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NBC News has learned that the Panama Papers exposing some of the secret financial dealings of wealthy individuals worldwide also reveal ties to flamboyant online gambling tycoon Calvin Ayre.
Indicted in 2012 for operating an illegal gambling business involving sports betting and conspiring to commit money laundering, Ayre has remained on the lam ever since, though he remains a public figure as proprietor of a self-titled industry trade website, CalvinAyre.com. This past October, Ayre re-surfaced speaking before a gaming forum in Malta. Ayre was also among the original subjects considered for profiling on the John Walsh CNN real crime search series “The Hunt”. They have yet to produce that particular segment.
The online gambling magnate was once featured prominently on the cover of Forbes 2016 Billionaire issue.
From NBC News:
A review of the law firm's internal files by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other media partners, including NBC News, has identified companies tied to at least 36 Americans accused of fraud or other serious financial misconduct. Some have been convicted of fraud or other crimes, while others have been sued in civil cases launched by securities regulators or private plaintiffs.
Authorities have put many of the perpetrators out of commission. Some are in prison, or already out after serving their time. Others, like Ayre, are still in the wind, though unlike him they aren't sending virtual postcards to their pursuers via Facebook.
Access to the Panama Papers will now be available to the general public, though limited.
In a much anticipated move, ICIJ today is publicly uploading a searchable version of the Panama Papers database. It will not include the underlying documentation reviewed by NBC News and other ICIJ partners, including company records and emails and other communications. But it will contain basic information such as the secret owners of the more than 214,000 offshore entities found in Mossack Fonseca's files for investigators, victims, jilted associates and family members and others to search.
The leaker also says he is willing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
"In the end, thousands of prosecutions could stem from the Panama Papers," the leaker said, "if only law enforcement could access and evaluate the actual documents."
The NBC report is extensive and can be read here
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
