New York is All Over Online Gambling
August 10, 2009
As if it weren’t enough that one of the most progressive states out there had already seized the funds of online gambling poker players, now they are hunting down those that are trying to run a decent business out there. Seriously, if you already know that a state does not want online gambling and is going to crack down on it, why on Earth would you try to open your own online gambling business right under their nose?
This is unfortunately what happened to James Rossi, who is believed to have mafia ties to the Genovese crime family. An 86 count indictment was filed in Queens against Rossi against eleven individuals who seem to have taken part in the illegal online gambling ring. One of the defendants is believed to be living in Costa Rica as a fugitive.
The online gambling operation took more than $13 million in wagers over ten months, with them focusing primarily on football, but they covered other sports as well. They had a wire room in Costa Rica that they ran their online gambling site through – PerfectWager.com. Customers would call toll free and place bets through the site.
When police made the bust they seized almost $400,000 in cash in their Long Island and North Carolina locations. There were also thousands of pages of online gambling records left at the locations. Among the defendants was a retired New York City Police Officer – Joseph R. Sophia, 63. Wagering was allowed from $400 to $2,000 per game.
