The New York Police department arrested more than 20 people on Tuesday, who according to the charges brought against them, were involved in a billion-dollar-a-year illegal betting and gambling operation.
Four corporations that were involved with the illegal gambling ring were also indicted on charges of unlawfully operating a highly sophisticated operation that booked billions of dollars on a wide variety of sporting events including among others baseball, football, horseracing, basketball and hockey.
Police seized a laptop computer used by the head of the ring, James W. Giordano, a professional poker player. Giordano used the laptop to run the whole illegal gambling operation and never let it out of his sight. At one occasion, while he and his wife left their hotel room for 3 hours, he made the mistake of leaving his lap top in the room.
The police learned, via a wiretap, of the planned wedding and figured he might leave the laptop in the room and prepared for this opportunity. When Giordano left the room the investigators took the computer, cracked its security system and downloaded all the information they needed.
The defendants face charges that include enterprise corruption, grand larceny and promoting gambling. The corporations face fines of up to double the amount of any illegal gains.
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