Daniel Eremian, 61, was found guilty in US District Court on two counts of racketeering as well as numerous wire act offenses. Todd Lyons, a co-defendant in the case, was also found guilty on multiple charges due to his part of serving as a debt collector for the gambling service Sports Off Shore.
This marks the first online gambling conviction under under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which was enacted in 2006.
Note: Eremian was acquitted of more than a dozen charges related to money-laundering.
This case is more intriguing than most, being that Eremian is the brother in law of Congressman John Tierney.
Both Daniel Eremian and his younger brother Robert Eremian were involved with the multimillion-dollar illegal gambling website. At this time, Robert Eremian is living in Antigua – the country has refused to hand him over to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz had this to say:
“Today’s convictions should serve as a message to those involved with illegal gambling schemes that the government will apply the full weight of its resources to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals who seek to profit from offshore gambling.”
You may be wondering what the problem is, since the company was based in Antigua. To start, Sports Off Shore employed more than 50 gambling agents in the US. On top of this, they laundered millions of dollars in wire transfers and checks.
Daniel Eremian is charged with recruiting gambling customers in the United States, with his co-defendant (Lyons) driving throughout Massachusetts to collect money lost by gamblers.
After six days, the jury reached a verdict. Although Eremian and Lyons were allowed to leave the courtroom under their own power, prosecutors are worried that the men are a flight risk. Sentencing is set for March 8, 2012 with both men facing a prison term of 40 + years.
What are your thoughts on this case? Does Daniel Eremian stand any chance at sentencing?