Douglas Lenick has been charged with bank fraud and other crimes arising from his role in a scheme to disguise the deal to distribute gambling winnings to U.S. residents, according to the indictment released in New York.
The Justice Department said Lenick opened bank accounts in various corporate names in the United States between 2007 and June 2009 and “falsely indicated that the accounts would be used for purposes such as rebate checks, refund checks, sponsorship checks, affiliate checks and small pay processing.”
Authorities said Renick, 34, and the unnamed co-conspirators used the account “to get funding from offshore internet gambling companies that offer poker, blackjack, slots and other casino games.”
Renick and others “then spent those funds through checks on U.S. residents trying to cash in on their gambling winnings.” 토토사이트 추천
The indictment alleges Renick and others “provided false and misleading information to U.S. banks about the purpose of the account because they would not have handled the transaction if they had known about gambling.”
Renick and his co-conspirators said they had processed more than $350 million transferred from Cypriot bank accounts to various U.S. bank accounts to that end.
If convicted, Renick faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of more than $1 million on bank fraud, money laundering and other charges. The indictment also seeks a forfeiture of at least $565 million.
U.S. officials said the websites were illegal to gamble on the internet by U.S. residents, even if they were owned by foreign operators, but focused on prosecuting those involved in financial transactions.
A law passed in 2006 prohibits U.S. banks, credit card and financial firms from handling Internet gambling bets, but the rules have not yet been enforced amid criticism that they would be an enforcement nightmare.
