Puddy Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 CEO of online gambling site arrested By DAVID KOENIG, Associated Press Writer Tue Jul 18, 1:00 PM ET FORT WORTH, Texas - Federal officials have charged 11 people, including the CEO of a big gambling Web site, alleging they committed conspiracy, racketeering and fraud in taking sports bets from U.S. residents. ADVERTISEMENT The Justice Department said Monday it is seeking the forfeiture of $4.5 billion, cars and computers from the defendants, including BetOnSports PLC and three other companies. BetOnSports Chief Executive David Carruthers and four other defendants were arrested over the weekend. Carruthers was arrested Sunday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport during as he awaited a flight from Texas to Costa Rica, where the company has operations. The 22-count indictment was unsealed Monday in St. Louis, where a federal judge also ordered BetOnSports to stop accepting bets placed from within the United States. Several of the defendants live outside the United States, which will make them hard to catch, said U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway in St. Louis. "This is a tough crime to prosecute," she said. Among those who live abroad is Gary Stephen Kaplan, the founder of BetOnSports, which is incorporated in the United Kingdom and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Trading of the company's shares was suspended in London on Tuesday. Shares of BetOnSports fell as much as 24 percent Monday following news of Carruthers' arrest, but they recovered to close 17 percent lower at 122.50 pence ($2.24). In the fiscal year ending Feb. 5, BetOnSports reported a 65 percent gain in operating profit on continuing operations to $20.1 million. The company said it handled $1.77 billion worth of bets for the year, up 25 percent. Kaplan is a former New York area bookie who moved his operations to the Caribbean after being arrested on gambling charges in New York in 1993. Despite the move, the United States has remained Kaplan's main market, officials said. He is now living in Costa Rica and owns 15 percent of the company, according to the indictment. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Officials said those arrested include Kaplan's brother, Neil Scott Kaplan, who handled purchasing for the company. He was arrested in Fort Pierce, Fla. Two other defendants were arrested in Miami and another was arrested in Philadelphia. Carruthers was being held in Fort Worth after he was detained while trying to make a connecting flight Sunday from the United Kingdom to Costa Rica. A federal magistrate ordered him held until a detention hearing on Friday. Carruthers' first appearance in court Monday lasted about 10 minutes. He was led into the courtroom in handcuffs, wearing a lime green T-shirt with the words "World Traveler" across the front, faded jeans and gray suede shoes. Tim Evans, an attorney who appeared on Carruthers' behalf, handed him a lengthy document, adding, "You won't have time to read it all, of course." Kevin Smith, a spokesman for BetOnSports, said Carruthers and other company officials had no idea that there was an indictment. "Certainly had they told us, we would have been more than willing to negotiate with them and work on whatever these charges are," Smith said. "There wouldn't have been any need to nab him while he's waiting on a layover for a flight." Others named in the indictment include Kaplan's sister and several BetOnSports employees. The other three companies named in the indictment are based in Florida and handle promotional activity for BetOnSports. The indictment charges Kaplan with failing to pay federal wagering excise taxes on more than $3.3 billion in U.S. wagers. Authorities also charged that Kaplan's group fraudulently claimed that Internet and phone wagering on sporting events was legal and licensed. Internet gambling has become a political issue in Washington. Last week, the House passed a bill that would make it illegal for American banks and credit card issuers to make payments to online gambling sites. The bill's fate in the Senate is uncertain, in part because of exemptions granted for horse racing and state lotteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) Echooooo... Edit: Of course, it's next to impossible to know what dmarc's post is about unless you actually open the link. Edited July 18, 2006 by darin3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I've done business with BetOnSports. Pais promptly and never had any problem with them. Been a couple of years. Hopefully our senators will be too busy solving important matters to waste time on internet gambling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Thank the Republican Party for keeping America clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh B Tool Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 SHEEEEAHHT!! I still have a buck twenty sitting in my account there Looks like I will be making a phone call here shortly, then again maybe I let it all ride on the Bucs at +4000 or Lightnin' Bolts at +3000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spain Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I have used this site several times. Good gambling site. Or it was.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) Echooooo... Edit: Of course, it's next to impossible to know what dmarc's post is about unless you actually open the link. god forbid you have to hit the link.....typical lib wanting everything done for him... Edited July 18, 2006 by dmarc117 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) god forbid you have to hit the link.....typical lib wanting everything done for him... Hey Bozo, it's your RePukeLieTard homies that are behind this, the last thing you want to be doing is throwing darts at a middle-of-the-road guy like me. Just because I disagree with your puckered viewpoints doesn't make me a "liberal". Edit: And common sense would tell you that I did click the link to open the story up, as I responded to Pud's post within mere minutes of recognizing the content. :duh: Edited July 18, 2006 by darin3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDFFFreak Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I have used this site several times. Good gambling site. Or it was.. I don't think it's going anywhere any time soon.... bet on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Man, I'm thinking maybe I'll start up my own bookop. The state I live in just made online gambling a felony, and this bust is more than the usual personal tax evasion stuff (going after businesses). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H8tank Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I wonder what Harry Reid thinks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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