Feds Get Third Online Gambling Guilty Plea In Missouri

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The case that was built against Michael Lombardo and his three co-defendants must have been a strong one. On Wednesday, Lombardo became the third defendant to plea guilty to conducting an illegal gambling business.

The online gambling sports betting operation was being run out of an office in Costa Rica. Lombardo and his co-defendants were responsible for collecting and paying money from the results of the sports bets. Lombardo admitted to his role in the operation, just as two other defendants have in the past couple of months.

A fourth defendant is still awaiting trial, but there is a strong possibility judging from the first three guilty pleas that the case will never make it to trial. The gambling operation, according to federal authorities, had been run from March of 2006 until March of 2009.

Bettors were able to place their bets using toll free numbers through an office in Costa Rica. In the past decade, Costa Rica has become a hot spot for offshore gambling operations. many bookmakers in the US felt that since the operation was off US soil, they would be protected from the law.

Federal authorities, however, have made several high profile arrests in the past few years stemming from these sports betting operations. The charges have ranged from operating an illegal gambling business to money laundering. The Kansas City scheme is said to have brought in over $3.5 million in bets.

Sports betting is one of the few gambling options that still remains taboo in the US. Online gambling legislation is making its way through Congress, but specific amendments have been added to keep sports betting illegal online.

As part of the plea on Wednesday, Lombardo agreed to turn $4,000 over to the government. Prosecutors claim that represented the amount of revenue that Lombardo generated from the $491,000 in bets that gamblers made and he was responsible for.

August 12, 2010
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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