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14 arrested in gambling conspiracy
Officials say men sold illegal, bogus sports betting info.
Published by news-press.com on April 9, 2004
Authorities arrested 14 men Thursday in connection with a Fort Myers-based sports handicapping business that investigators say scammed millions from gamblers across the country.
The men — who are from Fort Myers, Estero and Cape Coral — face federal charges of conspiracy to transmit wagering information by interstate and foreign wire and to operate an illegal gambling enterprise. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
“This is the culmination of efforts of local and federal law enforcement agencies that have cooperated and shared information and successfully arrested in one day an entire illegal organization,” said Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Molloy.
Investigators arrested the men at their homes, businesses and even one as he got off a plane from Houston at Southwest Florida International Airport.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the men are accused of getting money for gambling advice and referring clients to offshore gambling casinos and receiving referral fees back from those casinos.
Authorities say they ran the scam under three different businesses — Player’s Edge Inc., which was operated by John R. Rodney Jr., 41, from 1993 to 2003; National Sports Consultants Inc., which was started by Robert Robitzek, 40, and Joseph DiLorenzo, 43, in 2003; and Nationwide Sports Inc., which was started by Nicholas DelNegro, 27, in 2002.
They worked out of rental space at 15881 S. Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers, according to authorities.
“Everybody wants them to go to jail,” said David Harter, 38, a Kansas City engineer who lost $15,000.
Harter created a Web site last month in an effort to find other victims who may want to join a class-action lawsuit.
“I didn’t know much about gambling,” he said. “They made it look more like an investment.”
The arrests come almost four months after a California man settled a federal lawsuit against some of the businesses after the man lost more than $2 million in their dealings.
According to the suit filed by Timothy Edwin Bronkhurst, the businesses lured their clients through radio ads with a toll-free number in major cities, such as San Diego, Phoenix and Milwaukee. They claimed to have “inside information” that would lead to big money for gamblers. However, the defendants, according to the suit, didn’t have an inside track and were “taking their best guesses.”
They cashed in on “package fees” for the inside information and alleged kickbacks from those who took the bets.
“They really nailed me to the wall, these guys,” Bronkhurst, 49, said in December. “It’s a lesson I’ll take with me to the grave.”
Officials say men sold illegal, bogus sports betting info.
Published by news-press.com on April 9, 2004
Authorities arrested 14 men Thursday in connection with a Fort Myers-based sports handicapping business that investigators say scammed millions from gamblers across the country.
The men — who are from Fort Myers, Estero and Cape Coral — face federal charges of conspiracy to transmit wagering information by interstate and foreign wire and to operate an illegal gambling enterprise. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
“This is the culmination of efforts of local and federal law enforcement agencies that have cooperated and shared information and successfully arrested in one day an entire illegal organization,” said Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Molloy.
Investigators arrested the men at their homes, businesses and even one as he got off a plane from Houston at Southwest Florida International Airport.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the men are accused of getting money for gambling advice and referring clients to offshore gambling casinos and receiving referral fees back from those casinos.
Authorities say they ran the scam under three different businesses — Player’s Edge Inc., which was operated by John R. Rodney Jr., 41, from 1993 to 2003; National Sports Consultants Inc., which was started by Robert Robitzek, 40, and Joseph DiLorenzo, 43, in 2003; and Nationwide Sports Inc., which was started by Nicholas DelNegro, 27, in 2002.
They worked out of rental space at 15881 S. Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers, according to authorities.
“Everybody wants them to go to jail,” said David Harter, 38, a Kansas City engineer who lost $15,000.
Harter created a Web site last month in an effort to find other victims who may want to join a class-action lawsuit.
“I didn’t know much about gambling,” he said. “They made it look more like an investment.”
The arrests come almost four months after a California man settled a federal lawsuit against some of the businesses after the man lost more than $2 million in their dealings.
According to the suit filed by Timothy Edwin Bronkhurst, the businesses lured their clients through radio ads with a toll-free number in major cities, such as San Diego, Phoenix and Milwaukee. They claimed to have “inside information” that would lead to big money for gamblers. However, the defendants, according to the suit, didn’t have an inside track and were “taking their best guesses.”
They cashed in on “package fees” for the inside information and alleged kickbacks from those who took the bets.
“They really nailed me to the wall, these guys,” Bronkhurst, 49, said in December. “It’s a lesson I’ll take with me to the grave.”
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