25 Arrested in Illegal Online Gambling Ring

Authorities have busted 25 people who were allegedly running an illegal sports betting ring that took in $50 million over the last 18 months. The Queens, NY district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, said that the ring used servers in Panama and Costa Rica to disguise its relations with US bettors.
Of the arrested bookmakers and money couriers, three were the owners of the Internet and phone ring. The three, Brandt England, George Molsbarger and Stanley Tomchin were charged with enterprise corruption, money laundering and conspiracy. Prosecutors identified them as owners of the online gambling site Pinnacle Sports.
Gamblers placed bets over the phone and at least four websites, while the ring used fake accounts to hide the flow of money and couriers to transport cash profits to and from Panama and Costa Rica.
Pinnacle Sports has not acknowledged if the three were the owners of the site:
“Regarding the recent allegations surrounding the individuals allegedly affiliated with Pinnacle Sports, please be reassured that no Pinnacle Sports employees have been arrested or charged, and Pinnacle Sports itself was not charged in the indictment,” it said in an emailed statement. “We expect no interruptions to our day to day business activities at this time.”