Illegal Online Gambling Operation Ends In Four Florida Arrests

Four individuals, accused of operating an illegal gambling operation online, have been arrested and charged with various counts relating to the illegal activity. The charges ranged from transmission of wagering information, to conspiracy to launder money.

The four people, Philip Gurian, Alan Gould, Michelle Lasso, and Jay Goldman, were arrested in connection with an Internet gambling scheme in Florida. Gurian, according to the indictment, was the mastermind behind the operation, an agent for an online gambling sites.

Foreign companies have been imloring US residents to be go-between agents in the US for over a decade. The agents collect and payout money to and from gamblers. The money is then transferred to accounts held by the online betting sites.

In this case, the betting of choice was sports wagering, according to authorities. Lasso was one of the go-betweens to get money in and out of Panama. Lasso owns beauty salons in Panama, and ran the laundered money through the salons.

Gurain is caught on a recorded conversation with a Mastercard representative, attempting to gain a PIN number to avoid having it appear as though payments were coming from the US. Instead, Gurian was attempting to get an IP address in Canada, where online gambling is legal.

According to the report, Gurian wagered around $150,000 a day from October to December. That corresponds with both the NFL and NCAA football seasons.

Goldman and Gould received the slightest of charges from the indictment, both charged with transmission of wagering information. Gurian and Lasso were hit with the money laundering charges.