among those arrested was Adam Green (34) of Manhattan, identified
as the creator of the enterprise and many of its Internet sites
and domain names. Vandervelden said Green was "at the top of
the food chain." The operation worked through approximately
60 related offshore websites.
Also arrested was Anthony Giovaniello (37) of Hawthorne, N.Y.,
who allegedly led the Westchester operation and made sure the bookies
collected. Both were charged with enterprise corruption, which carries
a maximum sentence of eight-to-25 years in prison. They were to
be arraigned later Monday in Harrison.
Sixteen others also were charged, all but two with enterprise corruption;
one was accused of promoting gambling and one was charged with weapon
possession. Vandervelden said one suspect was a stockbroker.
Officials revealed that the investigation began in October 2005
with information obtained by the police in Harrison, of Westchester
County, said Harrison police chief David Hall. He said more arrests
were possible.
Westchester DA's office issued a press release which described
how part of the operation used the Internet, explaining: "These
Internet gambling website companies have numerous bookmakers utilizing
their services and apparently charge the bookmakers, among other
things, a price per head (PPH) for each active bettor a bookmaker
has betting with that enterprise."
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