Defendants in NY Gambling Sting Plead Not Guilty

JusticeOver the past few days, we have covered the various reports of the Manhattan illegal gambling case which involved the arrest of over thirty people in New York City.

The case continues to grow and this past Friday, the suspects were arraigned and charged with being part of the illegal gambling operation whose reach was on a global scale. The 30+ defendants all pled not guilty in the court of Judge Jesse M. Furman.

According to a recent report by the New York Times, the case involves two different crime organizations which are considered separate entities but overlap in some ways.

These groups are active across the globe with connections in Russia, Cyprus, Los Angeles and New York. The organizations would use gambling websites to be able to launder money from the illegal activities. The groups would work together to find the best way to move the money, according to Harris Fischman, the attorney who is the prosecutor in the case.

Fischman told the New York Times that around 25,000 phone calls were recorded during the investigation and most of the phone calls were in English, while there were a few in Russian. During a four-month period, nine cell phones were tapped, email accounts were searched, homes and businesses were raided and computers as well as records from these facilities were taken so that more information could be obtained in the case.

Fischman is estimating that the case will last around one to two months. However, Benjamin Brafman, the lawyer for Hillel Nahmad, says the case will last much longer. Brafman stated:

“If everyone in this courtroom decides to go to trial, I think the one-to-two-month estimate is, with respect, ridiculous.” Nahmad is the prominent owner of the Helly Nahmad Gallery and has been named as someone who bankrolled the operations for the group in NY.

A trial date has been set for June 9th of this year and it will be interesting to see how the case turns out and how many more people may actually be involved in this complicated and large operation.

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