Crime
Gambling Addict Who Held Up Betting Shop With Hammer Turns Himself In
A gambling addict flagged down police just hours after he held up a betting shop with a hammer.
The incident occurred August 2 at a Southhampton Ladbrokes. Michael Birch, 30, is charged with the crime. He escaped with £1,637 in cash.
His defense attorney argued that Birsh should be given mercy for admitting to the crime and apologizing.
Judge Peter Henry said: 'This is a serious offence without question, breaking into a premises, arming yourself and threatening someone and terrifying them, forcing them to hand over the money.'
Somach: Online Poker Site CEO has No Fear of Being Arrested
Thomas Somach’s San Francisco Examiner piece on an Internet poker company operating right from San Francisco is now out.
Somach Exclusive: McDonald’s Hamburgers and an Illegal San Francisco Online Poker Room
Over the past five years, more than a dozen online poker rooms that allowed Americans to play Internet poker for cash have been busted by the U.S. Justice Department. Websites were shut down, website owners and operators were arrested and millions of dollars were seized. Party Poker, Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet were among the sites targeted by the Feds.
Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation Blasts AGA for Hypocrisy re ‘Runner, Runner’
The Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation has come out swinging against the Nevada lobbying group, American Gaming Association (AGA), for its advertisements suggesting the new film “Runner, Runner” is a cautionary tale depicting the ills of an unregulated online gambling industry.
Key Cantor Gaming Execs May Have had Role in Sports Betting Probe: Colbert Caves
The New York Times is reporting that federal prosecutors are investigating whether top executives at Cantor Fitzgerald LP's gambling unit participated in the company accepting illegal sports bets.
Cantor Senior Executive Lee Amaitis has been mentioned following a guilty plea entered by former Cantor employee, Mike Colbert. The former sportsbook director admitted to accepting illegal bets.
College Student Beaten by Police Leaving AC Casino: Head Smashed In (Video)
A June beating by police officers of a college student leaving the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City was captured by surveillance video and will be used as evidence in a lawsuit filed by the student’s parents.
Iowa Won’t File Charges Against Nuke Boss in Counterfeit Poker Chip Probe
OMAHA, Neb. (Associated Press) — Iowa will take no legal action against the No. 2 officer in charge of U.S. nuclear war-fighting forces who is accused of using counterfeit gambling chips at a casino in the state, officials said Tuesday.
Nonetheless Navy Vice Adm. Tim Giardina could still face federal charges.
Giardina was suspended Sept. 3 while Naval Criminal Investigative Service examines the allegation that he used $1,500 in counterfeit chips at the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa in June.
Judge Tosses Out Some Allied Veterans Counts in Illegal Gambling Case
(Associated Press) - A Florida judge on Tuesday threw out about a third of the more than 150 charges against a Jacksonville attorney accused of using a veterans group as a front for a $300 million gambling operation.
Judge Kenneth Lester tossed out more than 50 money laundering charges against Kelly Mathis. A jury will still decide whether he is guilty of more than 100 other charges of racketeering, running a lottery and possessing slot machines related to Allied Veterans of the World.
Prosecutors Rest in Florida Charity Gambling Scandal
(Associated Press) - Prosecutors rested their case Monday in the trial of a Jacksonville attorney accused of masterminding a veterans group that ran a $300 million gambling operation.
Prosecutors told jurors at attorney Kelly Mathis' trial Monday that they had rested their case, less than 10 days after giving opening statements in which they accused Mathis of helping build a network of Internet cafes that actually were computer casinos.
Robert McGuigan Talks of How Gambling Killed His Son – Part III of This Woo Report
Gambling911.com International Correspondent Jenny Woo concludes her riveting report on Robert McGuigan and how gambling addiction ultimately lead to his son’s untimely death. This is Part III of the series.
Prosecutor: Mobster Claims he has Bladder Cancer to Get Lighter Sentence
An 86-year-old mobster got a lighter sentence than the two years in prison he had previously been facing after claiming a series of ailments, including bladder cancer.
Explosive Revelations in Nuke Boss Gambling Probe
A vice admiral and the second in command of the US nuke program at the United States Strategic Command outside of Omaha, Nebraska, has been suspended for his alleged role in a counterfeit casino chip probe.
Famed Gambler Archie Karas Arrested for Cheating at Casino
A world famous gambler was arrested in his Las Vegas home Tuesday, charged with cheating at the Barona Casino in San Diego.
Anargyros Karabourniotis, known better as Archie Karas, was charged with burglary and winning blackjack by fraudulent means. It is anticipated he will be extradited back to San Diego to face those charges.
Washington Campaign Director Charged With Embezzlement: Gambled Away Funds
(Reuters) - The former head of a Democratic Party fundraising committee in Washington state has been charged with embezzling up to $300,000 in campaign contributions to feed a gambling habit, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Mass Congressman Owes Attorneys After Fighting Offshore Gambling Claims
US Representative John F. Tierney of Massachusetts has set up a legal defense fund to help pay for attorneys utilized while defending himself from allegations that he failed to disclose funds derived from his brother-in-law’s offshore gambling business.
Long Time Chicago Politician Sentenced for Gambling With Campaign Funds
CHICAGO - (UPI) -- A longtime Chicago politician will serve 6 months in jail after being convicted of tax evasion and mishandling campaign funds, prosecutors said.
William Beavers, 78, a Democratic Cook County commissioner since 2007 and before that Chicago's 7th ward alderman since 1983, was convicted of tax evasion in March for concealing his under-reporting of income, U.S. Attorney Gary S. Shapiro said Wednesday.
European Poker Tour Horror Stories Emerge as More Laptops Potentially Hacked
After two weeks of initial reports that laptops had been compromised during this year’s EPT Barcelona event, more poker players have come forward to reveal they, too, were apparent victims of hackings during additional stops of the prestigious European Poker Tour.
Man Received $250k Penalty, No Jail Time in Legends Sports Case
A New York State man has received a $250,000 penalty and no jail time in connection with a billion dollar international sports betting ring that shut down popular online site Legends.com.
Craig Hayner, 44, became the fourth defendant based out of the Albany area to receive a sentence with no jail time.
Man Accused of Australian Football Match-Fixing Denied Bail
MELBOURNE, Australia (Associated Press) -- A Malaysian man accused of being the local organizer of a syndicate that tried to fix matches in an Australian provincial football league has been denied bail in a Melbourne court.
Magistrate Jelena Popovic told the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday she refused to grant bail to Segaran "Gerry" Gsubramaniam with "grave reluctance" because it might be two years before his case is finalized.
Snitch Banker in Full Tilt Poker Case Told By Bosses She Would be Arrested
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — A banker who took on an online gambling operation was the star of an anti-money-laundering conference in Las Vegas on Monday.
Compliance officer Cathy Scharf told an auditorium full of aghast colleagues about her experiences at a Utah bank that illegally processed a quarter billion dollars for the offshore gambling sites PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.
She said her bosses told her the bank would fail without the illegal income, and they threatened her with arrest if she told on them.
Son-In-Law of India’s Cricket Boss Charged in Betting Scandal
(Reuters) - Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf and the son-in-law of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) president were charged by Mumbai Police on Saturday in a betting scandal surrounding the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.
Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI president N. Srinivasan, was arrested in May after being quizzed by police probing illegal betting on the Twenty20 league.
A total of 22 people have been charged for gambling, cheating and fraud, the police said.
Why Extradite Amanda Knox: Italy Refused Extradition of Anhang ‘Black Widow’ Wife
A lot has been made as to whether the US Government should extradite Amanda Knox back to Italy.
Queens DA Indicts 6 for Running Gambling Ring, Trafficking Cocaine and Heroin
NEW YORK (Associated Press) — Authorities say six people have been indicted in connection with a New York gambling ring that handled an estimated $1 million in bets a year.
Authorities say about 30 betting parlors operated through a central wire room in Brooklyn.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown says the family-run ring operated in Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau County.
Allied Veterans Gambling Trial Gets Underway in Florida
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — (Associated Press) - Florida's statewide prosecutor told a jury that a Jacksonville attorney "gamed" the legal system in creating a network of gambling centers throughout Florida under the guise of a charitable veterans group.
Brett Parker Dad Convicted of Bookmaking (Video)
Convicted killer Brett Parker, his dad and another man have been found guilty of bookmaking in South Carolina.
A federal jury in Columbia deliberated for five hours. Brett’s father, Jack, and Doug Taylor were found to have had an active role in running the massive illegal bookie business.
Brett Parker is already serving a life sentence for murdering his wife, Tammy Jo, and business partner, Bryan Capnerhurst.
Singapore Police Arrest 14 Involved in Global Match-Fixing Scheme
ROME (Associated Press) — Singapore authorities arrested the suspected leader of an organized crime gang allegedly involved in global soccer match-fixing and 13 others, Interpol announced Wednesday.
Jury Deliberations Begin Today in Brett Parker Bookie Case
The trial lasted no more than two days and the jury will begin deliberations Wednesday in the case of South Carolina bookmaker Brett Parker.
Parker is already convicted and serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Tammy Jo, and one of his employees.
British Players Charged in Australian Match-Fixing Probe
London side Hornchurch players Reiss Noel and Joe Woolley have been charged by Australian police as being part of a match-fixing scheme.
Both men had been transferred to the Southern Stars in Australia over the summer.
The match-fixing investigation was prompted by information provided by the Football Federation of Australia (FFA), according to the BBC.
Man Sentenced 30 Years to Life for Assaulting Poker Pro Ron Wall
A Las Vegas judge has sentenced 34-year-old Edmond Price to 30 years to life for assaulting and robbing poker pro Ron “The Duke of Fremont” Wall.
40 People Indicted in Scheme to Defraud Casino
YAKIMA, Wash. (Associated Press) - More than 40 people have been indicted in Eastern Washington, accused of conspiring to steal more than $100,000 from a Yakama Nation tribal casino through a promotional event.
