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Poker Player and Pro Baseball Scout Charged with Illegal Gambling

Over 24 people, including professional poker player, James Giordano and former professional baseball scout, Frank Falzarano were charged with illegal gambling on November 15th. According to authorities, they operated a billion-dollar a year gambling ring that even rivaled casino sports books.

The illegal gambling scheme was conducted using a website called Plawithal.com, said Commissioner, Raymond Kelly and Queens District Attorney, Richard Brown.

Also implicated in the illegal gambling charges are 3 companies that reportedly helped the 2 set up the illegal gambling site: Primary Development Inc. of Farmingdale, N.Y., Prolexic Technologies Inc. of Hollywood, and Digital Networks SA Inc. of Davie.

Police were able to get a break in the case last year when they covertly hacked Giordano's laptop after he left it in his hotel room in Long Island to attend a wedding. It has been reported that Giordano rarely let the laptop out of his sight.

Meanwhile, Falzarano is said to be the highest earner in the network of 2,000 bookies. The gambling operation is said to have collected $3.3 billion in wagers since 2004, and has tens of thousands of patrons.

"This is the largest illegal gambling operation we have ever encountered," Kelly said.

"It rivals casinos for the amount of betting."

The wagers were taken on all kinds of sports, including football, baseball, basketball, hockey, car racing, and golf.

 

December 13, 2006
William Atkins

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