Four American citizens evaded U.S. controls and found a paradise to line their pockets in Costa Rica, so they started operating illegal sport-gambling websites in the country.
Gordon Mitchnick (58), Joseph Schneider (39), Arthur Rossi (66) and Claude Ferguson (43) were captured in simultaneous operations in New York and Los Angeles. They are accused of managing more than one billion dollars from illegal gambling.
The money was presumably collected through bets in a single NFL season, the most followed sports league in the United States. The bets were made through TheWagerSpot and Hustler24 / 7 websites.
The leader, Gordon Mitchnick, ran the operation from San José in Costa Rica. He laundered part of the profits by buying 20 houses,
quoted a report from Reuters.
The websites are protected with passwords. In addition, people can bet on college matches or other professional sports in the U.S.
At its best, the operation produced 200,000 dollars in monthly bills, which included salaries for employees located in San José, who ran a call center for bookmakers,
stated the prosecutors.
If convicted, the defendants face sentences of 25 years in prison for crimes of corporate corruption.