Newspaper Finds Itself at Center of Carib Sports Mess
Christopher Costigan, Sports911.com
Today the FBI came into Chicago based College Football News' offices with subpoenas for all their records looking into Carib Sports (and CaribSports only).
The information came into us from a company that conducts business with the newspaper.
This action comes on the heals of Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh moving to seize gold coins, a silver block and more than $1.6 million in cash from three men accused of running Carib offshore in Antigua, Belize and the United States.
According to forfeiture documents filed in U.S. District Court, the Internal Revenue Service is investigating Carib Sportsbook & Casino, Carib International and other corporate entities controlled by Jon R. Rogers of Toronto, Ohio; John A. Thorne of Tampa, Fla.; and another man identified as Peter T. Mowad.
The men are also accused of diverting millions of dollars of illegal income from Carib and a gambling supply company they established in Florida, Draycott, for their own benefit.
Rogers, Thorne, Mowad, along with others not named, are under investigation for alleged unlawful transmission of wagering information, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, crimes that have taken on more significance in this post 9/11 era.
While we do hear from time to time about bookmakers getting pinched both in the States and abroad, the FBI has specifically focused on money laundering activities as they pertain to offshore sports betting operations.
Sources close to Sports911.com confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigations seems very uninterested in going after offshore bookmakers simply for taking bets over the Net. However, they are actively pursuing those individuals believed to be laundering money through sports betting entities.
The FBI's desire to subpeona the company's advertising vehicles may be an industry first and this might not be the last time we read about such an action.
Sports911.com has always maintained a high opinion of Carib Sports and its management, however, over the past year there were reports surfacing that at least two of the owners might have been operating a part of their business from the U.S. Such reports were later supported by the indictments, though the owners are yet to appear in Court.
Sports911.com has advised all its readers to pull their money out of Carib Sports in fear that customer accounts may be froze by U.S. authorities.
Antigua, one of two Caribbean nations where Carib operates from, has already extradited a sports book owner for tax evasion. Bobby Eremian, Sports Off Shore owner, is currently serving time behind bars in Massachusetts. There is little doubt the Antiguan government will assist United States authorities with their investigation. Belize is likely to cave in as well.
Sports911 does not condone money laundering and will immediately remove any member company believed to be engaging in such illicit activity.
Promotion of online sports betting companies is illegal only in the state of Illinois where College Football News is based, though it does not appear the subpoena had anything to do with the acceptance of such advertisements other than Carib Sports.
Christopher Costigan, Sports911.com
Today the FBI came into Chicago based College Football News' offices with subpoenas for all their records looking into Carib Sports (and CaribSports only).
The information came into us from a company that conducts business with the newspaper.
This action comes on the heals of Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh moving to seize gold coins, a silver block and more than $1.6 million in cash from three men accused of running Carib offshore in Antigua, Belize and the United States.
According to forfeiture documents filed in U.S. District Court, the Internal Revenue Service is investigating Carib Sportsbook & Casino, Carib International and other corporate entities controlled by Jon R. Rogers of Toronto, Ohio; John A. Thorne of Tampa, Fla.; and another man identified as Peter T. Mowad.
The men are also accused of diverting millions of dollars of illegal income from Carib and a gambling supply company they established in Florida, Draycott, for their own benefit.
Rogers, Thorne, Mowad, along with others not named, are under investigation for alleged unlawful transmission of wagering information, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, crimes that have taken on more significance in this post 9/11 era.
While we do hear from time to time about bookmakers getting pinched both in the States and abroad, the FBI has specifically focused on money laundering activities as they pertain to offshore sports betting operations.
Sources close to Sports911.com confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigations seems very uninterested in going after offshore bookmakers simply for taking bets over the Net. However, they are actively pursuing those individuals believed to be laundering money through sports betting entities.
The FBI's desire to subpeona the company's advertising vehicles may be an industry first and this might not be the last time we read about such an action.
Sports911.com has always maintained a high opinion of Carib Sports and its management, however, over the past year there were reports surfacing that at least two of the owners might have been operating a part of their business from the U.S. Such reports were later supported by the indictments, though the owners are yet to appear in Court.
Sports911.com has advised all its readers to pull their money out of Carib Sports in fear that customer accounts may be froze by U.S. authorities.
Antigua, one of two Caribbean nations where Carib operates from, has already extradited a sports book owner for tax evasion. Bobby Eremian, Sports Off Shore owner, is currently serving time behind bars in Massachusetts. There is little doubt the Antiguan government will assist United States authorities with their investigation. Belize is likely to cave in as well.
Sports911 does not condone money laundering and will immediately remove any member company believed to be engaging in such illicit activity.
Promotion of online sports betting companies is illegal only in the state of Illinois where College Football News is based, though it does not appear the subpoena had anything to do with the acceptance of such advertisements other than Carib Sports.
