Couple guilty in Internet gambling case |
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Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:43
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NEW YORK (AP) - A husband and wife who helped run a $1.4 billion-a-year Internet gambling business have pleaded guilty to felony charges in Queens.Daniel Clarin, 32, and his wife, Melissa Clarin, 31, of Miami, entered their guilty pleas Thursday, becoming the latest in a string of defendants to admit participating in an operation that processed bets through offshore computer servers and the Web site Playwithal.com.The Queens judge overseeing the case said he was likely to give Daniel Clarin a prison term of 2 1/3 years to seven years when he is sentenced in April. Clarin, who pleaded guilty to enterprise corruption, will also have to forfeit $254,356.Justice Stephen Knopf said he would not give Melissa Clarin jail time, on the condition that she forfeit $72,508 in illegal earnings. She pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge.Dennis Clarin's attorney, Jay Moskowitz, said he was hopeful his client would be allowed to enter a program that could reduce the length of his sentence.'He's a first-time offender. He had a spotless record, before this misadventure,' Moskowitz said.Prosecutors said the gambling operation used a combination of old-school bookies and new technology to take bets from tens of thousands of customers.Twenty seven defendants, from New York, New Jersey, Florida and Nevada, were charged in the case last year following a two-year probe.The man charged with leading the ring, a professional poker player named James Giordano, is Melissa Clarin's father. He has pleaded innocent and is awaiting trial.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Neteller execs charged in gambling case 