JON'S CELL: A 42-year-old man from Fort Lauderdale who ran a “tout service” for gamblers is facing charges after a federal grand jury in Milwaukee chose to indict him on six counts that included racketeering, extortion, gun charges and federal fraud. The charges against the man stemmed from an incident that began back in 2012, when a client of the man decided to reduce the amount of his gambling activity and told the man that he would not be using him to pick as many of his bets.
According to court documents, the man allegedly then told the client that the two of them were in danger because they had not paid back a gambling debt to a third-party bookmaker. Authorities state that in reality, the third-party bookmaker was actually an alter-ego that the man had created to reportedly convince his client to pay.
In April 2012, court documents state that the man and an associate allegedly flew from Florida to Wisconsin to meet with the client in an attempt to extort additional funds to supposedly pay off an existing gambling debt. During the confrontation, authorities say that the associate pulled a gun on the client to threaten him into paying. The client then agreed to pay $9.8 million to cover the debt and reportedly wired the amount into accounts that were actually owned by the man himself.
If convicted on the six counts, the man could receive a maximum penalty of 20 years for the extortion, racketeering and three federal charges of wire fraud along with the possibility of life in prison for the gun charge. In addition to the possible prison sentences, each count has a maximum fine of $250,000.
Defendants who are facing federal charges may find it beneficial to seek the council of an experienced criminal attorney.
Source: Fox 6 Now, “Federal grand jury in Milwaukee indicts Fort Lauderdale man, CEO of “Real Money Sports” on six counts” Katie DeLong, Dec. 09, 2014
