In a questionable political move, Missouri Rep. Scott Largent attempts to allow loans at casinos

Casino Watch Focus has reported many times that even though casino gambling is legal in Missouri, the legislature has taken many steps to safeguard its citizens from the dangers of gambling.  The Legislature successfully prevented all legislative attempts at removing a unique safeguard, the $500 loss limit, which essentially caped the amount of money that was able to be gambled and lost at one time.  The loss limit and other safeguards existed until the casino industry waged an expensive ballot initiative that removed it.  One past legislator, who was known for accepting large amount of money from the casino industry and in turn, proposing countless bills to remove these safeguards, was Rep. Shannon Cooper. His replacement, Rep. Scott Largent, appears to have picked up where Rep. Cooper left off.  The St. Louis Post Dispatch is reporting that Rep. Largent has managed to get an amendment into a bill that would allow loans at casinos.  This move appears to be politically unfavorable to his colleagues and it creates serious pitfalls for problem gamblers:

House Financial Institutions Committee added the change onto a banking bill Wednesday with no debate. Committee members endorsed it by a 13-1 vote, sending the measure to the full House after the Rules Committee approves it.

Gamblers who pass a credit check would be able to borrow money and exchange it for electronic tokens and chips for wagering.

Jamilah Nasheed, a St. Louis Democrat, said lawmakers should try to help protect problem gamblers from themselves. Nasheed voted for the bill but now says she would have voted “no” if she had known what the amendment did.

“I made a mistake,” Nasheed said. “I don’t think gamblers should take out loans. You have gamblers who are addicted. It hurts their family. They lose their property. The divorce rate is high.”

Passage in the House would send the bill to the Senate, which has been less inclined to pass gambling bills. In fact, the sponsor of the underlying bill, Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, wasn’t unhappy to learn of the credit amendment.

Casino Gambling was originally passed in 1992 with multiple safeguards in place.  The original plan was to simply allow a short, two-hour riverboat cruise on the Missouri or Mississippi river, which would allow for select and controlled gambling.  Now, virtually every aspect of what Missouri citizens originally voted for has been stripped clean, leaving full-blown casino gambling, on land, with no loss limits.  This bill would remove one of the last safeguards and expose Missouri families to serious gambling problems.  The Post Dispatch continues:

The credit ban was also part of the original law. Under the bill, customers would have to qualify for a line of credit of at least $5,000. Bill proponents say that would weed out those with gambling addictions and others who couldn’t afford to go into debt to gamble. But critics say casinos entice people to wager more than they can afford.  “Any time you make it easier for people who have gambling problems to increase their debt, then you make the problem worse for them,” said Keith Spare of the Missouri Council on Problem Gambling Concerns.

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A Brief Look at Crime 04/30 – 5/06

Man accused of killing roommate with roofing stapler

After dramatic testimony, a Miami County judge found probable cause that Donald R. Pepper beat James R. Wolf to death with a roofing stapler April 13 at their West Milton home. Police testified during a preliminary hearing Thursday that they found bloodied clothes and the roof stapler in an attic in the residence at 1177 Debron Road. They also found a life insurance policy on Wolf — naming Pepper as beneficiary — under Pepper’s mattress. A West Milton police officer said that Pepper confessed to the crime, hoped to get the death penalty and that Pepper said things “got out of control” because of his gambling habit. The officer testified Pepper said things got “out of control” and that he had a “gambling habit.” The officer also testified that Pepper said he used a roofing stapler to hit Wolf while wearing gloves because it would be “messy.”

Pigeon racing a multimillion, illegal enterprise

Pigeon racing, long considered a harmless hobby, fosters $15 million a year in illegal gambling nationwide and kills thousands of birds, an animal rights group charged after a 15-month investigation. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will on Monday present to 17 law enforcement agencies — including the FBI and NYPD — hundreds of pages of evidence of what its lawyers say are illegalities in pigeon racing. The group, which has detailed video and audio recordings from its undercover probe, asserts that only 40% of pigeons that are raced survive the ordeal. PETA probed pigeon racing in multiple states and attended races in Oklahoma and Phoenix that were organized by the American Racing Pigeon Union, a national umbrella group that declined comment for this story. “There was just constant gambling going on,” an investigator said, asking — like all PETA’s probers did — to remain anonymous because undercover work continues. “It’s pretty flagrant.”

Poker defendant pleads guilty

One of two men nearing trial in a case that shut down U.S. operations for three Internet poker companies has pleaded guilty to charges in U.S. District Court. Chad Elie pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud and operating an illegal gambling business on Monday. He faces between six months to a year in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3. The plea came as the money processor was scheduled to go to trial on April 9, along with former bank executive John Campos.  On Tuesday, Campos reached a deal to plead to a single misdemeanor charge, Forbes magazine reported on its website, citing three sources familiar with the situation. Both men had had asserted their innocence.  Elie and Campos were the only men headed to trial after others among eleven people charged in the Internet gambling case reached plea agreements or remained fugitives. Prosecutors have sought $3 billion in money laundering penalties and forfeiture after targeting three companies based overseas: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. Full Tilt defended its executives.

68 arrested in cockfighting operation

Sixty-eight people were arrested and $20,000 was seized over the weekend when members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Rural Crimes Task Force broke up a cockfighting operation in Hesperia, officials said Monday. Daniel Urena of La Puente was identified as the event coordinator and owner of the property located in the 14000 block of Summit Valley Road. Investigators also seized a total of 63 fighting roosters from the property. Five of them were being held Monday at the Devore Animal Shelter, according to David Wert, spokesman for San Bernardino County. “Fourteen of the birds were deceased when we arrived at the property,” said Greg Becks, program manager with county Animal Care and Control. “The rest were euthanized. These birds are not able to be rehabilitated.” Authorities also recovered $20,000 in gambling money.

 Man jailed over decade-old fraud

A compulsive gambler has been sentenced for stealing more than $290,000 from WorkCover Queensland more than 10 years ago. Martin Bruce Stoddard, 40, pleaded guilty in the District Court in Brisbane on Thursday to dishonestly inducing Workcover Queensland to deliver money to a co-offender. Stoddard was working as a case manager for the government compensation body between April 2001 and January 2002 when the offence occurred. The court was told he arranged for the co-offender to be paid out for claims. His co-offender kept around $15,000 for himself as payment for funnelling the stolen money back to Stoddard. The court heard that the pair fleeced $294,189 from WorkCover through their scheme. Stoddard received at least $180,000.

Italian Mafia Bosses Indicted Over Illegal Gambling

In a recent indictment, two New York metro mafia bosses have been indicted under numerous charges related to illegal gambling and sports betting, racketeering, violence, collection of unlawful and usurious gambling debts, extortion, and other felonies. Capo di tutti capi (the boss of the bosses), as the Italian mobsters like to call their godfather, is not happy as his two henchmen face trial. As many know, those who dare to speak up against the mafia face punishment. In fact, one additional charge includes witness tampering. Many victims are unlikely to speak up during the trial, worried about having their legs cemented to a bathtub and being thrown off George Washington Bridge into Hudson River. After talking to a Brooklyn gangster, many witnesses lose memory. Some of the desperados, as rumors claim, have gotten themselves into trouble with mafia after being drunk, drugged, and finding themselves at mafia casinos in expectations of getting some subsidized crack and hookers while playing  rigged blackjack where it is not possible to win.

Ex-employee charged in theft of $525,000

Once a trusted staff member, the former business manager for Gesu Parish was criminally charged in U.S. District in Toledo on Wednesday for allegedly stealing more than $525,000 from the parish. Patricia Ann Stanz, 61, of Toledo was charged with one count each of counterfeit securities and fraudulent use of access device. She was employed as the parish business manager from August, 2007, to August, 2011. According to court documents, Ms. Stanz is accused of creating and signing 97 checks totaling about $295,000 that she then cashed from the Gesu Parish checking account. It is further alleged that she fraudulently used a credit card issued to Gesu Parish to obtain $230,757 in cash advances and purchases. Ms. Stanz allegedly used the money for gambling as well as other unauthorized personal expenses, Mr. Collins said. Being the church’s business manager, she would then write checks on the parish account to pay the bills.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Florida Chamber of Commerce to Oppose Casino Gambling Ballot Initiative

Casino Watch Focus reported that those behind the push for mega-resort casinos in Florida faced defeat in the Florida Legislature.  As a result, they have proposed the idea of gathering signatures and placing the issue on the ballot in 2014.  Casino Watch Focus also reported that the anti-gambling group No Casinos, was prepared to fight the initiative.  Now, an online source is reporting that the Florida Chamber is set to oppose the initiative as well:

The Florida Chamber of Commerce continues to gear up for the expected 2014 fight against casinos in Florida at the ballot box.

Mark Wilson, Chamber president, told the Sarasota Republican Club last week that the statewide business advocacy organization will continue to mount opposition to expansion of gambling in Florida, according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

“Where casinos have gone, they end up closing small businesses in that community,” Wilson was quoted by the Herald Tribune.

Florida Chamber Mark Wilson pointed out specific reasons why the Chamber was opposed to casinos and explained the tactics Florida voters can expect to see:

Florida Chamber of Commerce President Mark Wilson says if anything spills over the economy, it’ll be crime, corruption and, most of all, competition that could devastate Florida’s beaches and theme parks.

“The casinos have so much money that they’re playing the Florida voter for a fool, and they think that they’re going to come in with millions of dollars of TV ads and they’re going to make all kinds of promises. Look, the Florida legislature didn’t fall for it this year, and I don’t think the voters will, either.”

In referendums over the past 35 years, voters have done exactly that…With North Floridians like Lawrence Kaiser overpowering the pro-casino vote in South Florida and parts of the I-4 corridor. Supporters of a resort casino amendment face a big challenge in simply putting the issue on the 2014 ballot. They need to collect more than 675,000 signatures from registered voters, and they have just 21 months to do that.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A Brief Look at Crime 04/23 – 4/29

Ex-Miami cop to plead guilty to stealing from group of fellow black officers

Vernell Reynolds, a Miami native who grew up in one of the city’s poorest areas, was so well regarded as a cop that her fellow black officers elected her as president of their advocacy group in 2005. But five years later, senior members of the Miami Community Police Benevolent Association discovered lots of money missing from the group’s credit union accounts. They confronted Reynolds about thousands of dollars in “unauthorized” debit-card withdrawals, and she gave them “false” information to hide her alleged theft of the funds, according to federal court records. Reynolds had a serious gambling problem, stretching from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Broward County to another Indian gaming venue in California, a joint FBI-Miami police corruption probe found. Accused of embezzling more than $210,000 in fellow officers’ membership dues, Reynolds plans to admit “taking money from the [association’s] credit union accounts and using it for her own purposes,” according to the charges.

Cockfight shooting believed to be sloppy hit  

Frantic calls to emergency responders described a chaotic scene with people frightened, wounded and fleeing in all directions after masked gunmen opened fire on a Texas cockfight near the Mexico border.  Authorities believe the wild shooting that left three dead and eight wounded early Thursday was a sloppy hit on two brothers. Three people were charged with cockfighting and engaging in organized criminal activity Friday just before officials identified the victims, who all had criminal pasts. The brothers believed to be the target of the shooting were among those killed. The gunmen remained at large. The Leandros owned the small ranch. Heriberto Leandro built the corrugated metal pavilion that covered the bleachers and ring. He told investigators he had tried his hand at running the fights but didn’t make money at it so instead rented the facility to Blanco. All three were held on $1 million bonds, each charged with one count of cockfighting and one count of engaging in organized criminal activity. None spoke at the hearing or had an attorney present. Cockfights showcase battles between birds that have been fitted with sharp metal blades or curved spikes on their legs. Spectators gamble on which bird will be victorious in the sometimes hourlong fights that end when one or both of the birds are dead or maimed. The last state to ban cockfighting was Louisiana, in 2008.

Gambling feud’s shootings, stabbing spur crackdown in southwest Yonkers

A gang feud over a gambling debt has led to three shootings and a stabbing since Wednesday, prompting enhanced policing in the city’s southwest. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and police officials announced their plan Saturday at the intersection of Elm and Oak streets in response to four days of violence that they said is related to a dispute over a dice game between gangs on Riverdale Avenue and Cottage Place Gardens, a public housing complex off Warburton Avenue. The police response will include enhanced patrols and more anti-narcotics and anti-gang officers on streets into the early morning hours. Deputy Police Chief William Cave said since Wednesday his department has made one arrest and recovered two handguns.

Murder Details Discussed At Carrero Preliminary Hearing

Edwin Carrero II used a rug and other objects to cover a trap door over the basement where he hid the dead body of Alicia Schmidt before he stole her car, money and went on a gambling spree, he allegedly told police during an interrogation in February. Those and other details were recounted by police who testified at Carrero’s preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Edward C. Kropp Sr. in Lower Pottsgrove Township on Monday. Members of Schmidt’s and Carrero’s families sat on opposite sides of the courtroom and were teary-eyed during the hearing, which included graphic description of Schmidt’s death. Police say Carrero killed Schmidt, then headed to Florida. On the way, he used Schmidt’s father’s bank debit card nearly 30 times, stayed in hotels and went to casinos to gamble and play poker, police said.

Habitual gambler found dead at casino hotel

A habitual gambler, who reportedly lost money during more than 100 visits to a local casino over the past year, was found dead of an apparent suicide at the casino compound, east of Seoul, police said Wednesday.  The 50-year-old man, identified only by his surname of Seo, was found by a maid in a hotel room at Kangwon Land on Tuesday, the police said, and was believed to have hanged himself using electric cords. Kangwon Land, in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, 214 kilometers from Seoul, is the nation’s only casino open to both locals and foreigners. “It has been confirmed that Seo visited the casino 107 times over the past year,” a police officer said, adding that the deceased, a resident of Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, left a note that reads “(I) hate Kangwon Land.” The police suspect Seo took his own life because of stress over his gambling losses, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of his death.

 N.J. can investigate whether defendants in Lucchese crime family case laundered money for legal costs

The state can investigate possible money laundering by more than 20 defendants to pay for legal services after they were indicted on allegations they participated in a $2.2 billion international gambling ring operated by the Lucchese crime family, a Superior Court judge has ruled. Judge Pedro Jimenez, sitting in Trenton, ruled Friday that the state Attorney General’s Office may issue subpoenas to obtain information about defendants’ payments to private attorneys and other transactions because it may provide evidence “relevant” to additional offenses such as money laundering, conspiracy and “other potential crimes.”

The evidence could be presented to a state grand jury in Trenton for a new round of indictments. “We believe they were making very large sums of money off illegal gambling enterprises, and the question is what they did with it,” Aseltine said.  “We are tracing the criminal proceeds to see if they are engaging in money laundering or some other crimes,” he added, pointing out that the attorney general is interested in other expenditures by the defendants, in addition to attorneys’ fees.

US Woman Jailed for Leaving Kids at Home to Play Bingo

Whilst we know that bingo is a fun game, it is there to be enjoyed in a responsible manner. Problem gambling has increased over recent years as online gambling has prevailed, but putting children at risk to go out and gamble brings a new meaning to the concept of irresponsible gambling. Claudia Leon-Vazquez, 29, was sentenced to six months in jailing on Tuesday after pleading guilty to leaving her four young children home alone while she went for a game of bingo. Police claimed the four children – aged, 2, 3, 6 and 7 – were left in an apartment on 21st March. The children were discovered by the Police during a welfare check and they were found alone, dirty and had bites and scratches on them. The 7-year-old girl told detectives that their mother was playing bingo.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Florida Mega Resort Casinos to Appear on 2014 Ballot – Voters Beware

Casino Watch Focus reported that the legislation being pushed by the Genting Group and others to legalize mega-resort casinos died in the legislature during this years session. The leadership in Florida was strong and outspoken against expanded gambling.  They were representative of their constituents as well as a voice of economic and social reason.  Now, The Miami Herald is reporting that the casinos will attempt to go circumvent the legislature and go directly before Florida voters:

After failing to persuade the Florida Legislature to pass a bill to open South Florida to mega resort casinos, gambling interests have taken the first steps to bring the issue directly to voters in 2014.

A political committee under the name of “New Jobs and Revenues for Florida” was created April 10 with the purpose of promoting a “statewide constitutional initiative re gaming.

The only group so far that has expressed an interest in conducting a petition drive to bypass lawmakers and go directly to voters is the Genting Group, the Malaysian-based conglomerate that has kept a low profile since a House committee knocked its chances off the legislative agenda in mid-session.

The petition process will take some time and Florida residents can have a big impact in stopping the measure before it gets off the ground.  The group behind this initiative petition will need to gather a significant amount of votes.  The Miami Herald explains:

The petition process requires that the organization get petitions signed by eight percent of the voters in the last presidential election to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot. The proposal must then be approved by 60 percent of the voters.

That’s a heavy lift, especially since statewide polls showed that while support was high for the casino measure in South Florida, there was less than 60 percent support in every other region of the state. Meanwhile, voters have blocked attempts to authorize casino gambling three other times when casino initiatives were on the ballot in 1978, 1986 and in 1994.

The pari-mutuel industry won approval to bring slot machines to eight race tracks, dog tracks and jai alai frontons only after telling voters the new gambling venues would be limited to Miami Dade and Broward.

This is a critical time for people to step up and make their voices heard.  Missouri knows all too well that the casino industry will spend millions of dollars to orchestrate a deceptive and slick campaign offering false promises in exchange for expanded gambling. Once the public is deceived, they will back peddle on their promises, and instead deliver heart-ache and torment to vulnerable Florida families.  However, The Miami Harold points to a group that is steadfast in its opposition:

No Casinos, the anti-gambling group backed by Disney and Miami auto magnate Norman Braman, is ready to oppose the initiative campaign, said John Sowinski, director of the group.

“Our sense is that legislators weren’t fooled by the slick sales pitch and Florida voters won’t be fooled by it either,’’ he said. “If Genting, or whoever this committee is, filed an amendment to expanding gambling in Florida, we will put together a committee to oppose it and our sense is it will be a similar outcome.”     

Please join No Casinos in your opposition to expanded gambling and help end this petition before the industry has an opportunity to deceive the people.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A Brief Look at Crime 04/16 – 4/22

Texas Cockfight Murder: 3 Shot To Death At La Blanca Ranch, Sheriff Says

Masked gunmen opened fire during an illegal cockfight at a Texas ranch near the border with Mexico early Thursday, leaving three people dead and eight wounded, authorities said. People attending the cockfight ran into the brush when shots rang out shortly after midnight at the rural property near La Blanca, about 15 miles northeast of McAllen. Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said officers are hunting for the gunmen.  Detectives and crime scene technicians picked over the site. The ground was littered with beer cans and cups near the low corrugated metal pavilion with wooden bleachers where the cockfights took place. Cockfights showcase battles between birds that have been fitted with sharp metal blades or curved spikes on their legs. Spectators gamble on which bird will be victorious in the sometimes hour-long fights that end when one or both of the birds are dead or maimed. The last state to ban cockfighting was Louisiana, in 1998.

 Father mowed down and killed on Christmas Eve by gambling addict

A gambling addict who mowed down and killed a father-of-three while racing to a casino has been jailed for more than three years. Peter Chen’s car struck pedestrian Ray Tutton with such force that he was tossed through the air like a ‘bin bag’ and landed more than 30metres away. Chen, 40, had been doing up to 60mph in a 30mph zone and was rushing back to a casino, having had to return home to get more money during a night of gambling. Mr Tutton, 46, and his wife Liz, 47, were walking home from a night out at a pub in Poole, Dorset, when the collision happened in the early hours of Christmas Eve last year.

Man who bankrupted Seattle children’s charity faces prison

The former treasurer of a children’s charity who raided the fund to supplement his already ample earnings could face nearly three years in federal prison. Set to be sentenced Monday morning in U.S. District Court, Randall Morrison, 50, admitted to stealing $142,000 from the Ronald McDonald House Holiday Cruise fund. Morrison served as treasurer of the charity, which paid for holiday events for children and families receiving services through Ronald McDonald House; he was not affiliated with the larger charity, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska. Morrison’s thefts left the smaller holiday charity crippled and largely unable to continue its mission. “The heartlessness of his acts is indescribable,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Masada told the court. Morrison claims he was driven to steal due to gambling debts he’d accrued while struggling to cope with his wife’s health problems.

 Kan. woman pleads to $470K theft from employer

Prosecutors plan to seek prison time for a Topeka woman who pleaded no contest to stealing more than $470,000 from her former employer. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 53-year-old Diane Brandenburg is scheduled for sentencing July 6 in Shawnee County District Court. Her lawyer plans to ask for probation. Brandenburg pleaded no contest Monday to three felony counts stemming from her thefts from a North Topeka sheet metal company where she worked as the business manager. Several other counts were dropped, but both sides agreed that Brandenburg will pay $470,000 in restitution. Prosecutors said that from early 2008 to mid-April 2009, Brandenburg wrote hundreds of company checks to herself but entered them in a computer as payments to vendors. She used the money for gambling.

Former head of police sergeants group pleads guilty to looting $1 million

A former head of the Chicago police sergeants’ union pleaded guilty today to looting more than $1 million in union dues to pay for steak dinners, gambling trips to Las Vegas and a second residence in the city’s Sauganash neighborhood.  John Pallohusky, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of theft, a Class 1 felony punishable by anywhere from probation to 15 years in prison, according to Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.  Pallohusky entered his plea “blind,” meaning there is no agreement with prosecutors on his sentence, Simonton said.  Criminal Courts Judge Diane Cannon is scheduled to sentence him on June 1. Pallohusky, who was a 21-year veteran of the force at the time of his 2009 arrest, was accused of writing checks from the Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association to himself and depositing them into his personal accounts. He was also accused of using association credit cards for personal use.

 Hospitality worker admits embezzlement

A former employee of the South Carolina Hospitality Association has admitted she embezzled nearly $500,000 from the group whose director killed himself earlier this year, according to federal court documents. Under a plea agreement with prosecutors signed last month, Rachel Duncan plans to plead guilty next week to federal charges of wire fraud and tax evasion. She faces up to 23 years in prison and $350,000 in fines when she is sentenced. According to prosecutors, the association’s former accounting director took more than $480,000 from the group from 2006 until February of this year, using much of the money for online gambling.

 Newark man charged with stealing $165K by copying checks from Harrah’s casino

Newark man has been indicted on charges he stole $165,000 from Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City by making copies of checks and cashing them as well as the originals, the state Attorney General’s Office said today. Terry Dilligard II, 35, allegedly used a color copier or computer scanner to print duplicates of nine checks he received at the casino when he redeemed casino chips, the office said in a news release. The 10-count indictment, handed up Tuesday in Superior Court in Mercer County, charges Dilligard with theft by deception and forgery, the release said. If convicted of the most serious charges, Dilligard faces a maximum 10 years in state prison.

 VFW post’s ex-treasurer pleads not guilty to stealing $300,000 from group

The former treasurer of a Massachusetts Veterans of Foreign Wars post has been released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to stealing more than $300,000 from the organization. George Robertson was arraigned Wednesday in Middlesex Superior Court on charges of larceny and false use of the name of a benevolent organization. Prosecutors say the 65-year-old Robertson stole the money from Lynn Post 507 for his personal use, including gambling. Authorities say the Vietnam-era Navy veteran began to steal from the VFW in November 2010 after the group was forced to sell its headquarters because of financial trouble.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A Brief Look at Crime 04/09 – 4/15

Suspect arrested after mutilated body found inside Mississippi casino, authorities say

Mississippi authorities responded early Thursday morning to the Hollywood Casino in Tunica and found an irate white male and mutilated body of a white female inside a hotel room, authorities said. Security at the casino called the Tunica County Sheriff’s Office at 5:52 a.m. reporting screams from a hotel room and when police arrived they were met by a combative man, Bettye Hale, the executive assistant to the sheriff, told FoxNews.com. The suspect, from Collierville, Tenn., was promptly tasered and rushed to nearby Baptist DeSoto Hospital, Hale said. Authorities have not released the names of the victim or the suspect because the families have yet to be informed of the incident. Hale said the couple may have had a history of domestic violence.

 Lawyer in hot water over paralegal’s theft

A Hamilton, Ont., lawyer who worked with former paralegal Shellee Spinks is facing sanction after a Law Society of Upper Canada hearing panel found him guilty of professional misconduct stemming from Spinks’ theft of $893,000 from his trust account. Michael Puskas, according to facts admitted at a hearing on March 30, provided Spinks with pass code information connected to his Teraview account, administrative access, and unsupervised use of an old trust account used for mortgage transactions at his Hamilton law firm between 2002 and 2008. Spinks then used Puskas’ pass code and letterhead and forged his signature to transfer money from the old trust account to her personal bank account to feed an extensive gambling habit without the lawyer’s knowledge.

 Georgia police arrest 18 in illegal gambling raids

Law officers seized more than $100,000 in cash and assets and arrested 18 during illegal gambling raids in Clayton County, Ga. Local authorities said Wednesday that a six-week investigation was launched after they received numerous complaints from businesses concerned about suspicious traffic around eight stores. An undercover officer said calls also were received from relatives saying that loved ones spent money on gambling machines, which are illegal in Georgia. The businesses being investigated had back rooms with gambling machines that would produce vouchers that players could redeem for cash and other items, officials claimed Wednesday.

 Accountant Steals Money to Fund Online Gambling Habit

A British accountant, responsible for keeping the books for a south English town council, has been exposed stealing well over 300,000 GBP ($500,000) from the taxpayers as the latest casino gambling news report. The man has carried out 17 fraudulent transactions to fund his voracious online blackjack playing. The gambler started small, first by stealing in the neighborhood of 2,000 GBP. Soon after his losing black jack strategies led to bigger fraud. At one time, the bookkeeper withdrew as much as 55,000 GBP ($85,000) in a single transaction.

 17 charged in gambling raid on Gunbarrel Road, one man shot

Several well-known Chattanoogans were cited with illegal gambling Thursday night and one man was shot after a raid on Gunbarrel Road, police say. Four suspects were arrested on gambling and drug-related charges, while 13 others were given citations for illegal gambling and released, said Chattanooga police spokesman Officer Nathan Hartwig. The raid took place about 10 p.m. Thursday at ATC Healthcare at 1618 Gunbarrel Road, he said. When the officers entered the building, 32 year-old Clifford Billups ran out the back door and pointed a handgun at the officers, Hartwig said. One of the officers shot Billups, who was taken to Erlanger hospital for a minor injury, he said. Officers conducted a search of the building and vehicles and found gambling paraphernalia, marijuana and pills, Hartwig said. About $26,000 also was seized, he said.

Fraudster must pay $750,000 in compo

A South Coast mother who ripped off more than $1.1 million from her employer has been ordered to pay compensation to her victims. Diane Felkin was sentenced last month to a minimum 2 years’ jail for the fraud, which she claimed was committed to feed her son’s crippling gambling addiction. Yesterday, Judge Paul Conlon formally directed the 61-year-old pay $750,000 compensation to her former employers – the maximum amount available under the court’s jurisdiction. Making the order, Judge Conlon noted Felkin still owed the one-time owners of Batemans Bay Motors around $915,000, despite already repaying them $200,000.

 Employee’s gambling to blame for missing money and suicide

A handwritten letter penned by a prominent hospitality executive before he killed himself blames his organization’s former accountant for transferring the group’s money through her personal checking account to offshore accounts to pay for online gambling. The letter is the last known communication from Sponseller, who was found dead Feb. 28 in a storage room off the underground parking garage of the Lady Street office building where he worked. He had been reported missing 10 days earlier by his family. A handwriting analysis conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division confirmed Sponseller wrote the letter, said Richland County Coroner Gary Watts, who investigated the cause of death.

The letter sheds more light onto a secret federal investigation tied to the association’s missing money, the woman accused of taking it and her relationship with her boss. It is Sponseller’s version of the story, and it accuses Duncan of abusing his trust to spend association money on online casino games that gambling experts say are illegal, addictive and impossible to win. The S.C. Hospitality Association, a trade group that represents the state’s hotels and restaurants, has reported that an audit of its financial records found $480,000 missing between 2009 and 2012. Sponseller was the group’s executive director and lobbyist.

The letter, which was not addressed to anyone, never states any intention of committing suicide, but it makes it clear that Sponseller regarded Duncan’s revelations as a crushing disappointment. “After working so hard to build the association over the past 21½ years, I am ashamed that I let this happen on my watch,” Sponseller wrote.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Zynga to face legal challenges if they leave Facebook and pursue online gambling

Casino Watch Focus reported that online social media giant Facebook was looking into online gambling.  Their partnerships with other developers like Zynga has provided an infrastructure for dealing with payments that could translate to real money gambling.  Casino Watch Focus then reported that developer Zynga was seriously considering entering the online gambling arena as well given they have a similar infrastructure and already offer free versions of gambling games like Poker.  Now, a online legal source is reporting that such a move will be met with serious legal hurdles:

Zynga Inc. is thinking about making a big bet on gambling, a step that analysts say could help end its dependence on Facebook Inc. It certainly won’t end its dependence on legal counsel. The technology may be simple, but lawyers say the company probably isn’t prepared for the intricate maze of regulations it will have to navigate to cash in on the action. Add to that the exhaustive financial and background checks Zynga executives and some shareholders might have to endure, and the company’s legal department is facing a huge undertaking.

I think they may be underestimating the difficulties they are going to face,” said Whittier Law School professor I. Nelson Rose, an expert on gambling law. “I know even European gaming operators are always surprised when they find out how invasive the U.S. regulators are in trying to find out everything.”

And if and when Zynga does start offering online gambling, dealing with compliance related to issues such as money laundering will have to become a top priority for its legal department, and that will likely mean hiring more in-house counsel. Many regulated gaming companies have substantial internal legal departments, Dayanim said. But whatever route Zynga decides to take, it will be new territory for all involved. “We haven’t seen a situation anywhere where a social gaming company has moved into the gambling space,” Dayanim said. “I can’t think of any company that has done it.”

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A Brief Look at Crime 04/02 – 4/08

Murder/suicide came after man lost $200,000 at casinos

The 55-year-old man who is believed to have murdered his 50-year-old partner before turning a knife on himself, lost nearly $200,000 in a little more than a day before their bodies were discovered by police in a Richmond, B.C. hotel room more than a year ago. A coroner’s report obtained by The Richmond Review sheds new light on what factors may have precipitated the murder/suicide at the Hampton Inn on Jan. 8, 2011. The report details the investigation into the deaths of Chin Yao Hu and his female companion, Miao Zhen Chen, with whom he frequently gambled at local casinos. According to the report, Hu borrowed $200,000 from a famly member on the afternoon of Jan. 6, promising to repay the money in two days and letting the family member know he was planning to gamble. “That same family member received a call from Mr. Hu around midnight on the 7th of January, advising that he had lost approximately $100,000 of the money he had borrowed,” the report said.

 Gambling addiction leads to 72 fraud charges

A woman who stole more than $200,000 from her employer did it to feed a gambling addiction, police allege. From February 2009 to May 2010, Wendy Colleen James, of Gavin Way, Lake Haven stole a total of $215,042.60 from her employer – Marlborough Medical Service Pty, which trades as Good Health Green Hills.  James, 54, pleaded guilty to 72 charges of obtaining money by deception while working as practice manager for the Maitland doctor surgery. The theft was uncovered by an accountant who was hired by the company director to examine its accounts. During interviews with the investigating officer James admitted guilt and showed remorse for her actions.

‘Hanged suspect had gambling addiction’

THE 50-year old man who killed himself last Tuesday as police were close to arresting him on suspicion of carrying out two armed robberies reportedly left a suicide note to his father confessing his gambling addiction, it emerged yesterday. According to yesterday’s Politis, the man left a note before hanging himself, calling on his father to look after his children. The 50-year-old reportedly told his father that due to his gambling addiction, he had amassed huge debts that he could not pay off. The man is believed to have carried out two armed bank robberies in Nicosia, one at gunpoint, the other with a knife — on December 2 and January 29 – getting away with some €10,500.  He wore sunglasses and a leather jacket during the robberies, making no other effort to cover his face. 

 Local priest sentenced to prison time

A local priest has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a parishioner. The victim put him on a pedestal as high as the ceiling.  But he didn’t deserve to be there.  Michael Angeloni is accused of stealing more than $300,000 from a parishioner and from collection plates. The state argued the punishment must fit the crime-a massive betrayal of community trust.  And that’s why Superior Court Judge Diane Streett sentenced Angeloni to 10 years behind bars, suspended after one year.  Angeloni admits he has a severe gambling addiction and has lost almost everything because of it.  The money he stole from his 86-year-old victim was meant to save his home from a sheriff’s sale, but instead was wasted, gambling at Delaware Park.  

 Former York Symphony Orchestra employee pleads guilty to stealing $200,000

The York Symphony Orchestra’s former office manager pleaded guilty this morning to stealing more than $200,000 from the organization to support her gambling addiction. Phyllis Ann Shoff, 55, pleaded guilty to charges of theft by deception and access-device fraud.  With an audit of the orchestra’s funds under way, York City Police charged Shoff in August with taking roughly $58,000 during a four-year period. Police filed additional charges Dec. 6, citing another almost $150,000 that was taken and stating that the thefts began in 2004. In an interview with Follmer on Aug. 11,  Shoff “admitted that she had stolen money belonging to the YSO, saying only that she had a gambling problem and she didn’t realize the extent of her problem,” according to charging documents.

 Bookmaker Pleads Guilty To Money Laundering

A man accused of running a large-scale, illegal sports betting operation pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in New Haven Monday to one count of money laundering. Federal prosecutors said that, between 2006 and 2009, Paul J. Graziano, 45, of Burlington, ran an extensive illegal gambling business in which other bookmakers, with their own networks of customers, reported to him. Investigators, who are withholding many details of the operation, said Graziano used two Internet betting websites in his operation and paid commissions to bookmakers who worked for him, to cover their losses or to reward them for finding new customers. Between 2006 and 2009, federal authorities said Graziano was responsible for the deposit of 26 checks worth more than $500,000 into accounts he controlled. The money represented payments for gambling losses, prosecutors said.

 Credit union employee stole $250,000

30-year-old Central City woman is suspected of stealing more than $250,000 from a Black Hawk credit union.  Autumn Rene Guillot, who worked for the  Credit Union of the Rockies,   allegedly stole the money a little at a time by taking cash from a vault and altering ledgers, according to a Gilpin  County District Attorney’s Office media release. Guillot was one of two employees at the small branch office. Bank officials became suspicious in November 2011 when an unannounced spot audit uncovered discrepancies in the ledger. Guillot was a regular gambler at Gilpin County casinos, according to an  arrest affidavit, and she lost big —  $73,000 —  in 2011.

 Former Chief Financial Officer of Irvine Technical Firm Arrested Upon Entering the U.S. for Embezzling $16 Million from Employer

A former chief finanancial officer for an Irvine-based company was ordered to be returned to California after being arrested for embezzling approximately $16 million from his employer, announced Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office; and André Birotte, Jr, the United States Attorney in Los Angeles. The complaint further alleges that Ibrahim telephonically contacted company executives after the fraud was discovered. At that time, Ibrahim acknowledged that he made the unauthorized transfers and that the money was spent on gambling and personal expenses. Ibrahim advised that he was prepared to return a portion of the money if company executives did not report him to law enforcement and did not sue him for the money.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

NCAA March Madness tops Super Bowl in gambling

Casino Watch Focus reported that the Super Bowl is know as the largest gambling sports event pointing to over $8 billion in gambling each year since 2007.  This year the estimate gambling amount grew to over $10 billion.  Casino Watch Focus also reported that NCAA March Madness would result in billions of dollars lost in gambling and work place productiveity as millions of people followed the Tournament from 68 teams to the eventual final Champion Kentucky Wildcats.  Apparently, the gambling on the NCAA Championship tournament has now passed the Super Bowl as the number one sports gambling sporting event.  The USA Today explains:

March Madness is beating out Super Bowl as the biggest sports betting bonanza of the year, according to sports gambling experts in Las Vegas. Super Bowl traditionally ranks as the No. 1 event for sports bettors. But bracket betting fever continues to grow. March Madness is now No. 1, says Jay Kornegay, manager of the LVH Race and Sports Superbook in Sin City.

Nevada doesn’t break out NCAA basketball betting vs. NBA betting. But the state’s legalized sports books typically see a $100 million jump in total basketball betting every March, Streshley says. In 2011, gamblers wagered $256.6 million on college/pro basketball in March vs. $114.3 million in February. With the Big Dance wrapped over by early April, the basketball handle for that month then dropped back to $78.2 million.

Of course, the money bet legally on March Madness is peanuts to the amount wagered illegally through offshore sports books, street corner bookies and office bracket pools. Over $12 billion total will be on 2012 March Madness compared to $10 billion for the 2012 Super Bowl, estimates RJ Bell of Pregame.com.

If you know someone who has become snared in the sports gambling net, please utilize one of any gambling addition resources.  A recent Casino Watch Focus article points to a new online site to help combat NCAA gambling.  Check it out at www.CollegeGambling.org.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A Brief Look at Crime 03/36 – 4/1

Police arrest suspect in killing of 5 in San Francisco home

Police say they have a suspect in custody in the brutal murders of five people found dead in a San Francisco home Friday, KTVU reports. 35-year-old San Francisco resident Binh Thai Luc was arrested and charged with five counts of murder, Police Chief Greg Suhr announced in a press conference Sunday. The five victims, who have not yet been identified by police, were found in various places in the home in what police described as a “very bloody” crime scene that was one of the worst they have ever seen. Suhr said Luc has a criminal record and is believed to have known the victims, though he declined to reveal other details of Luc’s arrest. He said they are also looking into Luc’s possible gang ties, but the murders are not believed to be gang related. Police had previously stated the murders may have been money or gambling related, though they had first suspected murder-suicide.

 Wife convicted of murdering journalist in Vietnam

A court in Vietnam has sentenced a woman to life in prison for killing her journalist husband by setting him on fire as he slept. A court official said Tran Thi Thuy Lieu was convicted of murder in a one-day trial Thursday in southern Long An province. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media. Newspaper reporter Le Hoang Hung died last January. Suspicion initially fell on people Hung may have targeted in his aggressive investigative reporting. State media reported after the arrest that Lieu had lost money from gambling and her husband refused to sell their house.

 $500,000 stolen from elderly to feed gambling addiction

A prosecutor said he has a box packed with evidence that goes a long way toward incriminating a theft defendant. The documentary evidence, rather than testimony from purported victims, is expected to be the major component in the case against Jennifer Dennison, 43, who was arrested a year ago based on allegations that she stole more than $500,000 from her retired in-laws and lost it all gambling. Dennison’s father-in-law succumbed to cancer last year, and her mother-in-law suffers from advanced dementia. The defense was granted a continuance so Dennison’s attorney could review all of the documents that, according to reports, expose the defendant’s penchant for taking her family’s money and using it to satisfy her gambling addiction. Hernando County sheriff’s detectives said Dennison — during a 21/2-year span that ended in December 2010 — gambled more than $14 million on slot machines at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa.

 Playing slots while your kids wait in the car is not a winning bet  

The allure of the spinning wheel was apparently too much for one Kansas City, Kansas, mother to resist. KCTV Channel 5 reports that Katrina Denise Roades, 31, is accused of leaving her three children — ages 9, 8 and 6 months — in the car while she played slots for about an hour and a half in the Argosy Casino March 3.  A casino security guard allegedly found one of Roades’ children wandering the parking lot. The child then took the casino employee to the car where the other children were found. Roades was then tracked down in the casino (or returned to the car of her own volition, according to other reports).

Roades is believed to have signed up for the “Disassociated Persons List” kept by the Missouri Gaming Commission that consists of “persons who have voluntarily declared that they desire to self-exclude from ALL licensed casinos in the State of Missouri because they are problem gamblers. Entering one’s name on the list has some very real consequences. If you’re discovered in a casino, you’re supposed to be ejected immediately and charged with criminal trespassing. And the chips, tokens or electronic credits you’ve won are forfeited back to the casino. Those penalties are designed to help change the behavior of compulsive gamblers.

 Mom was gambling, left 4-year-old son home alone when house fire broke out

MINNEAPOLIS— Hennepin County authorities say a Minneapolis mother was at a casino when a fire broke out in her home where her 4-year-old son was staying alone. A Minneapolis Star Tribune report says 44-year-old Yeng Moua was charged this week with child endangerment. Prosecutors say Moua left home at midnight in January, leaving four kids ages 4 through 11 at home. The three oldest went to school the next day. Later that day a neighbor heard fire alarms blaring from the home. He knocked on the door and found the boy, sooty and crying. He took the boy home, cleaned him up and called 911. Moua told investigators the boy has a tendency to start fires. She acknowledged she knew he’d be alone when the other kids went to school.

Woman gets 20 years in prison for stealing from Hospice of Missoula

A tearful Sandra Lea Morrison told a judge Tuesday the gambling habit that led her to embezzle more than $171,000 from Hospice of Missoula has cost her “my job, my marriage, my dignity and my family.” Now it’s cost Morrison her freedom. Missoula County District Court Judge Karen Townsend sentenced Morrison, 43, to 20 years in the Montana Women’s Prison, with all but 2 1/2 years suspended. “It takes into account the significant amount of money stolen,” Townsend said in pronouncing sentence. “A certain amount of punishment is appropriate” because of that amount, and because of how long Morrison stole money from her employer. Townsend also ordered Morrison to repay the $171,579 she embezzled from Hospice of Missoula during the four years she worked there as a bookkeeper and office manager.

SportingBet Settles $33 Million Fine With US Justice Department

UK online gaming firm SportingBet had operated in the US between 1998 and 2006, but then pulled out of its online betting market after president George Bush introduced the UIGEA. In September 2010 the company then admitted attempting to disguise payment to US players and subsequently agreed to pay the DoJ an amount equivalent to that earned from SportingBet’s US customers over the eight year period, which was set at $33 million.

Formal colonel sentenced for stealing from vets

Ret. Col. James Burnes stood before a judge taking responsibility for his crimes, saying that he’s ashamed of his actions and the reasons behind it. “About nine years ago I became a compulsive gambler this disease consumed me each day more and more until all I thought about was gambling,” Burnes said. Burnes admitted to taking more than $2 million over the course of four years while he was a resource manager with the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.  “What makes the defendant’s actions appalling is the fact that the money embezzled from the Arizona Emergency relief fund were for the benefit of Arizona National Guard soldiers and airmen needing financial assistance,” said Capt. Valentine Castillo, from the Arizona National Guard. The theft drained the program to the point it had to shut down for six months. His co-workers and colleagues asked the judge to hand down the harshest jail sentence possible. His family asked for leniency for a man they say was consumed by an addiction he is now getting help for.

Accomplice get 12 years for role in quadruple killing at Paterson gambling club

A man involved in a 2005 quadruple homicide at an after-hours Paterson gambling club has been sentenced to 12 years in state prison. But 35-year-old Hamid Shabazz of Passaic won’t start serving the term imposed Wednesday until he completes the remaining 12 years an 18-year sentence he’s now serving for an unrelated armed robbery and drug offense. Shabazz admitted entering the club with a ski mask on and with a gun, but said he didn’t expect his co-defendant, David Baylor, to start shooting. The four club patrons were all shot in the head at point-blank range. Baylor was sentenced in 2008 to four consecutive life terms, without the possibility of parole.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot Odds Not Worth Chasing

Casino Watch Focus has consistently educated the public on the risks of gambling.  Each year the number of those trapped in gambling’s web increases and the amount of money gambled continues to climb.  One online source points to out that Global Betting and Gaming Consultants resent finding’s show that world wide gambling reached $419 billion in 2011.  Even though most people probably think of casinos, the lottery actually accounts for the most gambling at 28%.  Lotteries popularity always climbs as the jackpots increase.  One of the largest multi-state lotteries, Mega Millions, has an estimated jackpot of $540 million.  These large jackpots create a frenzy of gamblers, some of whom have terrible gambling addictions and some who just play on these types of occasions.  But how good are your odds at winning?  The USA Today points out, the odds are definitely not worth the chase:

Social media users were buzzing about the jackpot on Facebook and Twitter, mostly about what they would do with the money, but also about the tiny possibility of winning the top prize. The odds? About 1 in 176 million.

“I’m reading an article about what to do after you hit the mega millions jackpot. Next article, how to housebreak your unicorn,” says @scottbhuff on Twitter. Some posters link to a someecards.com poster that shows a man consoling a woman, and include this phrase: “Plenty of people don’t win the lottery the first few thousand times they play.”

To put your chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot into perspective, you are:

About 176 times more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime.

About 3.76 times more likely to be killed by fireworks this year.

Almost 9 times more likely to die from a TV falling on your head this year.

Considering the article goes on to explain that people are spending $50 to $100 at time, its easy to see how people will use large jackpots as a time to loose control and spend beyond their means chasing the impossible.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A Brief Look at Crime 03/19 – 03/25

Tucson robbery, police chase ends in deadly crash

Two men suspected of following a group of women and robbing them in their home are dead after a chase lead to a car crash in the early morning hours on Tuesday, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Four men approached a group of women late Monday night at Casino del Sol in Tucson. The women left the casino shortly after the encounter because they felt uncomfortable, according to the Sheriff’s Department. When the women arrived home, they realized were followed by the four men in a white Jeep Cherokee. The women were able to get inside of the garage of the house. However, the four men were able to crawl under the garage door, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Filipino Counter-Strike Gambling Leaves One Dead

Police in the Filipino capitol of Manila have arrested a suspect they believe murdered a man following an argument over a game of Counter-Strike. The two men, along with a group of others, were playing the popular Valve shooter in one of the city’s many internet cafes. A 300 peso (roughly $7 USD) bet was placed on the outcome of the match, but when it came time to pay up the losing team began arguing the result. The alleged murderer then followed Eric Cristobal back to his home, where police say Cristobal was stabbed to death. “He [Cristobal] did not start the quarrel. He just got caught up in it. But they all had long been betting on Counter-Strike,” said police investigator Noel Ibanez, following the unnamed assailant’s arrest. There’s no punchline here, boys and girls. A man is dead over a petty dispute and an even more petty amount of money. Sometimes the world is a swirling ball of terrible.

 Pinnacle faces penalty for falling short on riverfront investments  

 

In 2004, Pinnacle Entertainment made a deal with the city to invest $50 million in revitalizing the riverfront area within five years of opening its $507 million Lumière Place casino. A year later, Pinnacle promised a $25 million condo tower on Laclede’s Landing. In 2006, the company announced plans to build stores and additional condos as part of a second phase of Lumière Place, which opened in December 2007.  But the recession hit — and the projects were canceled. Pinnacle now faces a December deadline. Its only investment outside of its casino complex: the $9.8 million Stamping Lofts project. And even though it is getting full credit for the project, its financial investment was just $2 million. If the company does not make, or get credit for, the remaining $37.6 million in real estate investments by the end of the year, the redevelopment agreement requires Pinnacle to pay a $1 million penalty, called an “additional city services fee,” in January 2013.

 

Online Gambling Addict Jailed for £230k Theft

An accounts clerk that stole £236,000 from her employer to fund her online gambling addiction has been sentenced to nearly four years in jail for her fraudulent actions. Kay Fearnley, 55, was jailed for three years and nine months having admitted to stealing the money from Leeds-based Brahm PR. The Crown Court in Leeds was told how offences were committed over a six year period and were not uncovered until she was made redundant from the company. Defending Fearnley, Graham Parkin, claimed: “She was shocked when the total sum was put to her in interview. “She could not believe the total amount. As often happens, she took the first payment with a then addiction to gambling. “She always believed she could win enough money to put the money back.”

Judge jails IT analyst who defrauded employers of $1.5M 

An information technology analyst who defrauded his employer of more than $1.5 million by buying and then reselling computer equipment to support his gambling addiction has been sentenced to three years and eight months in prison. Marc J. Morrissette, 43, was working with Golder Associates, a ground engineering and environmental service company, when he used an internal ordering system to purchase $1,516,156 worth of computer equipment from Dell, Insight and the company’s own internal supply kept at their Calgary headquarters over a three-year period from 2006 to 2009. One man said he bought 40 to 60 Panasonic laptop computers from Morrissette. Morrissette was fired from that job and seven months later became the IT manager at the Westin Hotel.

 Kids Left in Car While Mom Gambled, Police Say

Kansas City, Kan. mother faces charges of child endangerment after police say she left her children alone while she was gambling inside a casino. Police say Katrina Denise Roades, 31, left her three children, ages 9, 8 and six months old outside in the parking lot on March 3, while she went to play slots at the Argosy Casino. A security officer found one of the older girls wandering in the parking lot. The girl told the officer her mom’s name and led the officer to the family’s car. That’s when the officer found the other daughter and the infant. Police believe Roades was inside the casino for about an hour and a half from 4:00 p.m. until 6:20 p.m., leaving the kids alone in 40 degree temperatures.

 Two Joplin, Missouri Men Indicted for Internet Gambling

Two Joplin, Mo., men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for operating an illegal gambling operation over the Internet. Springfield, MO – infoZine – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that William Lisle, 57, and Kenneth B. Lovett, 72, both of Joplin, were charged in a 16-count indictment that was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Feb. 29, 2012. The indictment was unsealed upon the arrests and initial court appearances of Lisle and Lovett. The federal indictment alleges that Lisle and Lovett utilized the Internet to transmit wagering information, including placing bets on sporting events, as part of their gambling business from Jan. 1, 2003, to Feb. 8, 2011. Lisle is also charged with 15 counts of money laundering. The indictment alleges that Lisle sent money from the gambling operation to Costa Rica by Federal Express in an effort to conceal the proceeds.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A Brief Look at Crime 03/12 – 03/18

5 hurt in shootings outside Vegas casino, hospital

LAS VEGAS —    Police fired shots in the parking structure of a Las Vegas resort casino as they interrupted a gang-related gunbattle just hours before the marquee event of a NASCAR race weekend that brought hundreds of thousands of tourists to town, authorities said Monday. Three people were wounded in the gunfire as others dove for cover shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday on the fourth floor of the Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino parking structure, police said. One wounded man disappeared while two were taken to University Medical Center, where gunfire in the parking lot about 90 minutes later wounded two more men. Police believe the two shootings are related.

Scranton man sentenced to 6 to 23 months in jail for stealing $100G

A city man was sentenced Wednesday to serve between six and 23 months in Lackawanna County Prison for stealing $100,000 from his former employer to support a gambling addiction. Carl Graziano Jr., 25, was arrested in July on charges of stealing and cashing a $100,000 check from Weitsman’s Recycling Center, a scrap-metal business on North Keyser Avenue, on July 22, authorities had said. At that time, Mr. Graziano had lost more than $50,000 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs casino in Plains Twp. over several weeks, including $46,700 on July 22, a complaint stated. Mr. Walker said that Mr. Graziano in October 2010 sought help at a treatment center for his gambling  addiction. “When he suffered a relapse, he did what gamblers do. It mushroomed so badly,” Mr. Walker said. “He screwed up, and he screwed up in a major fashion.”

 

FBI Probes Auburn Point Shaving:  Guard Varez Ward Implicated

The FBI has begun a probe into possible point shaving at Auburn, specifically suspended point guard Varez Ward.  He is accused of attempted point shaving in at least two games, according to a Yahoo Sports report filed Thursday. The FBI began its investigation in late February centering on losses to Alabama on Feb. 7 and Arkansas on Jan. 25. “The NCAA takes any allegation of point shaving very seriously because sports wagering threatens two of our core principles — the well-being of student-athletes and the very integrity of intercollegiate sport,” the NCAA said in a written statement Thursday. “As allegations of point shaving, if proven, are also potential federal crimes, the NCAA will defer action until any process with the FBI has concluded.”

 Miami police seize gun, make 49 arrests at Liberty Square public housing

An AK-47 assault rifle sat on a Liberty Square porch unattended. While “lost and alone,” it managed to be retrieved by Miami police, and make it “home” safely.  Although the owner of the weapon couldn’t be located and an arrest couldn’t be made, Maj. David Magnusson said he is grateful to have it confiscated from the troubled public housing complex. During the first four days of Operation Perseverance, a sting addressing the gun-related violence in Liberty Square, a 750-unit development of pastel buildings from Northwest 12th to 15th avenues and 62nd to 67th streets, police cleaned house. Undercover cops made 31 narcotics arrests, 14 gambling arrests and 4 prostitution arrests Tuesday through Saturday, according to reports.

 Wimblington woman and former town councillor husband jailed after Luton airport cash theft

A WIMBLINGTON woman who stole £90,000 and used part of it to feed her former town councillor husband’s gambling addiction has been jailed.  Janine Tempest-Reynalds, 31, of Pond Close, stole the cash whilst working at Luton Airport as a supervisor for the handling agents Servisair.  Her theft had gone on for some time, Luton Crown Court was told, but only came to light after she went sick in August 2009.  Judge David Farrell said there was no evidence of a luxurious lifestyle and part of the cash was used to supplement a gambling addiction by her husband. He is thought to have received £30,000 over a three and a half year period. Tempest-Reynalds was jailed for two years after admitting theft and false accounting.

 Armored car vault worker says he gambled away vault money

A vault worker for an Aurora armored car company who is facing theft charges says he gambled away as much as $44,000 after taking money from the vault. Authorities say 23-year-old Shane Marquardt of Lakewood took the money from Loomis Armored in Aurora, where he worked as a vault manager. Marquardt tells KMGH-TV he has a gambling habit and he thought he could win the money back before the company found out the money was missing.

 K&L Gates Strives to Regain Funds Embezzled to Pay Gambling Debt

The Law firm K&L Gates is suing the Hong-Kohn based Melco Crown Entertainment, which owns two casinos in Macau, to reclaim stolen money that was gambled away. Their own corporate partner, Mavin Kumar Aggarwal, 44, who resigned nine months previous to this, is now charged with 6 counts of theft and forgery. K&L is seeking to gain some of the millions that Aggarwal embezzled and gambled away trying to pay off his gambling debts. As Aggarwal wrote in a letter to partner David Tang, after his resignation: Now K&L is requesting a court order to ascertain exactly how much Melco gained from Aggarwal’s embezzlement. They’ve already paid $15 million to four clients, including Hui Kau-mo, Mark Lightbrown, Golden Bridge United Holdings Group, and Laxmi Niwas Jhunjhunwala.

 Former Winthrop employee sentenced on theft charges

An Internet gambling addiction and family responsibilities were leading factors in a former Winthrop University employee’s misuse of more than $200,000 in school money, the man’s lawyer said Wednesday. George Walker, 47, pleaded guilty to two counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent in the amount of more than $10,000. Breach of trust is a felony that can carry up to 10 years for each charge, Circuit Court Judge Lee S. Alford said. He sentenced Walker to 10 years in prison, but once he serves two years, he’ll be eligible for parole, which could run consecutively with five years probation.  Walker also must pay restitution to the university.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Zynga Looks to Use Facebook and Social Media Gaming to Incorporate Online Gambling

Casino Watch Focus reported that  Facebook was looking into online gambling in markets where online gambling is legal.  The tie into gambling stems from Facebook utilizing an online monetary system in the form of credits.  Those credits are usable in games or other various items from developers.  One of Facebook’s larger developers, Zynga, who also develops for various mobile platforms, has taken note of the possibilities of a recent Obama Administration ruling, that allows online gambling. An online source explains:

Zynga Inc. (ZNGA) Chief Executive Mark Pincus said Wednesday he sees “mind blowing” possibilities for weaving real-money gambling into social games pending regulatory changes in the U.S., and suggested the company may partner with a traditional casino company before the end of this year.

“We’re definitely talking to all of the players that you would suspect,” Pincus said, adding, “We have incredible respect and admiration for brands and groups like the Wynn… I would expect that you’ll see a lot of these players kind of figure out their go-to-market partnerships for sure before the end of this year.”

Pincus noted that real money gaming would be a natural fit for Zynga, which already draws tens of millions of players to its Zynga Poker game.  Unlike current games such as Zynga Poker, real money gambling games would involve more than just virtual currency that cannot be converted into cash.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION