USA Online Gambling Task Force Searches for E mails

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit has one step further to stop payment processing for online gambling in the USA. Electracash, Inc., the California payment-processor whose bank accounts were seized in July by federal investigators in Maryland is once again the focus of an investigation. As America gets closer to the December first date of strengthened enforcement of it's prohibition on online gambling the law is getting tougher.

The Federal Task force is now going after evidence of gambling-related communications in Electracash's e-mail account with New York-based Intermedia. According to the report by the Baltimore City Paper Electracash's chief executive officer, D. Lee Falls could not be reached for a comment on the situation.

Richard S. Gunn, the investigator who applied for the e-mail warrant, is an Anne Arundel County police detective and task-force officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Gunn was the affiant for the seizure of Forshay Enterprises bank accounts. HMD, Inc., and Electracash are also payment processors whose bank accounts were seized.

IRS criminal investigator Randall Carrow, in a 2008 affidavit said Electracash was owned by Edward Courdy, and Michael Garone. Both have been charged with money laundering, last year. Courdy and Garone appear to be the only defendants charged in the investigation, and neither has been called to appear in court to answer to the charges.

The U.S. government filed forfeiture proceedings against the assets of Courdy and Garone. Seizing nearly $10 million from Courdy last year and more than $14,million from Garone.

The government also took $40 million in online gambling processing bank accounts, and seems content to keep the money, knowing these men won't chance an appearance in a US court.