Professional poker player Damien LeForbes has pleaded guilty to money laundering and operating an illegal bookmaking operation in both California and an unnamed Las Vegas casino.
LeForbes faces up to 15 years in prison and $500,000 in penalties.
The Las Vegas casino is identified only as “Casino A” in the plea agreement filed Monday in United States District Court for the Central District of California.
The feds are allowing LeForbes to keep about $250,000 of his money and 5,000 Chainlink cryptocurrency, currently valued at approximately $55,000 in total.
The plea deal states that LeForbes gambled $148 million at Casino A from January 2022 to December 2023, laundering $9 million in checks connected to his illegal betting ring’s bank account through the casino.
In addition to personal and cashier’s checks, LeForbes paid Casino A at least $2.8 million in cash.
Key Highlights
- Damien LeForbes moved $9 million in checks, nearly $3 million through unnamed casino
- LeForbes used casino chips and cryptocurrency to pay betting clients
- He is thought to be “Patron A” in NGCB’s August 2024 complaint against Resorts World
- Ex-Resorts World CEO allowed a known bookmaker to gamble when president of MGM Grand
Casino Was Key to Gambling Scheme
In addition to using Casino A to wash his money, LeForbes enlisted at least two casino hosts to recruit new customers.
-LeForbes plea agreements
LeForbes used Casino A’s chips to pay his clients, texting an illegal bookie colleague at one point: “(Casino A) is most important because the chips are so versatile for me.”
He also used cryptocurrency wallets to move money to and from bettors. He even advised them on how to use crypto to avoid detection.
“I’d just send like $100,000 at a time to different addresses,” he told a client. “You can create a different address in a wallet every time [.] Just don’t send to an exchange [.] Wallets are fine though… Just remember fresh address [.] No exchanges [.] I do it every week for millions back and forth [.]”
In addition to using Casino A to wash his money, LeForbes enlisted at least two casino hosts to recruit new customers.
According to the plea agreement, hosts directed at least two bettors to LeForbes.
Spotlight Shining on Resorts World
The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) accused Resorts World of significant violations, filing a complaint alleging the casino allowed known illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer and others to bet millions at the property without verifying their source of funds.
While Casino A has not been officially identified, it is widely assumed that it is Resorts World Las Vegas.
Earlier this month, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) accused Resorts World of significant violations, filing a complaint alleging the casino allowed known illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer and others to bet millions at the property without verifying their source of funds.
Bowyer was the bookie through which Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, bet. Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ slugger to pay off gambling debts to Bowyer.
One of the gamblers referenced in the NGCB’s complaint was called “Patron A,” who told their Resorts World host they were a bookie.
According to the complaint, Patron A gambled 150 days at Resorts World from September 2022 to December 2023, losing $10 million in the process.
Reporting on the federal probe into illegal sports betting rings connected to Resorts World this past spring, the Nevada Current found that Damien LeForbes tried to pass a $2.5 million bad check at the casino.
As of May 2024, he also owed the Venetian $1 million. While both cases were referred to Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, no case had been filed at the time of the Current’s reporting.
Illegal Bookmaking Web Spreads Wide
In January, former Resorts World Las Vegas President Scott Sibella pleaded guilty to violating federal anti-money laundering laws while President of MGM Grand.
This continues what has been a bad year for Resorts World Las Vegas, both in terms of legal issues and publicity.
In January, former Resorts World Las Vegas President Scott Sibella pleaded guilty to violating federal anti-money laundering laws while President of MGM Grand.
He was relieved of his post at Resorts World in September 2023 when news of the federal investigation came out.
Sibella allowed illegal bookmaker and former minor league baseball player Wayne Nix to gamble millions at the MGM Grand with money made from his 20-year betting operation.
For years, Sibella authorized valuable comps for Nix, including golf trips with MGM executives, room, board, and meals.
Sibella seemed to know what Nix’s business was, but claimed he was simply willfully ignorant, saying, “[I] didn’t want to know because of my position,… If we know, we can’t allow them to gamble…. I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to know I guess because he wasn’t doing anything to cheat the casino.”
The ex-MGM Grand and Resorts World boss agreed to a plea deal, admitting to allowing Nix to pay over $100,000 to the MGM Grand without filing a suspicious activity report.
Sources
United States of America vs Damien Joseph LeForbes – https://news3lv.com/resources/pdf/ab60aab8-96fc-4b9c-b4af-845ccd230603-DamienLeforbespleadeal.pdf
https://www.bonus.com/news/poker-pro-damien-leforbes-pleads-to-money-laundering-illegal-bookmaking/
https://www.cocosapps.com/news/nevada-gaming-regulators-accuse-resorts-world-of-major-violations-386071/
https://nevadacurrent.com/briefs/another-resorts-world-gambler-pleads-guilty-to-money-laundering-bookmaking/
https://nevadacurrent.com/2024/05/22/resorts-world-could-face-massive-fines-in-alleged-money-laundering-case/
https://www.legalsportsreport.com/163182/former-mgm-grand-president-pleads-guilty-in-money-laundering-scandal/
