An Illegal Gaming Operator in Ohio Goes to Prison, While a Texas Man Goes to Trial
Joseph Udeck, a 70-year old man from Plain Township, Ohio will serve 5 months in prison on federal gambling charges. Udeck was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to charges, including the transmission of wagering information and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
Sentenced to 5 Months in Prison
Mr. Udeck will spend 5 months under house arrest after he is released from prison. According to sentencing records, the defendant is expected to forfeit $120,000 in gambling proceeds, as well. Judge Sara Lioi called for the forfeiture while handed down the sentences, which were given in court on Wednesday.
Illegal Gambling and Money Laundering
Federal prosecutors in the case say that Joseph Udeck conspired to launder money he collected from his illegal sports betting operation. Udeck served as the bookmaker or “bookie” in the operation, which remained active for 11 years, from 2000 to 2011.
During that time, he accepted bets on most of the major American sports, include professional sporting events like NFL football and NBA basketball. He also accepted wagers on NCAA football and basketball. If a bookmaker accepts bets on Major League Baseball (not mentioned in the records), such a business can be a 12-month operation.
Gaming Operation Continued for 11 Years
Court records do not the full amount of money Joseph Udeck collected in his 11 years of operation, but the number presumably would be in the millions. Udeck’s operation may have been small in comparison to others busted over the last year in New York and Florida, but those high-profile cases involved tens of millions–and in one case hundreds of millions–of dollars.
Prosecutors say that Udeck used the revenues from his illegal betting ring on his mortgage payments, property taxes, credit card bills, and everyday living expenses.
Used Offshore Online Gambling Sites
To launder the money, Udeck used offshore Internet gambling services to record the bets and process the wagers when they were placed by others. These records became a part of the case, and helped establish Udeck as the key figure in the investigation.
Minimum Sentence Available to the Judge
Despite the extensive nature of his illegal gambling activities, Udeck’s attorney, Bradley Iams, says that his client received the minimum sentence available under the law. Federal guidelines were used, but the prosecutors and the judge in many ways “went light” on Udeck.
The likely reason that such restraint was shown is the age of the defendant. Joseph Udeck is 70 years old, so it might have been seen by the authorities that a multi-year sentence would be cruel or harmful to the defendant. Udeck cooperated with authorities and pleaded guilty, which often comes after a plea bargain agreement which saves taxpayer money and clears a case off a prosecutor’s docket.
Conroe, Texas Man’s Case Proceeds
Prosecutors say they will continue to prosecute a case involving an illegal gambling investigation of a man in Conroe, Texas.
31-year old Nofil Amin is accused of running a land-based gambling operation in Conroe. Montegomery County prosecutors have offered Nofil Amin a plea agreement, but Amin is said to be seeking a better deal than the one being offered. Authorities declined to release details of the plea offer in question.
Arrested in January 2014
Nofil Amin was arrested on January 30, 2014 after leaving his Kingwood home on U.S. Highway 59. The Conroe police also executed at search warrant at Amin’s place of business, known as A-1 Phone and Accessories, now knownas Zee Phone and Accessories. Police say the business on North Sixth Street was a front for an illegal gambling ring.
When they searched the premises, police found 28 gambling machines, as well as significant amounts of cash at Amin’s home and place of business.
Gaming Operation May Have Lasted over 2 Years
Authorities allege that Amin ran the illegal gaming business from October 2011 until December 2013. Twenty-six months is the length of time Amin paid rent to Carlos Melgar, the owner of the property. Melgar was charged with money laundering, though all criminal charges on Melgar were dropped in exchange for his cooperation in the investigation
The monthly base rent for the business was $800 a month ($20,800 for 26 months rent), though records show that roughly $30,000 was paid to Carlos Melgar in that time.
About Illegal Sports Betting
Illegal sports betting is done through a bookmaker, known in the pop culture as a “bookie”. Though such people are often depicted in movies and on television as ordinary for the sports-obsessed and gaming-obsessed American male, it is best to avoid illegal bookmaker operations. Several betting syndicates reported on this blog in the past year have used debt collectors to have debts repaid. In one particularly notorious Florida sports betting ring, these collectors threatened people and may have harmed gamblers.
