First Charges Filed
February
18, 2010
The federal government is
still working to identify and prosecute those people who they believe
are involved in the online gambling industry within the United States.
They say that they are aware that there are those individuals and
companies that have residence here that are aiding and abetting the
online gambling industry and that they are going to continue to
investigate until they have brought them all to justice.
It would appear that they are finally getting somewhere with these
investigations. They had arrested Michael V. Badalucco, 26, on charges
of offering online gambling. Badalucco has pleaded guilty to running a
sports bookmaking business and will be sentenced accordingly. This is
the first guilty conviction for the government for the online gambling
charges that they have levied to various individuals throughout the
investigations.
Badalucco admitted that he and others in his
company provided their customers with a toll free number or web site
access that they could then use to play at online gambling. The website
and number were routed through Missouri to a company that was located in
Costa Rica. Badalucco admitted his part in the online gambling scheme
and in return the federal government will not be asking him to testify
against others in the online gambling industry.
He also admitted that he was in contact with the online gambling company
and had cancelled bets for his clients. He also said that he paid out
online gambling winnings and collected cash from those that had placed
bets on a weekly basis. In return for pleading guilty and not having to
testify – he is waving his right to have a grand jury review the
evidence that the government has collected. He is facing up to two years
in prison, although experts say that it is more likely that he will be
looking at six months to a year in jail.
