Poker Pro James Giordano Charged with Illegal Gambling and Held Without Bail

Professional poker player, James Giordano was ordered to be held without bail on Wednesday, November 29th, on illegal gambling charges.

Giordano is being accused of running a $3.3 billion illegal sports gambling operation, along with over 2 dozen others.

52 year-old Giordano stood quietly during his arraignment in Queens Criminal Court. He entered a not guilty plea.

Giordano was arrested by FBI agents on November 15th at his home in Florida. 26 others were indicted in the case, including a former pro baseball scout and 3 family members.

According to prosecutors, Giordano ran a $1 billion-a-year gambling operation that involved tens of thousands of gamblers and 2,000 bookies. The operation was allegedly carried out via the website Playwithal.com.

The prosecutors also said that the defendants were able to pocket "untold millions of dollars" through shell corporations and bank accounts in Central America, the Caribbean, Switzerland, Hong Kong and other locations.

Included in those charged were Giordano's wife, daughter and son-in-law. They were also arraigned Wednesday, and entered a not guilty plea. The trio was extradited from their native Florida to New York.

The 27 defendants hail from New York, New Jersey, Florida and Nevada. They are being charged with enterprise corruption, money laundering, promoting gambling, and a number of other counts. The charges were brought down following a 28-month investigation led by Queens DA Richard Brown.

December 18, 2006
Brian Nelson