An illegal gambling network operating in several states has been closed down by federal agents and about .6 million in funds have been seized,
Those funds are now being distributed to law enforcement agencies.
The illegal sites allowed bettors to place wagers from New York, Florida, Indiana, California, Texas, Kansas, Nevada and elsewhere. Over four years, about $10 million in illegal gambling proceeds were deposited into accounts in the names of fake corporations and also accounts in Panama, Andorra and the Cayman Islands, prosecutors said.
One of the defendants, Philip Gurian, was making $150,000 from the sites each day. Several other defendants admitted to money laundering and illegally accepting bets, which numbered in the thousands, according to consumeraffairs.com
“Stripping criminals of illegal profits deprives them of the fuel that sustains their illegitimate enterprises,” said U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian. “In illegal gambling, money is both the way the crime is committed and the reason for committing it. No money equals no crime.”
“Forfeiting the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime puts the money to work for good—helping the victims of crime, funding community programs and providing resources to be used to promote public safety,” he said. “Such sharing can enable a local police chief, sheriff, or district attorney to commit the necessary resources to conduct a complex, long term investigation that in the end enhances public safety.”
A total of $9,628,093.75 was distributed by the U.S. Marshal’s Service to the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the IRS, the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, according to officials.
