SDS Named In Further Gambling Case
Published: Friday, May 27, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
SDS NAMED IN FURTHER GAMBLING CASE
Illegal bookies busted in Syracuse
Readers of last week's InfoPowa report on the New York and Pennsylvania arrests
for illegal gambling last week will possibly recall the name Safe Deposit Sports
(SDS) a Costa Rican outfit alleged to have handled some of the illegal transactions
in that case.
The name came up again this week when Syracuse and state
police cracked what they say is the biggest illegal gambling operation they've
ever experienced.
The authorities were alerted by anonymous tip-offs
more than a year ago in the Syracuse case. Once again, sophisticated eavesdropping
techniques such as wire taps and advanced technology surveillance were deployed
to identify and track the offenders.
It transpired that local safe deposit
boxes and off-shore accounts were used to launder money taken by the illegal bookies.
City detectives and state police fanned out early this week and quickly
arrested 41 of the 46 people including a state trooper they were looking for,
said Sgt. Tom Connellan, of Syracuse police.
Police charged them with
a total of 403 felonies and 163 misdemeanors in what police say was a $20.3 million
gambling operation.
"This is unquestionably the biggest illegal
gambling operation we've ever had here," said Lt. John Corbett, of Syracuse
police.
Detectives have found $155,000 of the money in safe deposit boxes.
The rest of the money remains unaccounted for, but police have evidence
money was being forwarded to Costa Rica through a "clearinghouse" known
as Safe Deposit Sports, Connellan said. Police believe that was a phony corporation
set up to launder money, investigators said.
Most of the betting activities
happened locally and typically were on NFL games and college basketball.
