Maine man gets 15 months for state’s largest gambling operation
A Maine man who netted millions running an illegal sports gambling operation is going to prison for 15 months. Sixty-two-year-old Stephen Mardigan was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty in May to unlawful gambling, money laundering and filing a false tax return. The Portland Press Herald/ reports that Mardigan ran what’s believed to have been Maine’s largest gambling operation out of his Portland home and his used car dealership from 2003 to 2017. Court documents say bets typically ranged from $30 to thousands of dollars, but two gamblers in particular wagered nearly $5 million through Mardigan. Mardigan wrote to the judge that he’s addicted to gambling and that he has been attending weekly meetings of Gamblers Anonymous. He wrote, “I now realize that I was out of control.”
‘Elaborate lie’: Con artist found guilty on 22 counts in Grand Reserve fraud case
A federal jury in Columbus has found an Alabama con artist guilty of 22 felonies for inducing the stepmother of Grand Reserve apartments owner Steve Corbett to send her more than $600,000 from the business while the stepmother was its chief financial officer. Authorities say Dorita Clay of Selma, Ala., took the money she got from Darlene Corbett and either spent it or gambled it away at casinos. “What the defendant really is, is a gambling addict,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals told jurors in his closing argument Wednesday morning. “She is not just a gambler. She is a flimflam artist.” Clay was better at swindling than gambling, Seals said: “The defendant is a terrible gambler.” Much of the money was wagered not on any game requiring skill, but on slot machines engineered to take in more than they pay out, he said: “We all know the house always wins.” Among those testifying during Clay’s trial was a representative of the Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, Miss., who said Clay in 2015 wagered $1.8 million and lost $1.7 million, and the next year bet around $600,000 and lost about $500,000.
Desert Hot Springs man arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with December shooting
A Desert Hot Springs man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murder in connection with a shooting that happened at an illegal gambling operation last month, authorities said. James Angel, 43, was booked into the county jail in Indio, a Desert Hot Springs news release said. The shooting occurred about 10 p.m. on Dec. 11 in the 66500 block of Pierson Boulevard, according to the city. The shooting victim was initially transported to the hospital before succumbing to his injuries roughly three days later. The arrest comes nearly three weeks after police spotted a vehicle that matched the description of one involved in a shooting at an illegal gambling operation near Pierson Boulevard and Palm Drive, city spokeswoman Doria Wilms said last month. The man allegedly shot at a detective before a vehicle pursuit, Desert Hot Springs police said. The next day, 26-year-old Indio resident Raymond Villegas was arrested. He later pleaded not guilty to all charges, including attempted murder of a police officer.
Man admits to stealing $388K from West Palm employer to support gambling habit
A man from West Palm Beach admitted to stealing more than $388,000 from his employer to support his gambling habit, West Palm Beach Police said. Neil Reisman, 60, is facing charges of grand theft and scheme to defraud. Authorities say Reisman forged the signature of his company’s CEO at FRI Investors to cash more than 150 checks worth a total of $388,300 from March 2015 to June 2016. Investigators say the amounts on each check grew from $500 to $4700. The frequency in which he cashed the checks also increased from about 4 times a month to 16 times a month. Police said Riesman also took steps to conceal the crimes by altering bank statements. According to the arrest report. Reisman admitted to spending money at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek. Reisman is due in court Monday morning. He’s being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on $15,000 bond.
Three Nabbed For Mob Gambling Ring In Area, DA Says
Three area men have been nabbed for running an illegal gambling ring and money laundering operation in Rockland County that took in more a $1 million. The three men, John Andriello, 66, of Pearl River; Marco Minuto, 60, of Old Tappan, New Jersey, and Brian Levine, 49, of Garnerville, were arrested Friday, Jan. 11, according to Acting Rockland County District Attorney Kevin Gilleece. The DA’s Office said the men made at least a million by accepting wagers on various sporting events, including professional and college football. According to the felony complaint, the highly sophisticated criminal enterprise was controlled by purported members of organized crime. “These arrests close down a highly lucrative gambling operation that benefitted organized crime with large amounts of money every year,” said Gilleece. “Make no mistake: illegal sports betting is by no means a victimless crime. Its proceeds underwrite more insidious forms of corruption, such as racketeering, drug trafficking, and loan sharking” All three defendants were charged with felony enterprise corruption and felony promoting gambling, the DA’s Office said.
Ex-All Blacks rugby star Regan King ‘tricked women out of thousands to fund gambling addiction’
A FORMER All Blacks rugby star has been accused of tricking women out of thousands of pounds to fund a gambling addiction. Regan King, 38, is said to have pleaded with the two women for help with cash flow problems but failed to pay them back. The ex-All Blacks and Scarlets centre admitted owing the women thousands of Australian dollars in emails, BBC Wales reports, but he has declined to comment. Diana Stalteri from Perth, in Western Australia, told the website she met King online in 2017 and was asked if he could borrow cash after a few months of them dating. The 40-year-old had just signed with Perth Rugby Club and Diana said she agreed to lend him some of the A$10,000 (£5,500) he asked for to pay off a debt. Diana, who ended the relationship in May 2018, said she gave the money on the condition she could see his contract and would have the money back at the end of the rugby season. She said: “It was an immediate family member that rang me with information about the money – that he had a gambling addiction, and the amount of money he owed people, particularly in New Zealand. Diana, who claims she has spoken with five other women who reported being duped by King, said she ended up in hospital “extremely sick from stress”. A second ex, Cheryl Wenninger, 47, also from Perth, claims she also lended King money when he appealed to her “compassionate side”.
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