Gambling911.com Crime Blog October 4-24

Written by:
Jagajeet Chiba
Published on:
Oct/10/2019

This is the latest news from the Gambling911.com crime blog for October 2019.

 

Police on the Scene at New Bern, NC Illegal Gambling House

 

(October 24, 2019) -

NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) – Multiple law enforcement agencies were on the scene of an illegal gambling establishment Thursday morning.

The New Bern Police Department and the Craven County Sheriff’s Office served the warrant to The Spot located at 1725 Red Robin Lane.

Two men were taken into custody as authorities searched the property. Gambling machines and money were also seized from the location.

Attorney Who Defended Super Hackers Gives Sports Betting Insight

A Wikileaks cable released in 2009 entitled ‘Bulgarian Soccer Receives a Red Card for Corruption’ describes how the U.S Embassy in Sofia spent the majority of their time monitoring match fixing schemes orchestrated by local Oligarchs.

According to the cable, ‘The most common match fixing schemes are bribing referees and paying off players on the opposing club to insure a team loses by a certain score’. It adds that ‘the mass firing of the referee selection commission for a second consecutive year’ hasn’t exactly improved fan trust in soccer results, with games characterized by ‘illogical results and unexplainable play’. The biggest accusation the State Department makes is that certain teams collude to decide who will win before the first touch of the ball.

Nick Wooldridge Esq has represented “a host of seriously scary (if admirably clever)” cyber-Godfathers from the Eastern-bloc, including the infamous ‘King of Spam’ Oleg Y. Nikolaenko.

From Forbes:

After defending a client responsible for sending 10 billion Spam emails every single day, Wooldridge has begun to notice an interplay between older scams involving the net, and newer scams, involving gambling sites pitched at sports games.

He tells Forbes that schemes mostly originating out of the Phillippines could prove to be the biggest threat:

“A prime example of the serious issues associated with online gambling are, for me, found in the activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) right now. Since 2016, approximately 60 separate POGOs have been set up in the Philippines. Most are registered either in the British Virgin Islands, or in other tax havens including the Seychelles, Belize, Samoa and the Isle of Man, where the identities of company directors and share-holders are omitted from national registries, or made extremely hard to access by authorities in that jurisdiction, through a dearth of readily accessible corporate information. These operations are routinely run unscrupulously, and with a clear eye on why exploiting or defrauding visitors to their online platforms convert to serious revenue. We call it ‘trans-national’ crime because it is a form of criminal activity which truly knows no borders. Practices perfected in Eastern Europe or the independent states of the former Soviet Union find their way seamlessly to South East Asia. In the process, we see other forms of criminality employed, such as the use entities in off-shore jurisdiction to mask the ultimate beneficial owner of the fraudulent gaming outfit very effectively, or, as I referenced in Albania, the incorporation of learned practices to launder proceeds of crime, which then pass back in to the legitimate financial system fairly seamlessly.”

Infamous Crime Boss Joey 'the Clown' Lombardo Dead at 90

Chicago mobster Joseph Lombardo, better known as “Joey the Clown,” died in prison Saturday at the age of 90 while serving a life sentence for murder.  Details of his death were not immediately known, however, Lombardo had been suffering from throat cancer.

From Fox News:

Lombardo was sentenced in 2009 for the murder of his friend Daniel Seifert, a federal witness, in 1974 while his wife and 4-year-old son were present. Investigators said Lombardo was responsible for the slaying by a group of masked men, but Lombardo denied responsibility.

“In the end, we are judged by our actions, not by our wit or smiles,” said U.S. District Judge James Zagel when he sentenced Lombardo. “In cases, like this, we are judged by the worst things we have done, and the worst things you have done are terrible.”

Lombardo supposedly earned his “Clown” nickname because of his jokey demeanor despite his cold-blooded nature. When he finally made it to court after his 2007 arrest, he reportedly said he'd been “unavailable.”

Regular Coral Customer Fleeced 92-Year-Old Out of Pension

(October 19, 2019) - A cruel Hartlepool conman has had to repay a 92-year-old churchgoer's kind offer of help by fleecing him out of £27,000.

Scott Thomas Hanson even threatened to kill the man if he told.  The elderly man eventually did tell.

In a statement, the pensioner told police: "Some days I feel livid about the lies that he told me and that I believed. But mostly I feel sad, sad that he could do that to me under the guise of friendship.

"The money that I gave Scott, would have been money for my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren, but now I am unable to give them gifts.”

He added: "The incident made me unwell at the time and made me sick with worry. I feel like I have let myself down, I always have been so careful with my money. But, I prioritised my Christian duty to help others over this, and for this I have been taken advantage of by Scott."

Hanson admitted fraud and, the court heard, had a host of previous other dishonesty convictions on his criminal record.

A Coral bookmaker employee said that Hanson was a regular customer who who spent £24,282 on betting and gambling during the time period in which he was fleecing the elderly individual.

Hackers Distributing Compromised Version of Tor

(October 18, 2019) -

Devious Duo Drugs and Robs Man After Night of Gambling

(October 17, 2019) -

Two women sought by authorities are accused of drugging a tourist and stealing his Rolex watch after befriending him at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Raid of Illegal Gambling Operation in Long Beach Nets 11 Arrests

(October 16, 2019) -

Survivor of Brooklyn Bloodbath Escaped Earlier Murder Tied to Gambling

Investigation Into Horrific Mass Killing at Gambling Den Continues

(October 13, 2019) -

Four Dead, Several Injured at Brooklyn Gambling Den

(October 13, 2019) -

Elderly Woman Among Those Arrested for Ties to Gambling Ring

(October 11, 2019) - A 72-year-old Houston woman has been arrested and charged with money laundering in connection to an alleged large scale illegal gambling operation in north Houston, according to a release from Harris County Constable Precinct 4.

Dorinda Powers, 72, was arrested at one of three suspected illegal game rooms police discovered during the investigation. Nearly 200 illegal gambling devices and $500,000 in suspected gambling proceeds were found at the three rooms, which were located in the 1140block of Veterans Memorial Drive, 11500 block of Jones Road and a residence in the 11800 block of Cathy Drive, according to the release.

Source: Houston Chronicle

Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Deadly Drugs to Billionaire's Son While Attending Gambling Conference

A Cleveland man has pleaded guilty to selling a deadly mixture of drugs to the son of a Greek billionaire who died of an overdose while visiting the city.  Read More Here

Members of Public Sound Off on Illinois Sports Betting

(October 7, 2019) - Illinois residents have commented on the future of legalized sports wagering in the state.  The process has stalled after seemingly being thrust through the legislative process out of thin air.

Illinois sports betting still looks to be among the most aggressive introductions since the US Supreme Court reversed decades of prohibition last year.  Lawmakers promised kiosks outside of stadiums, mobile betting from anywhere in the state, and a casino somewhere in Downtown Chicago.  In return, Illinois residents will now be paying some of the highest gas prices in the nation.

People aren't just sounding off about the delays.

“I’m disgusted that sports gambling, a long-time activity that was profitable for the mob, is now legalized,” one woman wrote the board. “So, please have strict rules to prevent underage gambling, to limit or prohibit advertising, to address availability at all hours on mobile devices, and to prevent money laundering.”

Lady, this is Illinios, keep dreaming.

Security Guard Shot at Illegal Gambling Club in Critical Condition

(October 4, 2019) - The victim was working security at the unmarked business in the 9900 block of Fondren in Houston when shots rang out around 8:30 p.m., according to Houston Police Department Det. S. Ragsdale.

There could be as many as three people involved in the shooting, although police did not release any suspect descriptions.

The Life and Death of 5Dimes Owner Profiled

(October 4, 2019) - David Hill of Victory Journal profiles the founder of 5Dimes, Sean “Tony” Creighton and his tragic death.

This is a really prestigioius digital magazine.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com

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