Jessica Davis and William Scott, two operators of an illegal offshore online casino operation, were recently indicted by the US District Court for the District of Columbia. According to the 12-count indictment, the two were illegally soliciting gamblers to send money from the US to the Caribbean island of Antigua. The money given by the online casino players was intended to be wagered on a wide range of sporting events and online casinos games.
Online casino players placed their bets through toll-free numbers and through online casino sites operated by WorldWide Telesports, Inc. But this is only the beginning of the illegal activity committed by Davis and Scott. They also violated the Wire and Travel Acts and were involved in a money laundering conspiracy. Additionally, Scott used a 'shell' company called Soulbury to conceal his personal profits from his illegal online casino enterprise, and failed to file reports on his foreign bank accounts to the IRS. The money he concealed came to a total of US 10 million dollars, which he attempted to hide in Guernsey, and independent state off the coast of France.
How the court will rule on the final sentencing for these two is still unknown. However, as in past months, it is clear that the US takes the online casino industry and illegal gambling very seriously when it comes to legal issues. In the near future, it does not seem that the view of online casino sites will change from the US government's perspective. |
