Florida Sheriff Would like $1M+ Seized from Unlawful Gambling Investigation

Posted on: December 25, 2021, 01:48h. 

Previous up to date on: December 25, 2021, 02:38h.

Steve Bittenbender

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A sheriff in South Florida desires to keep additional than $1.2 million in money, along with other objects. The bounty was seized previously this year throughout queries tied to an unlawful bookmaking investigation that has still to develop any criminal rates.

The South Florida Solar Sentinel reported Thursday that the Business of the Statewide Prosecutor has advised 4 adult men they are less than investigation. Though none at the moment have been indicted, courtroom data demonstrate Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony very first sought to seize the revenue on May possibly 7, 3 weeks following searches at four locations. The haul involved 9 $1,000 poker chips and 25 gold cash with an estimated benefit of a lot more than $44,000.

Tony then submitted an amended petition on Aug. 23.

In accordance to an Orlando Sentinel article, Florida law enforcement officials seized far more than $265 million in dollars and personalized residence in 2018. That was far more than any other condition in the region.

According to the Institute for Justice, state and federal law enforcement organizations have utilized civil forfeiture rules to claim additional than $68.8 billion, according to the Institute for Justice.

Investigation Began 3 Several years Back

According to Tony’s petition, his office’s Organized Crime Unit received a suggestion from a Criminal offense Stoppers call in December 2018. The concept was that a guy named William Cascioli was element of a group running an illegal gambling and income laundering ring in South Florida.

“The tipster even further advised that users of the organization run an unlawful sporting activities betting procedure comprised of many partners and that the organization gets hundreds of thousands of pounds in proceeds weekly,” the complaint stated.

Soon after the get in touch with, sheriff’s officers started to keep track of Cascioli. In the course of that time, the officers noted Cascioli held quite a few meetings in Davie, a Broward County neighborhood. He was also found finding up an unidentified white male with a backpack from Terminal 3 of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport. The two drove off, but returned minutes afterwards to the Terminal 1 departure making. There, the mysterious male exited the vehicle with the backpack.

From the airport, the civil forfeiture petition says officers saw Cascioli go to a CVS Pharmacy, where he bought two Yahtzee board game titles. Much less than an hour later on, he went to a FedEx location to ship the Yahtzee games. One particular went to Texas and the other to California.

Though in line with the clerk, Cascioli was overheard using his cellular system speaking with an specific he referred to as ‘Stevie Boy’ and discussing the point spreads, odds on the Tremendous Bowl, and horse racing,” the grievance states.

FedEx officers would open up the packing containers as element of the company’s guidelines against transport illegal contraband. They located much more than $200,000 in money in the two Yahtzee bins.

That income was sooner or later seized, and even more investigation located that the illegal bookmaking ring was allegedly widespread in Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Seashore, Collier, and Martin counties.

Civil Forfeiture Endeavor Fought

The Broward County Sheriff’s Business office also alleges the ring applied a web page, betbigcity.ag, to operate its operation, with an account proven by Cascioli. The complaint states that 23 brokers of the ring had accounts, with 115 shoppers employing the web site.

This past April, the sheriff’s business office filed for lookup warrants for Cascioli’s Palm Seashore County dwelling and for residences of three other persons, Todd Schettino, Harris Steinhart, and Martin Zarcadoolas. Warrants have been also filed for accounts related to Zarcadoolas, Cascioli, and Voehringer Realty LLC.

The sheriff’s petition alleges that Zarcadoolas was a superior-position member of the group, and accounts in his identify were used to “conceal the proceeds of their unlawful bookmaking action.”

Among the property seized from Zarcadoolas integrated the gold coins and poker chips, as nicely as additional than $183,000 from a closet risk-free at his home. Regulation enforcement also confiscated numerous digital gadgets, these as a MacBook, a Chromebook, iPads, and mobile phones, and men’s Breitling, Cartier, and Rolex watches.

Financial institution seizures from Zarcadoolas included just about $600,000 from an account at Chase Bank, and extra than $165,000 from a Financial institution of The usa account.

Zarcadoolas has denied his involvement in the unlawful gambling ring. Court docket paperwork present he has fought endeavours to have his possessions seized through civil forfeiture.

“The seizing legislation enforcement agency effectuated an unconstitutional search of Zarcadoolas’ residence in violation of the Fourth Modification to the Florida Structure and the United States Constitution,” Zarcadoolas’ response to the amended complaint states.