An Antigua man has been arrested over a decade after being charged along with his participation in an unlawful playing enterprise that utilized an Antiguan web website however operated within the United States.
Richard Sullivan, 73, of St. John’s, Antigua, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in August 2010 with racketeering, working an unlawful playing enterprise, transmission of wagering info, cash laundering and interstate journey in support of racketeering.
Sullivan was arrested on Aug. 20, 2023, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York whereas continuing by means of customs upon his return to the United States from Antigua. Sullivan was arraigned within the Eastern District of New York on Aug. 21, 2023, and can seem in federal courtroom in Boston later.
This prosecution marked one of many first occasions that people had been charged with violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and the primary in Massachusetts.
Sullivan and his co-defendants are charged with over 75 counts of participating in U.S. banking transactions involving U.S.-based gamblers to pay playing money owed owed to Sports Offshore.
According to the indictment, Sullivan and his three co-conspirators – Todd Lyons, Robert Eremian and Daniel Eremian – operated Sports Offshore, a web based playing website licensed in Antigua that was really working within the United States, conducting an unlawful playing enterprise that stretched from Massachusetts to Florida.
The ring allegedly employed roughly 50 playing brokers within the United States, who solicited lots of of shoppers and picked up playing money owed, forwarding the unlawful playing proceeds to Antigua.
Sullivan allegedly managed the each day actions of Sports Offshore at its playing workplace in St. John’s, Antigua. In that capability, Sullivan allegedly supervised roughly 30-50 workers who accepted wagers from clients within the United States that had been positioned over the phone and the Internet.
It is alleged that Sullivan directed assortment actions relating to clients and brokers situated within the United States who owed cash to Sports Offshore. Sullivan additionally allegedly served as an agent for Sports Offshore, in that he was liable for a bunch of Massachusetts clients who gambled with Sports Offshore and he earned commissions on playing losses incurred by these clients.
It can be alleged that Sullivan utilized people who resided in Massachusetts to gather cash from his Massachusetts clients which he had shipped on to Antigua through the mail.
In whole, Sullivan and his co-conspirators allegedly collected over $22 million for Sports Offshore by means of the unlawful playing operation and laundered greater than $10 million in checks and wire transfers.
In December 2011, Lyons and Daniel Eremian had been convicted following a five-week jury for his or her roles within the conspiracy. Lyons was sentenced to 4 years in jail, one 12 months of supervised launch and was ordered to forfeit $24.6 million. Daniel Eremian was sentenced to a few years in jail, one 12 months of supervised launch and was ordered to forfeit $7.7 million.
